My Bethany - New Job at Southwestern Christian University

This is sooo good, I can't refuse the offer. I haven't signed my contract but I'm officially working for them. I am finally getting giddy, can't sleep excited over this job.

1. My house situation:

The university president, Dr. Ed Huckeby, heard of my predicament in finding a house that would take both my piano and my cat. Dr. Huckeby is a well-published band composer, conductor and musician himself. He didn't want me to have to part with my piano. He said to the Vice-Pres to offer me the house. It's referred to as the "Animal House" because 4 guys lived there last semester. My VP told me about the house immediately when I got there just to follow orders. He said that the house is in terrible condition, stinks and is probably trashed. I insisted on seeing it for myself and how bad it is. I said that it is better to have a tenant than to leave the house vacant.

So 5 of us went over there - Pres, two VPs, maintenance and I. The house is across from the music house where my office is located. It's a house with 2 bedrooms, dining, living, laundry, kitchen and a small yard, with no appliances. PERFECT! Yes, it's a little trashed but it will be cleaned and painted. They offered to put in new carpet and I said to just steam clean it. They jokingly said the rental would be $2000 with a 50% discount. I said, then I'll sign over my paycheck and hold a sign $5 for parking each basketball game. :)

The 4 guys who lived in it were still on campus .. and they got a surprise visit from the VP. It was pretty funny. So the cleaning begins this Friday. When we discussed the rental with the finance office, the rent came to less than what I'm renting my house for in Ark City!

- Wake up 20 mins before work. No wasting time commuting.
- Walk to work. No gas! (Post office, grocery store, restaurants, shops, fire dept - within walking distance too!)
- Free lunches.
- An-An becomes the unofficial mascot. Everyone is waiting to see cat on a leash. I will be able to see her from my office window and take her to the park to continue training.
- If I'm sick, people to look in on me. They'd probably lay hands and pray, "In the name of Jesus be healed! Get up and go to work." :)
- A park behind the university.
- The lake is 2 mins drive away.
- Wireless internet (pretty weak signal but it's there)
- Access to the grand pianos anytime and can practice late into the night as I used to.
- Get to live "on campus" again.
- BECAUSE OF THIS, I will be spending way less than I had to in Ark City!!

2. My visa
They are processing my H1-B visa transfer. Once that is approved, we will proceed with the green card application

3. My contract and pay
I haven't started work yet and yes, they raised my pay by $3000. I will be signing a 12-month contract so that I am always in status for my visa. Because of that, they decided to throw in more money, cos I will only have a month's leave in the summer (dates flexible). All campus ministry expenses or anything I spend on my students is on the budget. This means I am free to support other ministries in my giving as I have wanted to. Benefits: health & dental insurance, retirement and life policy. Faculty benefits: a laptop and iPad.

4. My job duties
(1) Creative Arts
I will be taking care of the outreach teams (2) and the chapel worship team. My role is to bring leadership and to spearhead the program, eventually increasing the outreach to 6 teams. I will be arranging local, out-of-state and international tours for the teams as well. The teams will have to travel through the academic year. Each summer there will be an international tour - they already told me the order of countries. Singapore/Malaysia, you're up first. As far as the week-to-week rehearsals, the students are in charge of that, but the rest is my responsibility. The university and I are in agreement of how it is to be handled for the students not to pit "daddy" against "mommy." LOL We will be sitting down and meeting soon to draw up the contracts for the students. My initial proposal for the Singapore/Malaysia visit has been given the approval by the President, so the paper proposal will follow. This took my department chair by surprise!

(2) Music Classes
No piano! No accompanying! They already have someone for that. I will be teaching music theory, aural skills and music appreciation. Students are at similar level of my Cowley students, so no surprises there. Best news is, music appreciation has no textbook!! YAY! I am expected to get students involved in professional organizations (MENC or MTNA) and take them to conferences. First one coming up, Ok City OMEA in-service. I will also be helping with working towards accrediting a music ed degree with NASM. Looks like when I leave higher ed for good, there will be a willing library to take my books. There is no music building yet, so I will pretend I'm at Camp Allegro full-time all-year. The students will be practicing outside my office which is a bedroom of a 2-bedroom house.

(3) Piano
I am free to do whatever I so please. Dr. Huckeby said that his contacts all over the state are at my disposal. I have already agreed to perform a piece at their alumni banquet this fall. A recital will be in the works as soon as I move and settle in. Will likely be the same program I performed earlier this year at Cowley.

5. Other things:
- Yes, my yard will be forked, toilet papered and my car will be painted.
- I get to help landscape the campus. Right now the President's wife helps pick out plants, so I get to help.
- Will help plan other activities on campus. Thanks Cowley for great ideas!
- As expected, to take care of the international students as well.
- I asked the President for a car sticker!

Another Older Press Release for the Piano Studio

March 10, 2011

Piano students gaining valuable insight

Having recently attended a master class by pianist, Jon Kimura Parker at Wichita State University, students in Cowley College’s piano studio will now prepare to participate in the Walnut Valley Music Teachers’ Association Spring Festival Sunday in the Brown Center.

Piano instructor, Dr. Gloria Tham, and students in the piano studio observed four piano majors perform at the master class, followed by their coaching session with Mr. Parker.

“We all gained valuable insight in practice and performance techniques of pieces by Beethoven and Chopin,” Dr. Tham said.

The students of the piano studio will now turn their focus to the Walnut Valley Music Teachers’ Association Spring Festival, where the students will get to work individually with another adjudicator.

