In this Episode, we speak with Dr. Frank Nawrot and his student, Adam Birk.
Dr. Nawrot discussed the Music Creation Technology Program at Southeast Missouri State University, utilizing the program, and student Adam Birk will release a recording of a piano composition he created in collaboration with students from the SEMO theatre and dance department on July 11th.
Adam's composition piece "The Longing After" can be found on all music streaming platforms by searching his name, and future updates about his music can be seen via his YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok under the handle @adambirkmusic.
Adam Birk's composition piece, titled "The Longing After," is a piano recording created in collaboration with SEMO's theater and dance department. The piece is intended to be choreographed by a fellow student and friend from high school, Morgan Gadburry, who named and requested that Adam compose the piece after the passing of her brother.
Adam notes that this piece was written for Morgan because she desired to choreograph it, to detail and express the five stages of grief.
Adam expresses that the most integral part of this piece was how much collaboration went into it. He explains that while composing the piece, he took inspiration from his suitemate, Avery Johnson, a SEMO art major, who created a linear art piece to describe the way he experienced the five stages of grief.
This art piece aided Adam in structuring and providing an emotional guide for how the piece should feel and sound.
Creating a piece with such complexities, as the stages of grief blend and mix, Adam describes how his compositional techniques threaded the piece together; thus creating a sort of musical scaffolding between themes, he notes that the "bargaining" section of the composition highlights this.
Dr. Nawrot talked about his pride in working with such talented and driven students, illustrating how numerous members of the SEMO community and peers of Adam contributed to the piece. He iterates that the community and culture that the music program as a whole creates is certainly one of a kind.
The Music Creation Technology program was started by Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Music Technology Dr. Frank Nawrot. The Program is structured like a B.A. or Bachelor of Arts as a degree path, rather than a specialized degree. The goal of the program is to cater to SEMO students who love music but don't fall within the traditional routes of Teaching or Performing, enabling them to "choose their adventure" when it comes to how they study music. Thus, allowing students to shape their focus and their learning towards the profession they see themselves in.
The Music Creation and Technology program also features several classes and ensembles that all students are welcome to explore, even without declaring the degree path. This plethora of facets includes the SEMO courses "Music Creation and Technology" 1 and 2, respectively, a recording studio for student use, and a "Popular Music Ensemble" that will premiere in the Spring and be run like a rock band.
