Musician-Composer-Researcher Brings Creative Talent, Theory to Classroom

An understanding of how other musicians practice their craft can help enrich the experiences and work of students. Dr. Gordon Marsh, professor of music at Roanoke College, provides a unique classroom experience by being a musician, composer, and a researcher. In his research, he studied the works of Alfred Schnittke, and developed "a theory of understanding how Schnittke approaches musical form." In his compositions, Dr. Marsh writes for many instruments other than his own. When doing so, Dr. Marsh says that, "it's empathy, it's identification, it's knowledge, it's understanding, it's research."