Last week, students in Professor Sally Moore's The Art of Puppetry class put the finishing touches on their puppets, including attaching the "marionette controller".. The course explores shape, form and movement as it relates to character, mood and atmosphere. The history of the art of puppetry from around the world is discussed through images, videos and readings. Students learn how to construct masks, shadow puppets, hand and rod puppets, and marionettes, and will work in groups to put on performances of folk tales from various parts of the world. Puppetry is also examined as a tool in education, therapy and advertising. Learn more about our Fine Art Program here.

In this course, the fundamentals of guitar playing are studied including learning basic chords, scales, arpeggios and techniques for playing a variety of musical styles. Emphasis is placed on melody and accompaniment style texture as well as on individual and ensemble playing.

Music Professor Amy McGlothlin discusses and demonstrates how different types of microphones can be used in different ways to improve voice or instrument recording in her Intro to Music Technology course. Students recorded, then evaluated the microphones based on sound, soundwaves, and tonality. This course focuses on acoustics, hardware operation, music theory, notation, and composition skills through instructional software and on creating, recording, and editing sounds with digital audio applications. Learn more about our music programs here.

Students in Andrea Olmstead's Ceramics class worked on vessels they made using the coil method of pottery. The slab building technique starts with smooth slabs of clay that are formed around molds or shaped and cut by hand; these students are making boxes. Learn more about our Fine Art Program here.

Members of the faculty looked at the historical factors that have led to what has been called the Second October War in Israel and Gaza, while exploring how the crisis fits into other contexts, in Ellis White Lecture Hall yesterday afternoon. Professor Joshua Spero moderated a panel discussion, which also included Michael Hoberman (English Studies),Eric Budd (Economics, History and Political Science), Yasser Derwiche Djazaerly (Humanities), Benjamin Lieberman (Economics, History and Political Science), R. Brad Bannon (Humanities) and Wafa Unus (English Studies)

The CenterStage annual Faculty Show Gallery Reception was held yesterday afternoon in the Hammond Hall Art Gallery. The reception was included a film and video screening in Ellis White Lecture Hall. The Faculty Show will run until December 15th. To learn more, visit our CenterStage page.

University music faculty members Jane Fiske, Jonathan Harvey, Amy McGlothlin and Justin Casinghino were joined by special guests Kris Layton, Alanna Rantala and Cynthia Schilling for this performance highlighting Fitchburg State's new, nine-foot Steinway Model D concert grand piano. 

Fitchburg State University’s instrumental and choral ensembles performed a joint concert last evening in Weston Auditorium. The concert program served as  a showcase of “bite-sized” performances by the university’s choirs, bands and orchestra. Performers will include Fitchburg State students as well as faculty members Jonathan Harvey, Amy McGlothlin, and Hildur Schilling. Learn more about our Music Programs here.

Students in Andrea Olmstead's Ceramics put some final touches on vessels  using the coil method of pottery. Coil pottery is a method of handbuilding pottery where a potter forms a base, walls, and style by combining clay coils (or cylinders). The potter rolls the clay into coils, stacks the coils together, and joins the coils through pressure creating a vessel. Learn more about our Fine Art Program here.

John Hughes, an internationally-renowned composer, musician, and educator, held a kora performance yesterday afternoon in the Hammond Main Lounge. The kora is long-necked harp/lute of the Malinke people of western Africa. The instrument’s body is composed of a long hardwood neck that passes through a calabash gourd resonator, itself covered by a leather soundboard. Hughes also visiting two classes earlier in the day - Medieval Africa and World Music.