Department of Music, Austin Peay State University

"🎻🔥 From classroom to opening act! 🎸🌟

Our very own Fiddlin' Peayple - 6 Music Department stars - set the stage on fire opening last night for Moneybagg Yo at the F&M Bank Arena!

They didn't just perform, they OWNED downtown Clarksville!

P.S. Bet you didn't know we have a folk music ensemble that's taking the music world by storm! Well, now you're in the know. 😉🎶

Support us by running in the APSU Domino's Run for Govs 5K on Oct. 5! Register at www.alumni.apsu.edu/5k and be sure to list GOMB as your preferred fund! Each participant will get a free ticket to the Nov. 16 football game vs EKU, which is GOMB Day!

🎶 We are excited to meet you! 🎶

Join us at Govs Preview Day on September 28th to discover all that APSU has to offer! 🎵 Stop by our Music Department booth to learn more about our programs and share your passion for music. 🌟
We can't wait to connect with prospective students and explore your musical journey together! 🎤🎻🥁

Register now: apsu.edu/govspreview

The bat(s) in Mabry Hall are looking forward to our students return and listening to the great music being performed!!

We've been making music in Clarksville for a long time! The Female Academy was on the site of the current APSU campus.

On this day, August 16, in 1861, "The Clarksville Chronicle" announced, “A grand concert of vocal and instrumental music will be given, next Tuesday evening, at the Female Academy, for the benefit of the hospital department of Camp Boone.” The article encouraged readers to support this effort to help soldiers who were sick. Early in the Civil War, it was common for women who supported the Confederacy to participate in fundraising events.

Pictured is the Female Academy in Clarksville, about 1918, courtesy Tennessee State Library & Archives. Every county in Tennessee has a music story. 🎶 Explore more music stories from online interactive map: https://tnmuseum.org/tennessee-playlist-counties

Austin Peay Department of Music alums Patrick and Angela Reynolds (‘06 and ‘07) and trumpet faculty Rob Waugh performed a series of concerts for the Classical Music Festival. The festival featured the music of Joseph Haydn and included performances in Eisenstadt, Austria at the Esterhazy Palace and St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Let’s Go Peay!!

🎼🎉 Big News! 🎺🎻

We are very excited to welcome Dr. Jacob Aaron Schnitzer as our new Orchestral Conductor!

Dr. Schnitzer harnesses the powers of music and storytelling to connect with others in the most magical ways. Recipient of The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, Dr. Schnitzer is Assistant Conductor of The Missouri Symphony. He’s also the co-founder and Artistic Director of Density512, a chamber orchestra in Austin, TX, that’s all about merging interdisciplinary storytelling, innovative concert design, and contemporary music. A champion of new music, Jacob has led world premieres of more than 55 works by living composers and co-founded DensitySOUND, a new music media and record label housed by Density512. This summer, Dr. Schntizer was picked to be in residence at the Richard Wagner Bayreuth Festival as one of four international participants in its 2024 conducting masterclass. His principal mentors include conductors Kevin Noe, Bramwell Tovey, Joshua Gersen, and Peter Bay as well as composers Zhou Long, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Richard Cornell, and Donald Grantham. He holds degrees from the UMKC Conservatory, Boston University, and The University of Texas at Austin. When not dreaming up ways to change the world, Jacob hikes, cooks, meditates, reads, and sings to his orange tabby cats.

Join us in giving Dr. Schnitzer a warm welcome and get ready for some unforgettable performances! 🎻✨

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Timothy Hagen, our new Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute at APSU! 🎉🎶

Dr. Hagen comes to us with an extensive background as a flute pedagogue, having served at schools such as Clarke University, Brookhaven College, Central Michigan University, UNC Greensboro, and Oklahoma State University. Known for his encouraging and comprehensive teaching approach, Dr. Hagen has conducted masterclasses and workshops around the globe, inspiring flute players of all ages and backgrounds.

Beyond his teaching prowess, Dr. Hagen is a dynamic performer and accomplished composer. Currently serving as Principal Flute of the Dubuque Symphony, he has showcased his talents as a soloist and chamber musician across North America, Europe, and Australia. His compositions have garnered acclaim and earned him commissions for solo, chamber, and orchestral works.

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Hagen to APSU!!

🎶 Drumroll, please!

APSU’s Music Department is thrilled to welcome Dr. Zach Cheever, who will be joining us this Fall 2024 as Visiting Interim Assistant Professor and Director of Athletic Bands. Dr. Cheever's journey has taken him from the football fields and concert halls of Trevecca Nazarene University to the University of Colorado Boulder to Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He even has roots right here at APSU, having earned his Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting in 2019.

