Those of us who have chosen music as a career- performers, teachers, conductors, composers, theorists, historians, ethnomusicologists, music therapists – have most likely done so because of our love of musical creation. Most start by learning how to play an instrument or sing, and we spend hours in a room, usually by ourselves, honing our craft. What we may not realize when we pick up the trombone or violin for the first time in fifth grade, is that we will most likely spend the rest of our musical lives sharing our sounds and knowledge with others. It is in this sharing that we multiply our joys and make a difference in the larger world.
The musicians at Nazareth College – students and teachers – have had a significant and positive impact on our surrounding community for many years, in many ways. We involve our students directly with our outreach efforts, and create a win-win situation for all – students as performers, presenters and organizers, and community recipients. Our faculty serve as guides and mentors, as well as active participants.
We may look at several areas that connect us with our community: events we host in our Music Department; residencies/teaching off campus, performances, and guest artist activities. We may highlight ways in which our Music program has a large component of Service Learning: Our students learn a great deal, with respect to their academic programs of study and to their professional training, by helping the Music Department organize events that serve the Community outside the College. In all the events listed here, our students experience direct application of what they are learning (or have learned) in a variety of their current (or past) music courses, and they do so through participation in events that meet an identified need in the Community. Our students are involved in the planning and the execution of these events, and they also participate in various activities. There is also usually an element of "reflection" involved, that may or may not be tied to a specific course assignment. The following is a list of events that the Music Department offers annually:

§ MENC (Music Educators National Conference) events: Nazareth Music Department hosts several events each year (competitions, meetings, teacher’s workshops). Open to the Community.
§ Vocal Festival: Annual event, sponsored by the music department, open to the Community. Concerts, Master Classes, workshops for National Association of Teachers of Singing, Barbara Staropoli Voice competition.
§ Choral Festival: High school choirs are invited to Nazareth to perform and work with a guest clinician
§ String Festival: Annual event, open to the Community, aimed at area string players and string programs.
§ Rochester Flute Association Annual Flute Fair: Nazareth music department hosts this event whenever possible. Open to NYS flute players, teachers, and amateurs. Concerts, workshops, competitions, guest artists.
§ Summer Kodaly Workshops: Nazareth music department hosts classes for area music teachers in Kodaly teaching methods.
§ Nazareth Keyboard Forum, Piano Festivals, Piano Pedagogy Workshop: Various performance and pedagogical events hosted by the Nazareth Music Department provide opportunities for communications and collaborations with community piano teachers and students connected with New York State Teachers of Music (NYSTMA) and the Rochester Piano Teachers Guild (RPTG).
§ Nazareth Community Music Program: Open admission. Private instruction, concerts, classes, competitions. Many of our students participate in this program, and several faculty also.

Other community events which the Music Department has hosted include a New York State Day of Percussion for students, teachers, and performers across NYS (in conjunction with the Percussive Arts Society); ensemble performances including local high school students; and Latin percussion workshops for area enthusiasts.
Additionally, the Tritone Fantasy Jazz Camp, a week long jazz camp for adults, is held annually in June with participants from the U.S. and Canada.

Many music department Faculty regularly offer their services in a variety of settings outside the College, and this constitutes a large portion of their time spent outside of teaching classes. They share their knowledge and expertise as adjudicators for festivals and competitions, as guest performers, conductors, lecturers and clinicians for conventions and in schools. Many are board members for community music groups.

Students and Faculty have significant contacts with the Community in ways that provide benefits to local and national organizations; as well as providing teaching and performing experience for our students. Here are some examples of these ongoing efforts:
Faculty members serve as Composers in Residence for local public schools. Most recently, Dr. Tim Sullivan, Professor Emeritus, is approaching a fifth year as Composer In Residence at School 42; Dr. Paul Smoker, Director of Jazz Studies, is in residence at the School of The Arts – both in connection with The Commission Project. Our faculty lead weekly jam sessions at local jazz hot spots, playing in an informal setting with Nazareth students and community musicians. Nazareth College Bands (including Wind and Jazz Ensembles), Choirs, Opera Workshop, and Chamber Ensembles have toured schools in NYS, and have performed at National and International conventions; and there is a large component of educational exchange involved in these events. Individual faculty and student members regularly volunteer to fill needs in the community on a regular basis – St. Joseph’s House, Sojourner House, and the Jewish Community Center, to name a few examples. Student and faculty ensembles volunteer to play solo and ensemble concerts at nursing homes, retirement communities, and churches. Our music education faculty now provide a teacher’s support group for local music teachers. Our MENC students are involved in raising money to purchase musical instruments for city schools with inadequate facilities; and our Music Therapy students volunteer services in the Community directly related to music therapy training – programs for girl scouts and working with terminally ill patients, among other things.

The Nazareth College Music Department has created and maintained important links to our community for the benefit of many for a long time, and the tradition continues. We provide opportunities for our students to grow as professionals and to value their gifts as a means of reaching out to others in volunteer settings. Community organizations and individuals benefit from our passion and expertise. Music, of course, is meant to be shared; and as we discover through our lives as professionals, community members, parents, and children, our role is significant and rewarding. What has begun as a few notes in a practice room has blossomed into a symphony of connected vibrations in a larger space than we imagined at first. We are proud to have a vibrant role in our social fabric within and without the walls of Nazareth College.