Tanosaki-Richards Duo Japan Related Activities

The Tanosaki-Richards Duo has been active in the study, performance, and promotion of contemporary and traditional Japanese music and musicians for more than 20 years. Their contributions have included:

* the production of concerts in the US of Senba Kokun, Nanae Yoshimura, and Kifu Mitsuhashi.

* the direction of 6 international symposia exploring tradition and innovation in Japanese music and 3 articles published about these symposia

* writing and editing of 300 page book by Cambridge Scholars Publishing (UK) of Music of Japan Today (2008) - a collection of 22 essays on contemporary Japanese music by international scholars and creative musicians, centered on presentation at Music of Japan Today 2007 in Baltimore, MD.

* the creation and administration at UMBC of a post-baccalaureate certificate program for Japanese music students who wish to prepare for admission to American graduate schools by studying English and music in a one-year program. In addition, this program also provides a self-contained one-year experience for students to study American music, with a focus on music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Music of Japan Today (Founded and Directed by the Tanosaki-Richards Duo)

Contemporary art music of Japan, created by Japanese composers and recreated by Japanese and other international performers, has gradually gained greater attention in the United States , especially during the last 30 years. A number of Japanese composers and performers have immigrated to the US or Europe , often after studying there. Others have returned to Japan to compose, perform, and teach with new insights gathered from American and/or European culture. The music of these artists reflects a new confluence of multiple cultures – a powerful cross-fertilization of aesthetics and musical characteristics from both East and West. The music is reflective of a variety of aspects of contemporary Japanese society, which is at the same time deeply rooted in a traditional culture that has evolved over many years.

• to introduce American audiences (especially students, members of a university community, musicians, and teachers) to connections between traditional and modern Japanese culture through recent art music of Japan in order to develop greater cross-cultural understanding.

• to augment the small body of information (writings, scores, recordings) in the West (especially English-language) on this topic. Many sound recordings and scores (published and unpublished) are either unavailable, difficult to acquire outside of Japan, and/or prohibitably expensive, and only a few writings of significant Japanese musicians have been translated to English (some of the best information available includes translations of writings by Yuasa, Takemitsu, and Yuji Takahashi, found in a series of articles [1989-93] in the journal, Perspectives of New Music . A book-length monograph of Takemitsu's [ Confronting Silence ] was also translated and published in 1997). Whereas the study of traditional Japanese music (hogaku) has provided important insight into Japanese culture, comparisons of contemporary art music to tradition as well as contemporary culture (Post WW II) has only just begun. We hope to stimulate this study, as well as share existing information.

• through the central role played by distinguished composers and performers from Japan , we wanted to emphasize the importance of analyzing and understanding this music not just from a Western “outsider” perspective, but from a Japanese (insider) perspective. Joji Yuasa has observed that one of the major sources in the genealogy of his musical concerns is tightly linked to his own identity – “that of one who was born and grew up within the cultural zone of Japan; a zone that adheres to tradition as a structure that frames thought.” A liberal arts environment, with its traditional openness to interdisciplinary and multiple viewpoints, seemed an appropriate place to attempt to define contemporary Japanese music as an important barometer of Japanese society and culture. We are not interested in duplicating the well-known concert series in New York (“Music From Japan”), but, rather to go further by disseminating information and provoking discussion in the academic and general communities, in addition to the musical/ artistic community. We hope that students, many who are destined to be leaders in a variety of careers, would internalize aspects of this experience – music not only reflects but often forecasts cultural change, and only by examining it and its ideas in cultural context, can its unique qualities be accurately defined.

Music of Japan Today 2007 (http://userpages.umbc.edu/~emrich/mfj2007.htm) featured composers of international stature from Japan who represent a generation born after 1960 - composers who were pupils of Yuasa, Miyoshi, Ikebe, Noda, and Kondo. Hiroyuki Itoh , a winner of international composition prizes in Europe and Japan (including the prestigious Akutagawa Award), has been commissioned and performed by major ensembles including the New Japan Philharmonic, the Nieuw Ensemble, and the Arditti Quartet; Hiroyuki Yamamoto , whose works have been performed at Forum '91 (Montreal), Gaudeamus Music Week '94 (Holland), and ISCM World Music Days (2000 in Luxembourg and 2001 in Yokohama), has received prizes for his work, including the Japan Music Competition, Toru Takemitsu Composition Award, and Akutagawa Award; and Shirotomo Aizawa , winner of an Ataka Prize, and composition prize from the National Theater in Japan. He has studied composition in Tokyo, Berlin, and Vienna, and conducting with Seiji Ozawa, among others.

