Sterling Masat has been named as the newest member of the Commercial Music faculty at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. He will serve as bluegrass music instructor in the program, teaching banjo and guitar, and leading bluegrass ensemble classes.
A Texas native, Sterling performed as a youngster with his siblings in The Masat Family Band, and attended South Plains before moving to Nashville to work with The Roys.
He describes the faculty appointment as an honor.
“I’m excited to join such an outstanding program and faculty that have greatly impacted me personally as a student, and have had a broad influence on the music world – specifically in bluegrass. I’m honored to have the opportunity to provide that for future students.
South Plains College is a great place to study bluegrass and network with other pickers who share the same love for both traditional and progressive bluegrass. This program offers the opportunity to hone your skills while gaining an Associate Degree and/or one year certificate course as you prepare for an exciting career as a professional musician.”
In addition to his other duties, Masat will lead the ensemble for Pickin’ on the Plains, a monthly televised program produced in cooperation with the school’s Video Production department.
A faculty position has come open in the Commercial Music program at South Plains College in Levelland, TX.
This is the program where banjo legend Alan Munde taught for so many years, and where bluegrass multi-instrumentalist Joe Carr still resides.
South Plains is accepting CVs and interviewing candidates now for an instructor who can teach multiple instruments in the bluegrass/acoustic genres.
From the job posting:
The instructor will be involved in developing and maintaining a vibrant bluegrass and acoustic music program. Instructor must possess strong leadership qualities and communication skills to plan and direct student performance groups including live television and music festivals. The ability to play and teach multiple acoustic instruments is preferred; banjo is a plus. Associate degree required with professional performance and teaching experience.
Program Coordinator Sonny Borba says that things are going well in level land, and that they are planning to have Ron Block back down to offers clinics this Fall when the college celebrates the official opening of their new studio.
Those interested in the position can contact Sonny by email.
South Plains College in Levelland, TX has announced that Jim Moratto has joined their bluegrass faculty as an Instructor in Commercial Music.
South Plains offers an associate degree in the Commercial Music program, which includes a specialty in bluegrass music. Bluegrass Today’s Brance Gillihan is a 1998 graduate of the program, and other prominent South Plains students include Jeremy Garrett of The Infamous Stringdusters, Kym Warner from The Greencards, Ashley Brown from The Randy Kohrs Band, and the members of Spring Creek.
Moratto has played banjo since he was in his teens, and had a stint as a member of Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys in 1972. After several years working on the bluegrass and country music scene, Jim returned to college and earned a degree in political science in 1989. He has since remained active performing and teaching in Texas on both banjo and guitar.
Associate Professor of Music Joe Carr tells us that Moratto will teach private banjo lessons, lead ensembles and direct the televised student ensemble Picking on the Plains, effectively filling the spot that Alan Munde left when he retired in 2006.
Here is a video of Jim back when he was with Monroe.
Joe Carr, Associate Professor of Music at South Plains College in Levelland, TX, is looking for a few mandolin players who don’t read music – but would like to.
He is working on a brief book on this topic, How to Read Standard Music Notation for the Mandolin, and is hoping that a few volunteers will give his method a try and offer constructive feedback. Anyone who would like to take it for a spin (no charge) is invited to contact him by email.
Joe made his bones as a long-time member of Country Gazette in the 1970s and ’80s, and has several dozen titles under his name from Mel Bay Publications. He has been teaching both mandolin and guitar at South Plains since 1984.
We received a note from Joe Carr, Associate Professor of Music at South Plains College in Levelland, TX, with notification that they are again looking for an instructor to serve as five string banjo instructor, the position held for many years by Alan Munde.
Here is the official notice from the college:
South Plains College is accepting applications for the position of 5 String Banjo instructor/bluegrass specialist. The position involves directing bluegrass music ensembles, producing the televised monthly music program "Picking on the Plains," teaching a bluegrass history overview course and private lessons on 5 string banjo and guitar. The successful candidate should have a national profile in bluegrass music, familiarity with all the bluegrass instruments and professional skills on one instrument in addition to banjo. College degree preferred. Contact: Office of Human Relations, South Plains College 1401 College Ave. Levelland, TX 79336, (806) 894-9611 extension 2177.
South Plains offers a two year Associate of Art degree, and a one year certificate course focusing on bluegrass music within their Commercial Music program. Concentrations available within this program are Commercial Music, Sound Technology, Music Business and Live Sound.
Rebel Records has announced the signing of Colorado’s Spring Creek, which they note marks the first time the Virginia label has contracted with a band based west of the Mississippi.
It may also mark the first time a new band hits the national scene composed entirely of players who studied bluegrass music at South Plains College under the tutelage of Alan Munde and Joe Carr.
Spring Creek is made up of Jessica Smith on bass, Chris Elliott on banjo, Alex Johnstone on mandolin and fiddle, and Tyalor Sims on guitar. All four members contribute vocally, trading off on lead and harmony. They write much of the material they record and perform, and feature a good bit of duet singing.