Dr. Cheever will be conducting our GOMB, Pep Band, GO Band, Symphonic Band, and sharing his expertise in related courses. We are thrilled to welcome this Gov back to APSU. Get ready to experience his passion for music and athletic bands firsthand!

So proud of this APSU Music Department alumnus........

Montgomery Central band director becomes 1 of 30 teachers nationwide honored by Country Music Association - ClarksvilleNow.com A Montgomery Central High School music teacher will be honored among 29 other nationwide educators at the Country Music Hall of Fame for the 2024 class of Music Teachers of Excellence.

Student Affairs at Austin Peay is hosting a Battle of the Bands!! Submit your recordings before July 1!

Bands can submit a song to be featured in an online vote starting July 1st. The top 4 bands selected in the online vote will play at the event in August. Top three bands will receive a cash prize and the crowd favorite will open for a special event at the F&M Bank Arena the following month. Bands can email their song directly to Ashley Kautz or direct message the Student Life Instagram at

Go out and win it, friends!!

We're already gearing up for our 2025 Honor Music Festival, featuring Katahj Copley, David Eccles, Ron Ellis, Tara Melvin, and YOU!!! Applications will be due this September. We can't wait to see you there!

Join our team!! The APSU Department of Music is hiring a Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute.

Apply via this link: https://apsu.peopleadmin.com/postings/16821

Dean Hoon's interview with the incomparable Dr. Jeff Wood has just dropped!! Listen below!

From piano lessons at age seven to esteemed Department of Music, Austin Peay State University professor for over four decades, Dr. Jeffrey Wood's journey is nothing short of inspiring 🎼 📑

Join us this week on "Govs on the Go" as Dr. Buzz Hoon sits down with Dr. Wood to discuss his studies at prestigious institutions like the Interlochen Arts Academy and Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. With a Ph.D. in composition, his works have graced venues nationwide, earning accolades such as the Broadcast Music, Inc., Awards.

📺 Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5akmzwTfOI

Join our team!! The APSU Department of Music is hiring an Instructor of Orchestral Activities.

Apply via this link: https://apsu.peopleadmin.com/postings/16824

Join us this Friday to honor Dr. Lisa Wolynec on her retirement after 37 years of service to APSU and the Department of Music!

Lisa’s excellence as a flute professor is evident in the remarkable success of her students. They have won concerto competitions both at APSU and in the professional sphere. Students have been selected for performances and presentations at professional conferences including the National Flute Association Conference and the Mid-South Flute Festival. They have left Austin Peay to pursue graduate study and forge successful careers in music. But perhaps most tellingly, her students come back to visit. Lisa’s mentorship, guidance, and lifelong engagement with her students have already built a legacy that will continue for years to come.

Lisa has performed as principal flute of the Paducah Symphony and the Gateway Chamber Orchestra. She has played as a soloist in countless recital appearances, workshop performances, and guest appearances with various orchestras. Lisa is a National Flute Association Performers Competition Winner. In addition, she has received awards and accolades including an APSU Faculty Advisor of the Year award and the Outstanding Teacher Award at the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Performing Arts. We will miss her presence in our department as a professor, a performer, a colleague, and a friend.

Our music alumni go on to do interesting things all over the world! Check out this interview with native Tennessean Lindsey McClendon, whose studies took her from APSU on to a future in Germany!!

🎙️ Govs on the Go: Alumni Edition

From Tennessee to the cobblestone streets of Germany 🇩🇪, Lindsey McClendon's journey is as unique as her handmade jewelry creations. Tune in to hear how she received a degree from the Department of Music, Austin Peay State University, but also studied German during her time at Austin Peay.

Watch now: https://bit.ly/44gxWOH

Alumni of the APSU Wind Ensemble are invited to return to the stage and perform with us on May 2nd for Dr. Wolynec’s final performance at Austin Peay. Register here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_K-dJLIZa_R-NDk0nOk0UfJmIF5b3ZW9b3Sd0Bte6h7Lrkw/viewform or scan the QR code, and information will be communicated via email. Registration deadline is Monday, April 29.

Join our team!! The APSU Department of Music is hiring a tenure-track Associate Director of Bands / Director of Athletic Bands.

Apply via this link: https://apsu.peopleadmin.com/postings/16716

Congratulations to piano student Jeffrey Thomas who is receiving the CoAL Student Leadership Award this afternoon!!! Come celebrate him and the other departments' recipients at 4:00 in A+D's Heydel Hall. Reception to follow! 😃

Some of our students attended the National Opera Association Convention in New Orleans this past week.

Seven members and the advisor of AVP got back last night from the National Opera Association Convention in New Orleans where they had an amazing time and many educational experiences. Don't hesitate to ask them questions! Later in the semester, the seven students will present information on what they learned during the presentations, in conversations, and much more.

Music Play

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