The image often invoked when studying music in college is mentioned, is that of talented youths on traditional instruments such as the violin, piano or other concert instruments studying in a traditional conservatory. But NIU Music Department Chair Janet Hathaway says they are not simply studying the classics of old...but seeking to innovate, and keep music fresh.
Hathaway says the school looks to mix traditional music with innovative compositions and high-tech instrumentation; she says music can't evolve if students are confined to studying the past -- which is why the school urges them to push the proverbial envelope. This effort is especially clear with their steel pan courses; NIU is one of the few institutions which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the use of steel drums, and their annual performances involve many genres of music beyond the instrument's traditional roots.
She notes that they offer several performances throughout the year, ranging from holiday concerts to the spring opera to the annual jazz festival; the latter is especially freewheeling -- they simply open the doors to the concert hall, and let the listeners stay inside or outside...dancing to the music if they like, and enjoying the feeling that the music gives them.