Performances during the symposium included a broad range of works for different genres (solo instrument, chamber music, computer and electronic music, traditional instruments) by Itoh, Yamamoto, and Aizawa, as well as other Japanese composers. They included premieres of new works by the guest composers. The performers for these concerts included shakuhachi master Retsuzan Tanabe , as well as faculty and students of the UMBC Department of Music, and guest musicians from the Baltimore/Washington DC area and other international new music centers.

Music of Japan Today 2003 was the fifth in a series of international symposia on new Japanese and Asian music co-directed by Kazuko Tanosaki and E. Michael Richards. Hamilton College , in Clinton , New York , was the site of the first four events (1992, 1994, 1997, 1999). Music of Japan Today 2003 welcomed distinguished Japanese composers Joji Yuasa, Tokuhide Niimi, Akira Nishimura, Toshi Ichiyanagi, and more than 20 visiting scholars and performers from Brazil, Austria , Italy , England , Japan , and throughout the United States to UMBC. The symposium featured performances of 49 works (including 4 premieres) of 23 composers, realized by RUCKUS, a host of national and international musicians, as well as more than 50 students; masterclasses on specific works by the guest composers; and lectures on topics ranging from computer music, to rap, to Takemitsu, to Fluxus – all part of the largest symposium on contemporary Japanese music outside of Japan. See http://www.research.umbc.edu/~emrich/mfj2003.html for further information, and http://home.sprintmail.com/~emrichards/amia.html for information about the previous 4 symposia.

Music of Japan Today 2003 is presented in cooperation with All Nippon Airways (ANA) and The Embassy of Japan ( Washington , DC ). We are especially grateful for the assistance of Second Secretary Heigo Nakafusa, and First Secretary Hiroshi Nawata. The event has received additional support from UMBC, The Asian Cultural Council, The Freer Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, the Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C., the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. We offer heartfelt thanks to Michael Wilpers (Freer Gallery), Dr. Linda Dusman (Chair, Music Department, UMBC), Thomas Moore (Director, Arts and Culture, Office of Institutional Advancement, UMBC), Norikazu Hoshikawa (ANA), Mariko Ikehara (JCAW), Shirotomo Aizawa (Multimedia School Dejihari), Tomoyuki Sugiyama (MSD), and Tomoya Saito (MSD).

Hamilton College , a small liberal arts school in upstate New York , has hosted three two-day symposia since 1992 on new Japanese art music (Music of Japan Today: Tradition and Innovation ), and one on new Asian music ( Asian Music in America: A Confluence of Two Worlds ):

Music of Japan Today: Tradition and Innovation - 1992

Guest Composers: Joji Yuasa, Professor of Music, Nihon University ; Professor Emeritus of Music, University of California; Tokuhide Niimi, Lecturer in Music, Toho College of Music; Masataka Matsuo, Lecturer in Music, Tokyo Art & Music University (Geidai)

Music of Japan Today II: Tradition and Innovation - 1994

Guest Composers: Masao Honma, Professor Emeritus of Music, Miyagi Education University; Isao Matsushita, Lecturer in Music, Tokyo Art and Music University (Geidai); Richard Tsang, Vice President of International Society for Contemporary Music

Music of Japan Today III: Tradition and Innovation - 1997

Guest Composers: Toshihiro Mayuzumi, President Japan Federation of Composers (Masao Endo, Lecturer in Music at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, attended in place of Mr. Mayuzumi, who passed away in early April); Harue Kunieda, Associate Professor of Music, National Kumamoto University; P. Q. Phan, Associate Professor of Music, Indiana University