“This festival will let them gain experience in playing for a different audience and learn some different ideas on the pieces they are working on,” Dr. Tham.

Dr. Tham and several of the students also have plans to attend Melody Bober’s workshop this weekend and also Leon Fleisher’s solo piano recital at Wichita State University’s Wiedemann Hall, next Thursday.

Next month, there will be two performance events featuring Dr. Gloria Tham, in a faculty recital on April 5 at 7 p.m. and Cowley Piano Studio Recital on April 17 at 2:30 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Current students and scholarship recipients for 2011/2012 will perform during the studio recital. The recital will showcase the repertoire the students have been practicing throughout the semester.

“This is a great opportunity for the students to play in a formal recital setting in a concert hall and share the fruits of their hard work with family and friends,” Dr. Tham said.

Students of the piano studio are: Will Austin, Anne Bloyer, Aaron Brooks, Melisa Coberley, Tosha Coberley, Hannah Dillard, Valerie Monteith, Asa Muntz and Kelley Reynolds.

Along with Dr. Tham’s performances on April 5 and April 17, three more performances will follow. The performances are:

• April 10 - First United Methodist Church, Ponca City, OK.
  
• April 21 - Master Class and Recital at Central Christian College, McPherson, KS.
  
• April 29 - College Avenue United Methodist Church, Manhattan, KS.

Cowley Piano Studio Recital - Press Release..

I should have posted this earlier and I should have a digital record of this event on my personal blog. They played so well and it was such a nice afternoon.

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April 18, 2011

Students shine during Piano Studio Recital, Art Majors Show

Having worked hard in preparation of the Piano Studio Recital held Sunday in the Robert Brown Theatre, eight Cowley College students played with clear musical intent and managed to convey the character of the pieces they performed.

For a few of the students, this was their first piano recital.

“I have one word for all of the performers – Bravo,” Dr. Gloria Tham, piano instructor said. “I am very proud of them.”

Dr. Tham said the students benefited from having several piano lessons on the Steinway concert grand, learning to listen critically to the sounds they were producing and adjusting to the acoustics in the theater. They also had practice performances to overcome stage fright and to learn coping strategies for performing to go along with their performance at Southwestern College for the music faculty and music majors on April 8.

“Their hard work, diligence and patience paid off at the recital,” Dr. Tham said.

The recital featured different composers ranging from Bach, Beethoven to Bartok, spanning the different periods in music history. Cowley students were joined by Danielle Anderson of Wellington High School, the recipient for the Piano Activity Scholarship for 2011-2012.

The recital featured performances by the following Cowley College students: Will Austin, Anne Bloyer, Aaron Brooks, Melisa Coberley, Hanah Dillard, Valerie Monteith, Asa Muntz, and Kelley Reynolds.
Along with the Piano Studio Recital, the Art Majors Show held an opening reception Sunday afternoon inside the Earle N. Wright Community Room.

This year’s Art Majors Show is an exhibit of artwork created by this year’s graduating sophomores during their time at Cowley.  On display are various art media created in drawing, painting, design ceramics and sculpture classes.

A reception was held in the Earle N. Wright Community Room following the Piano Studio Recital.

“It was such a nice afternoon to enjoy two art forms and a reception where people could mingle,” Dr. Tham said. 

Work done as part of the Art Majors Show will be displayed through May 9.  The following sophomores have works displayed in the show: Michael Bowling, Maribel Ramirez, Jessica Vega, Caitlin Bowman, Talia Bowman-Bekemeyer, and Zane May.

Cowley Recital Press Review - April 5, 2011

 Dr. Tham Performs Powerful Recital

Featuring music by Beethoven, Gottschalk and Tcherepnin, Cowley College piano instructor, Dr. Gloria Tham, gave an impressive performance during her piano recital Tuesday night in the Robert Brown Theatre.

Dr. Tham also played several transcriptions, namely Bach’s Chorale “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” by Wilhelm Kempff, and two Chinese pieces by Chen Peixun and Chu Wanghua.

 The pieces selected were to display both a variety of techniques and range of emotion.

“Of all the pieces, the Beethoven “Pathetique” Sonata was the most emotionally challenging to be able to express and convey the “pathos” he intended,” Dr. Tham said. “The middle movement of that sonata has such a longing and ends with great resolve. There’s only one word to describe it – sublime.”

Dr. Tham considered Gottschalk’s Souvenir de Porto Rico to be technically the most difficult because she has to hold her maximum hand span and play loudly for an extended period of time.
The recital was filled with intensity and excitement.

“Last night was a special evening for me in my performance experience and I’m so glad to be able to share that with many of my piano students,” Dr. Tham said.

Dr. Tham will have three other performances in April. On Sunday, she will perform at First United Methodist Church in Ponca City, OK at 2 p.m. Dr. Tham will be joined by Rebecca Tast, cellist, to perform a movement from Schumann’s Fantasy Pieces, op. 73. A graduate of the University of Kansas, Tast is the orchestra director for the Arkansas City School District. She has held the position for three years and was recently named the Young Teacher of the Year by the Kansas American String Teachers Association.

On April 21, she will perform a Master Class and Recital at Central Christian College in McPherson at 7:30 p.m. Her final performance in April will take place April 29 at College Avenue United Methodist Church in Manhattan, KS at 7 p.m.

All performances are free and open to the public.

Recital Series Spring 2011

April 5 7:00 pm Cowley College
April 10 2:00 pm FUMC, Ponca City, OK
April 21 7:30 pm Central Christian College, McPherson
April 29 7:00 pm College Ave UMC, Manhattan