At the start of classes in 1967, I think there were 2 courses from the very beginning. Jim Robertson was the first Director of the RC, and Jim Wallace, who had retired as Dean of the School of Music, was a friend of Jim Robertson. As I understand it, Jim R. asked Jim W. if he would like to be part of this new venture and teach some Music classes. It could be that these 2 courses didn't start the very first term, but they began very soon after. Jim W gathered students from all over campus - singers and others - and directed the RC Singers from the very beginning, teaching large sacred choral works. Some of us faculty members sang with him for several years, at least for final rehearsals and concerts. The second course was a Masterworks of Music course, and again, open to anyone who wanted to take it.
*From the very beginning of the RC, the Music classes were open to all for exploration--no prerequisites, except for some basic instrumental facility for the Chamber Music program.
Jim W was aware of 2 things that students were asking him for, and that he could not supply: some Music Theory and some sort of support for small instrumental ensembles. At that time (no longer true) there was no opportunity for students across campus to play their instruments once they left home and came to the UM--with only two exceptions: occasionally a few string players could audition into the least-advanced School of Music orchestra IF there was room for them; and some folks made it into the Marching Band.
I was hired for 2 things for Sept. 1972: to teach a theory class and to organize a Chamber Music program. During the Fall '72, I concentrated on collecting and sorting out the many students who came out of the woodwork and wanted to play in instrumental ensembles. As part of Chamber Music--as long as I taught it--I directed a Madrigal Group/Chamber Choir that focused on secular choral/small ensemble pieces. During the 6 years of Sept. 1982 through Sept. 1987, Maria Barna (no longer living) substituted for me during the Fall term each year while I was on leave for a study program, and I would then teach Chamber Music in the Winter term each of those 6 years. When I returned full-time to Ann Arbor, Maria took over the Chamber Music program for the whole academic year. When she retired from the RC, Ginny Weckstrom was the teacher for 2 (?) years, but her family suddenly moved to Cleveland and Katri came on board. The Chamber Music class/ensembles have been part of the RC Music program every term from Sept. 1972 onwards.
The Creative Musicianship (integrated theory & composition) and accompanying ear-training Lab got off the ground in Winter 1973. I didn't separate out the Lab tasks until 1974, and as long as I taught the 2 classes (Humanities 350 & 351), I trained the Teaching Assistants for the non-advanced Lab sections, drawing them from superior students who had just been through the classes. When I retired on Jan. 1, 2004, Mark Kirschenmann took on the Creative Musicianship task, and you can talk to him about what else he has added to the mix. He substituted for me in the Winter term '03 when I was on leave, and it was obvious to me that he was the right person to continue that class.
Sept. 1975 was the first time that I taught the Basic Voice Technique class. From that time on through the Fall term 2003, I trained the Teaching Assistants for individual voice lessons and small group voice lesson tasks, again drawing the TAs from those who had taken the class in prior years. The Alexander Technique became part of the voice class once I had completed my 6 years of study, and eventually Michelle Obrecht - an Alexander teacher who moved to Ann Arbor from California - joined me in teaching that part of the voice class.
When Jim Wallace died, the School of Music continued to supply a graduate student from the Music History/Ethno-musicology department to teach a course--a different topic and teacher each year, sometimes each term. And the School of Music Choral Conducting program partially supported a conductor for the RC Singers. These placements were considered highly desirable jobs for the chosen graduate students.
Music Independent Studies were a strong part of the Music Program all of the years that I was teaching at the RC - Sept. 1972 through Sept. 2003. As head of the music program I helped students find the private teacher for their lessons and evaluated their work for RC credit. I also taught continuing voice-group classes and continuing composition tutorials for many years, and the students got RC Independent Study credit.
Mike Gould's percussion courses started at the time of my retirement. Prior to his coming on the RC faculty, however, there were several years - I think 3, 4, or 5 - when special guest teacher/musicians centered at the Humanities Institute were directed our way and student enthusiasm was very high for these opportunities to learn drumming and dance in Ghana, for just one example.
Q: Why did the RC start a Music program?
A: Jim Wallace was invited to teach at the RC by those who were organizing things and he was simply asked what he wanted to do. He was responding to student requests when the RC hired me. I developed the Chamber Music, Creative Musicianship/Lab, and Voice (plus Alexander Technique) classes because of what I was hired to do and also out of my own special interests. The major deletion of the Voice class was a disappointment for some of us, but there wasn't funding to support hiring the only local person who was qualified and eager to teach the class. When faculty retire, the money disappears and so courses often disappear too.
Q: Do any RC students major in music?
A: There have been several ways in which RC students have majored in music since 1972.
1. Some students created their own Individualized Concentrations. Usually these students combined Music with something else: Music and Writing for Childrens' Theater, Music & Drama performance, Music and ceramics (making ceramic flutes), Music and French, etc. These concentrations always included a Senior Project - something that drew together the student's entire 4 years of work, often a major performance of original compositions.
2. Quite a few students followed the path of the LSA Music major, which is a Liberal Arts music major, with about 1/3 music and 2/3 other courses. (At the School of Music, the most "liberal" of those patterns consisted of 1/3 other courses and 2/3 music courses). Not a performance degree, but emphasizing Music History, or Theory, or Composition.
3. A few students over my years at the RC had dual enrollment in the RC and at the Music School. They usually took at least 5 if not 6 years to get the dual degrees.
As for a timeline of "important classes/events", that would be very subjective, and all I will say is that there were many students who took all available music classes at the RC, plus some in LSA and occasionally some Music School courses, and all of those students were part of presenting many concerts during their 4 years at the RC. Many of those students have been and still are composing, writing, teaching, performing around the world and in all kinds of venues, involved in all kinds of music. So I wouldn't be able to pick and choose any particular moment or event, because the Music program at the RC during my years there was a very busy one, preparing students to continue their appreciation for and practice of the arts throughout their lives.
Jane Heirich
Music Director of the RC, 1973-2003