Asian Music in America : A Confluence of Two Worlds - 1999

Guest Composers: Toshimitsu Tanaka, Professor Emeritus of Music, Kunitachi Music College; Bun Ching Lam, Visiting Professor of Music, Yale University; P. Q. Phan, Associate Professor of Music, Indiana University

Activities at Symposia

Japanese composers (Joji Yuasa, Tokuhide Niimi, Masataka Matsuo, Masao Honma, Isao Matsushita, Harue Kunieda, Masao Endo, Toshimitsu Tanaka), and composers from other parts of Asia, including Hong Kong (Richard Tsang – Vice-Chairman of the Asian Composers League and of the International Society for Contemporary Music), Vietnam (P. Q. Phan, who has resided in the US since 1981), and Macao (Bun Ching Lam, who has resided in the US since 1978).

Lectures and Lecture/Recitals by visiting scholars/musicians from US, Europe , and Asia :

An international call via academic music societies, musical instrument societies, and the internet was issued. The symposia attracted participants from as far away as California , Hawaii , Mexico City, Hong Kong , and Freiburg , Germany .

Even though the primary focus of the symposia was on the music, connections between Japanese music and culture (as well as between Japanese, Israeli, and Chinese cultures) were also probed in topics relating to aesthetics (“The Aesthetic Principals of ‘hana,' ‘yugen,' and ‘jo-ha-kyu' as they apply to the vocal production and rhythmic structures of the music of Noh” – Gerald Large, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Hamilton College), religion/philosophy (“Time in 20th Century Japanese Music: A Zen Approach to Fukushima's Requiem ” – Kristen Taavola, Eastman School of Music), sociology (“Nihonjinron” – Gregory Shepherd, Assistant Professor, Kauai College, Liheu, Hawaii), and politics (“Music of the Right: The Politics of Toshihiro Mayuzumi's Essay for String Orchestra ” – Steven Nuss, Assistant Professor of Music, Colby College).

groups including RUCKUS (UMBC faculty new music ensemble), Syracuse Society for New Music, winners of soloist music tape competition (guest artists), and student groups

An open master class of performers playing works of a guest composer, coached by that composer. Issues such as interpretation and notation were discussed. Performers applied to be participants through tape submissions.

Hugh Livingston – cello [DMA program – UC San Diego] (Mayuzumi – Bunraku )

premieres of orchestral works by Masataka Matsuo (Hirai V), Masao Honma (Three Movements for Piano and Orchestra), Harue Kunieda (Reflection III ), and P. Q. Phan (Life in Necropolis); and chamber works by Tokuhide Niimi (Kazane – winds from the East), Richard Tsang (Echo Mime), Isao Matsushita (Kochi for clarinet and tape), Masao Endo (Piano Pieces “Pandora's box”), Akira Nishimura (Madoromi III), and Toshimitsu Tanaka (Sonate pour Violon et Piano, Op. 1).

Recording – Masataka Matsuo's Hirai V , commissioned for the 1992 symposium by the Hamilton College Orchestra, was recorded by this group in April 1995. Opus One released it on a CD of orchestral music in January, 1996. The recording was praised in a November/December 1996 issue of Fanfare .

Radio Performances – The 1997 and 1999 symposia performances were recorded for broadcast on WCNY-FM, Syracuse . Masataka Matsuo's Hirai V , commissioned for the 1992 symposium by the Hamilton College Orchestra, was performed by the Shinsei Japan Philharmonic in March 1994 at Ueno Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo (Richards and Tanosaki soloists), and broadcast on NHK-FM several times (beginning in June, 1994).

Web Site of Abstracts and Information – This site ( http://home.sprintmail. com/~emrichards/amia.html ) contains programs of the 4 symposia, transcriptions of lectures and panel discussions, abstracts of papers, biographical information about the composers, performers and scholars who were participants, and information about other Asian music conferences since 1992.

