New River Community College is offering several music classes with online and in-person options for the fall semester that begins Monday, Aug. 23.
Music in Society (MUS 121) is being offered as a 14-week course beginning Aug. 23 in Dublin,
Christiansburg, and online, and as a 10-week course that begins online Sept. 22. The course is transferrable to four-year colleges/universities and explores the language of music through an introduction to basic elements, forms, and styles across time. Students will become acquainted with composers’ lives and influential creative individualities while discovering representative works and milestones in western society. Students will also develop techniques for listening analytically and critically and will review the historical development and significance of art music within the context of evolving societal structures.
History of Western Music Prior to 1750 (MUS 221) and History of Jazz (MUS 225) will also be offered as 14-week courses that begin online Aug. 23.
The music courses will be taught by Dr. Louise Billaud, NRCC professor of music and concert pianist in residence, who trained in the United States and France. In 2014, she received the Outstanding Faculty Award by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), earned a doctorate of musical arts in music education from Boston University, and was honored by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) with the award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation. Billaud has presented research findings at NAfME, the Suncoast Music Education Research Symposium, and at music and lifelong learning national and international conferences.
She was the keynote speaker for the Virginia Community College System’s New Faculty Forum and Education Symposia.
Billaud is a National Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and was most recently recognized with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Marquis Who’s Who Top Educator and Top Artist awards.
The class schedule is available at www.nr.edu/schedule. Current NRCC students may register for classes online by visiting their student accounts. New students or those who may need additional support can reach out to an advisor by emailing advising@nr.edu or call (540) 674-3609.
Prospective NRCC students may visit www.nr.edu/register for enrollment information.