Dr. Michael Pekel Visiting Instructor of Music
Education:
D.M.A., University of Iowa
M.M., Western Kentucky University
B.A., Xavier University
712-707-7065
michael.pekel@nwciowa.edu
DMH 101
Dr. Pekel is serving as the sabbatical replacement for Dr. Thomas Holm during the spring semester of 2023. A vocal performance graduate of Xavier University, Dr. Pekel earned both a master's degree and doctorate in conducting and pedagogy from Western Kentucky University and the University of Iowa, respectively. While at the University of Iowa, he conducted its University Choir, Kantorei ensemble and Camerata ensemble. He has also served as the choirmaster for Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City and as the artistic director and founder of both the July Chorale and Discourse Ensemble in Cincinnati, Ohio. He taught music theory at Northern Kentucky University and choral conducting and literature at the University of Iowa.
MUS113AE - Exploring Music
(3 credits) (NWCore option under Aesthetic Experience) The student will survey the role of both music and musician in relation to the intellectual, religious and social conditions of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary periods. Through listening and by examination of the elements and forms of music, the student will study the nature of the creative process in the context of a Christian perspective.
MUS164 - Heritage Singers
(1/4 credit) Membership in each ensemble is by auditions held in the fall during the first week of classes. Note: Ensembles may be repeated. Chamber Ensembles may be taken in lieu of private instruction for one term in either the junior or senior year to meet scholarship requirements.
MUS170 - A cappella Choir
(1/2 credit) Membership in each ensemble is by auditions held in the fall during the first week of classes. Note: Ensembles may be repeated. Chamber Ensembles may be taken in lieu of private instruction for one semester in either the junior or senior year to meet scholarship requirements.
MUS261 - Voice Lessons
(1-2 credits) Private instruction. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Note: Lessons are 30 minutes in length. Lessons are offered every term and may be repeated. An advanced student may elect to take an hour lesson each week in his/her major area of performance. Practice and repertoire requirements are doubled.
MUS302 - Advanced Conducting
(2 credits, alternate years, consult department) This course is designed to further develop the student's basic conducting skills. The student will learn how to interpret stylistically the intentions of a composer and how to rehearse effectively. Compositions for band, choir and orchestra are studied. Included in the course are studies in score preparation, clef reading, transposition, rehearsal techniques, and error detection. Prerequisite: MUS301.
Iowa Musicology Day (5/21/2022) (Virtual Conference): “Frank Martin’s In Terra Pax and Golgotha in the Shadow of the Second World War”
Midwest Graduate Music Consortium, Northwestern University (4/9/2022): “Pitch Collections and Form in Jonathan Harvey’s Missa Brevis”
National Association for Music Education, University of Iowa Student Chapter (3/28/2022): “Commitment, Courage, Character: Pages from a Conductor’s Scrapbook”
Iowa Musicology Day (5/22/2021) (Virtual Conference): “Unity and Ambiguity in Jonathan Harvey’s Short Choral Works”