Music of Japan Today examines cross-cultural confluences in contemporary Japanese art-music through multiple approaches from twenty international composers, performers, and scholars. Like the format of the MOJT symposia (1992-2007) held in the United States, the book is in two parts. In Part I, three award-winning Japanese composers discuss the construction of their compositional techniques and aesthetic orientations. Part II contains nineteen essays by scholars and creative musicians, arranged in a general chronological frame. The first section discusses connections of the music and ideas of Japanese composers during the time surrounding the Second World War to Japan's politics; section two presents recent perspectives on the music and legacy of Japan's most internationally renowned composer, Toru Takemitsu (1930-96) . Section three investigates innovative, cross-cultural uses of Japanese and Western instruments (grouped by common instrumental families - voice, flutes, strings), shaped by historical traditions, physical design, and acoustic characteristics and constraints. Section four examines computer music by mid-career composers, and the final section looks at four current Japanese societies, within and “off-shore” Japan, and their music: spirituality and wind band music in Japan, avant-garde sound artists in Tokyo, Japanese composers in the UK, and the role of cell phone ringtones in the Japanese music market.

Chapter Two: Hiroyuki Itoh's String Quartet : Form, Style, and Content [David Pacun]

Chapter Three: My Compositional Technique and Thoughts on the Ambiguity of Sound [Hiroyuki Yamamoto]

Section One: Politics and Music: Japan , World War II, and its Aftermath

Chapter Five: Style and Politics in Kosaku Yamada's Folksong Arrangements, 1917-1950 [David Pacun]

Chapter Six: A Japanese Zero-Hour? – Postwar Music and the “Re-making” of the Past [Fuyuko Fukunaka]

Section Two: Beyond Tradition: Recent Perspectives on Toru Takemitsu's Music and Legacy

Chapter Eight: Excursions into Takemitsu's Japanese Garden: An Application of the Superset/Subset Network to the Analysis of Three Orchestral Compositions [Hideaki Onishi]

Chapter Nine: Music in the Bathtub: Reading Takemitsu's Music Through Western Criticism [Peter Burt]

Chapter Ten: Structural Integration of Television Phenomena in Joji Yuasa's Observations on Weather Forecasts [Colin Holter]

Chapter Eleven: Confluences of Vocal Techniques in Koji Nakano's Time Song II: Howling Through Time [Stacey Fraser]

Chapter Thirteen: Beyond Imitation: Extended Techniques in the Solo Flute Works of Toshio Hosokawa [Antares Boyle]

Chapter Fifteen: Adaptation of Performance Style from Early Modern Japan to the Contemporary Cello [Hugh Livingston]

Chapter Seventeen: Concepts of Cosmos and Temporality Within Joji Yuasa's Cosmos Haptic II for Piano [Kazuko Tanosaki]

Chapter Eighteen: The Clarinet of the Twenty-First Century and Recent Music by Japanese Composers [E. Michael Richards]

Section 4: Mid-Career Japanese Composers and their Work With Computer Music

Chapter Nineteen: Recent Computer Music by Japanese Composers in Japan, America, and Europe [E.Michael Richards]

Section 5: Four Japanese Societies and their Current Music: Communities Within Japan, and “Offshore” Japan

Chapter Twenty: Alchemy of Brass: Spirituality and Wind Music in Japan [David Hebert]

Chapter Twenty-Two: Identity Tactics of Japanese Composers in the Multicultural UK [Yumi Hara Cawkwell]

Chapter Twenty-Three: Ring My Bell: Cell Phones and the Japanese Music Market [Noriko Manabe]

“Music of Japan Today II: Tradition and Innovation” – Ongaku Geijutsu [The Art of Music] – August 1994

“The Tanosaki-Richards Duo” – Ongaku Geijutsu [The Art of Music] – June 1995

“Music of Japan Today: Examining Hidden Orders of Tradition” – Asia -Pacific Exchange Journal – December 1995

Cooperation with Japan Federation of Composers – Japan's largest composer group has begun sending all of their new (1999-present) music and CD publications to Richards & Tanosaki in order to set up a library of contemporary Japanese music.