The band will be at IBMA at the end of this month performing on a variety of showcase stages, and will be in the studio later this fall getting started on their debut CD for Rebel. A Spring 2009 release is anticipated.
You can hear hear audio samples from current releases on the band’s web site or MySpace page.
Over the next few months, while college choices for rising high school seniors are forefront in the minds of many students and parents, we will present a series of interviews on Bluegrass Today with administrators/faculty members at colleges and universities where young bluegrass or acoustic musicians might want to study.
Today, we visit with Joe Carr, Assistant Professor of Music at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. Before landing at the college, Joe worked professionally as a bluegrass musician, playing mandolin in the band, Roanoke, and then guitar for many years with Country Gazette.
The program in which he is involved at South Plains is Commercial Music, which offers a two year Associate of Art degree, and a one year certificate course. Four areas of concentration are available for students: Commercial Music, Sound Technology, Music Business and Live Sound.
While enrolled in their Commercial Music program, a student must study a primary and secondary instrument, and all bluegrass instruments are included, with experienced, professional instructors on staff. Bluegrass ensembles are available, and all commercial music students will study in a variety areas that will prepare them to pursue a career in music, with country, pop and bluegrass being the primary concentrations.
I asked Joe if most of their students continued into a four year degree program.
Commercial Music students can transfer to 4 year programs. We work with these students closely to insure maximum transferability of coursework. Some students choose to complete academic degrees here and take music classes in addition to those classes. Of course, some just enter the market after completing our degree.
Joe said that most graduates who went into the business worked as sidemen musicians and singers, in the music business, or live and recorded sound. When I prompted him for some South Plains success stories, he had quite an impressive list ready.
The most well known would be country singer Lee Ann Womack and Natalie Maines of Dixie Chicks fame. Brance Gillihan [of Bluegrass Today!] is a recording engineer, studio owner and videographer. He took both music and sound tech courses, as did David Carney who is the stage manager with country singer Keith Urban. Dan Bletz with the Biscuit Burners is a former student as is Kym Warner of the Greencards. The Colorado based Spring Creek Band attended here. There are many others in the country and pop music fields as musicians and technicians.
Students come to the Commercial Music program at South Plains from all over the United States and Canada, with recent students enrolling from Switzerland and Sweden.
A typical student in the program would take private lessons on a major and minor musical instrument, perform in ensembles and study music theory, songwriting, sound technology, pop or bluegrass music history, and delve into the nexus of music and computers.
Joe came to the college along with banjo legend Alan Munde, who just recently retired from his faculty position. Beth Mead has assumed the banjo chair, starting with this summer semester.
Beth has many years of experience in education and I’m very excited about her joining the program.
After 22 years of teaching here I can safely say SPC is the best its ever been. Scholarship help is available and even our out of state students say we are the best bargain in higher education anywhere! Of course we will miss Alan Munde’s master teaching, but he will be back here every summer for Camp Bluegrass.
Joe askes that interested students contact him on campus at 806-894-9611 ext 2493, or by email.
The Lubbock Avalanche Journal ran a nice feature last week about Camp Bluegrass, the annual week-long bluegrass immersion workshop hosted by nearby South Plains College in Levelland, TX. The camp ran from July 22-27, and the piece in the Avalanche Journal was published last Thursday.
The paper’s web site, Lubbockonline.com, has also put together a nice multimedia slide show, featuring audio from the workshops along with still images. It runs for about a minute and a half.
New this year was a special focus on bringing young students into Camp Bluegrass, and judging from some of the images, it looks like the move was successful.
John wrote back in January and February about the faculty position opening at South Plains College due to the retirement of banjo teacher Alan Munde. I received a call the other day from Cary Banks the Creative Music Department head, asking me to pass along the news that the school is still accepting applications for that position.
South Plains College is dear to my heart as I spent 3 years there studying bluegrass music and recording technology. It is a wonderful atmosphere to work and study in, with great people on staff. I was profoundly affected by the influence of Alan Munde and Joe Carr while attending SPC.
Carry stressed to me on the phone that the main requirement they are looking for in an applicant is that they have “the heart of a teacher.” I remember from my days there that all the staff were genuinely concerned that the students learn, both in class and out.
If you are interested in the job please contact:
Joe Carr
Assistant Professor of Music
South Plains College, Levelland, TX 79336
(806) 894-9611 ext 2493
jcarr@southplainscollege.edu
We got a note from Joe Carr, Assistant Professor of Music in the Bluegrass Music program at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. He was following up on our post last month about the faculty position coming open when Alan Munde retires from the program after the Spring 2007 semester.
The position is full time, and requires mastery of the 5 string banjo in the three finger style.
Here are Joe’s comments:
South Plains College in Levelland, Texas is still accepting applications for the position in Commercial Music currently held by Alan Munde. Alan is retiring from teaching at the school in May after 20+ years. He will still teach at Camp Bluegrass each July.
