AvantART_Issue 2

WHERE are they now?
Highlighting FRCC Alumni
An interview
with David Wiatrolik
Music Program Lead, Front Range Community College
“Collaborating with community at Front Range is a huge
blessing. I can remember spending tons of time in the
recording booth there, appreciating everything the program
has to offer.
Being an engineer has taught me several things, firstly that my
problems are always somewhere in between my headphones.
Secondly, I like mixing music and film. I love the fresh and
inspiring options that spatial and surround sound offer to music,
and I am forever and always blown-away that I can spend
time with engineers doing what we believe in, with people who
believe in our success and contribution.”
–John Connell, FRCC Graduate 2019
Front Range Local Vocals
The Front Range Local Vocals are an eclectic group of singers made up of music
majors and non music majors. Our music selections range from classical, rock,
jazz, barbershop, to contemporary pop songs. We focus on music but we take our
time to form rapport by creating a fun community that enjoys singing.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
TRAVIS KORNEGAY
970.405.1340
TTKORNEGAY@GMAIL.COM
COME SING WITH
FRONT RANGE CHOIR
THE LOCAL VOCALS
MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS
3:30-4:45 PM
REDCLOUD PEAK, REHEARSAL HALL
4616 S SHIELDS STREET
FORT COLLINS, CO 80526
What makes your classes unique?
There’s sort of a renaissance happening right now in music
education. For a half century or more most colleges offer
music degrees based on the study of either jazz or Western
classical music. All that seems to be changing and FRCC
has been leading the way as one of the first colleges in
Northern Colorado to offer degrees and certificates in
Recording Arts and Technology (RAT) in addition to our
associate in music degree. I was lucky enough to start
teaching here as the RAT program was just beginning
and I had the opportunity to be a part of building and
shaping the curriculum.
I believe what makes my courses unique is that they are
taught heavily through hands-on projects and there is
a strong sense of community within each class cohort
where students support and learn from one other. This is
possible by creating a classroom culture that embraces
the diversity of musical styles and allows for creativity and
self-expression. As the instructor, I contribute and take part
in these activities in an effort to break that teacher/student
barrier. The class periods seem to fly by. It’s pretty magical
seeing how relationships and collaborations form over the
course of the semester!
What is your favorite part
about working with students?
Working with students keeps me open to learning new
things and helps me stay humble. As a teacher I think
it’s easy to sit back and recycle the same information
and curriculum year after year. But, music and culture
changes constantly and you can easily lose touch and
that makes it harder for you and your curriculum to
connect with students. I’m always learning about new
artists, bands, discovering new software tools and
techniques from my students.
I often find myself questioning the truths and habits that
I’ve held onto for years. I’ve really grown to enjoy that part
of teaching and settle into being a facilitator of learning
rather than a perceived content and process expert. I
now see teaching and learning is this fluid and reciprocal
process where instructors teach and learn, as do the
students and that takes the weight off you as the instructor.
It’s pretty fun to build that into the curriculum and then just
hang out, facilitate and watch it all unfold.
What new implementation strategies
do you have to grow your program?
We are really putting effort into growing out Music and
Recording Arts Technology (MRAT) program at FRCC.
Generally, I see an under-representation of popular music
styles in college music education. I personally struggled
with the disconnects between the culture and music I
was passionate about, and what we studied in many of
my college music classes. I’ve played music with a lot of
people that had no interest in perusing music in school
because they didn’t fit into the classical or jazz boxes. I
think we can increase enrollment and build our program
and capture those students by offering rigorous and
relevant music curriculum that doesn’t have cultural or
stylistic preference. Many of our music instructors at FRCC
incorporate popular music and jazz into music theory and
history classes. We are also launching a Popular Music Band
Ensemble and a Hip Hop/ DJ Ensemble course this coming
fall, as well as additional courses in Film Scoring / Sounds
Design, and Post-production / Audio Mastering. I’m really
excited about what’s coming! We’re listening to what our
students want and being in-line with industry needs.
Where’s your favorite local jam session spot?
I’m embarrassed to say it, but I haven’t been to a jam
session for a long time. I like jamming and rehearsing with
folks I play in bands with at my home studio. But outside of
rehearsals, gigs and my personal practice time, I’m kind of
maxed out with free time these days.
12 2023 | AVANTART FRCCMGD.COM | 2023 13