“Thank you for all your work in presenting the symposium “Asian Music in America : A Confluence of Two Worlds.” You are to be commended for providing a forum for discussion of this most relevant topic. It was a valuable experience for me to participate in this symposium, sharing with colleagues of similar interests and hearing new compositions. I was happy to see Hamilton students taking advantage of the opportunities provided. Apparently, Hamilton College offers an excellent environment for scholarship and professional development.” (Stuart Hinds, DMA, Houston , Texas )

“It was delightful to meet the composers and performers, hear their music, and interact with all of you. The concerts were spectacular and organized well. There are so few conferences that are dedicated to the confluence of Asian and Western contemporary music and I found this conference to be an invaluable experience in meeting and establishing connections with composers, performers, and scholars working in advancing this area of contemporary music. Thank you both for your efforts and hard work.” (Yayoi Uno, Assistant Professor of Music, University of Colorado at Boulder )

"Let me commend you and the department for the excellent symposium on the music of Japan . It was a superb experience for all in attendance and certainly a qualitative expression of the excellent academic environment the college provides for its students. The papers read were of the highest order, this making Hamilton College one of the very few colleges and universities who sponsor an Asian seminar of this magnitude....It is a major contribution in this field." ( Preston Stedman, Professor of Music, California State University , Fullerton )

"thank you for your extraordinary and successful efforts in organizing and presenting the most stimulating and enjoyable conference..." "The concert presented on the evening of April 5 was remarkable for its high level of performance, both by guests and Hamilton College's own orchestra" (Robert Fleisher, Professor of Music, Northern Illinois University)

"your symposium is the only existing conference in this country on Japanese music...some of the information I obtained through the symposium is priceless - it may not be found anywhere else...your symposium provides unusual opportunities to introduce important Japanese compositions and composers to a wide audience, including college students - I believe that its importance will grow in the future." (Dr. Nobuko Amemiya, University of Kansas )

"Congratulations [on an outstanding symposium] to the two of you for your energy, creativity, and certainly your musical contributions. The breadth and particularly the depth of the symposium is truly amazing. The event showcases the College, its faculty, and students." -Elda Tate, Professor of Music, Northern Michigan University

“Congratulations on your terrific success!! We thoroughly enjoyed last evening's concert (Saturday)- as successful as Friday evening's. You were a pleasure to work with, and Ping Jin said the Saturday events were marvelous. Thanks again for doing such a great job of conducting and organizing, plus everything else you do.” ( Neva Pilgrim - Founder & Director of Syracuse Society for New Music)

“I am writing this letter to thank and congratulate the success of your festival occurring in April 1997 - it was my great pleasure and honor to be invited to participate in this festival. The quality of presentation of the theoretical papers and lectures, and performances was excellent. I was impressed with the pool of presenters, which was drawn from all over the US , Hong Kong , and Japan .” ( P.Q. Phan , Assistant Professor of Music, U. of Illinois - recipient of 1997 Rome prize)

“Your idea of combining the academic presentation of papers by leading scholars in music and other disciplines with musical performances makes this activity the only event of its kind. Japanese music, as part of Japanese culture, needs this approach if it is to become better known and understood on the international stage.....Not only was the organization of this symposium superb, but the level of research and performance was tremendous....The inclusion of students (including non-musicians) in this symposium as participants and listeners was very significant. As leaders of the future, they have gained a better understanding of Japanese culture. The promotion of Japanese music through the performers' competition that you included in this symposium was also important. Japanese music will enter the repertoire of more American performers as a result....I hope that you can continue your outstanding work for Japanese music.” (Masao Endo, composer and Vice-President of the Japan Federation of Composers)

“Your work at Hamilton is very impressive and represents just the kind of thing we at Earlham have tried to do over the years in the Mid-west. It is very important that we all continue this kind of effort. I hope we can keep in touch. I should like to learn more about you and your work. I am working with the Asia Society of New York in the development of an Asian Educational Resource Center which will seek to bring together information about the kind of activity you are doing and make it more widely known.” (Jackson Bailey, Senior Research Professor of History, Earlham College )

“We are very impressed with the program you put together. It is clear the impact of your program was substantial, and that attendees and participants learned a great deal about a broad range of issues in the field of contemporary Japanese music. Please accept our congratulations on a successful program.” (Margaret P. Mihori - Assistant Executive Director, Japan-United States Friendship Commission)

“The time since attending Music of Japan Today III has been exciting and rewarding. I have learned the eight extant pieces in traditional notation for piano solo by Toru Takemitsu, and have given lecture-recitals on them. The music is a pleasure to play, and the things I learned at your institution gave me insight during the learning process. Thank you for providing the event which helped me.” ( 7/8/98 note from Terry McRoberts, University of Tennessee )

“I really appreciate your very kind gestures and your hospitality during our stay at Hamilton College . It has been one of the high points in our visit to the States, and I think you have done a marvelous job in pulling the whole thing together. Please keep in touch and I thank you again for this wonderful opportunity and your wonderful performance of my music.” (Richard Tsang, Vice-President of ISCM & composer [ Hong Kong ])

“I was at the Japanese Music Festival at Hamilton College this past weekend and enjoyed tremendously a concert of all American premieres. Congratulations to Michael Richards for doing such a fine job of not only organizing the festival, but also playing the clarinet and conducting the orchestra at the concert. There were some very interesting papers presented at that festival, and people who are interested in contemporary Japanese music should contact Michael to get abstracts for those papers.” (Kenneth Kwan, Director of Chinese Music Festival, SUNY Buffalo)

UMBC Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County has developed an intensive experience in the study of American Contemporary music leading to the awarding of a post-baccalaureate Certificate in Contemporary American Music. The program faculty members are all recognized experts in the creation and performance of this music, as well as classic repertoire. The program is open to both American students, and international students who may select to participate in an English language program in the UMBC English Language Center. Twelve credits of required music courses are designed to provide private instrumental instruction, coaching in chamber music, and historical and analytical study of American contemporary music. These classes focus on the development of contemporary performance techniques, including the incorporation of new technologies in performance, extended instrumental techniques, new concepts of musical development and form, and new concepts of ensemble. Each student will prepare a recital of solo and chamber works from the repertoire of American contemporary music as the culminating experience for the program. For non-native speakers of English, concurrent non-credit ESL courses and tutoring will develop competency in American English and familiarity with American cultures.

Admission to the program is competitive and by audition. For application to the Graduate School, click here. For current requirements and application procedures for the Department of Music consult the certificate website at http://www.umbc.edu/music/site/certificate_ENG.html .

The faculty of UMBC's Department of Music has a shared research interest in the music of the last century and the present. Currently comprised of 3 composers and 5 instrumentalists, all are graduates of some of the finest music schools in the United States and are specialists in some aspect of contemporary compositional or performance techniques. As a group, they will provide for students in the program a wealth of knowledge and experience about the creation and performance of American contemporary music. Students enrolled in the program may be selected to apprentice with RUCKUS, the faculty contemporary music ensemble in residence at UMBC.

The Department of Music's Contemporary Concert Series and Faculty Recital Series provides students with a wealth of international performances to inform their study of contemporary performance techniques and styles. Studio 508, the Department's recording studio, provides students with state of the art facilities and prominent audio engineers for recording their performances.

Piano - Kazuko Tanosaki, DMA (Eastman School of Music)
Clarinet - E. Michael Richards, Ph.D. (University of California, San Diego)
Flute - Lisa Cella, DMA (University of California, San Diego)
Violin - Airi Yoshioka, DMA (Juilliard School of Music)
Percussion - Tom Goldstein, MM (Brooklyn Conservatory)
Composition - Linda Dusman, DMA (University of Maryland, College Park)
Composition - Stuart Smith, DMA (University of Illinois)
Composition - Anna Rubin, Ph.D. (Princeton University)

Application and further information available at: http://www.umbc.edu/music/site/certificate_ENG.html

Preparation of major solo repertoire for performance, working with faculty mentor in private lessons. Presentation of 25 minute recital performance at conclusion of semester.

Preparation of advanced solo repertoire for performance, including tape/interactive computer music and/or music utilizing non-conventional music notation. Presentation of 45 minute recital performance at conclusion of semester of music from at least three different stylistic periods.

Study and performance of a variety of American chamber music of the twentieth and twenty-first century, including important works by Ives, Cowell, Varese, Carter, composers of the New York school (Cage, Feldman, Brown), and composers of the “New Complexity.” Works examined will represent musical styles that address problems of non-conventional music notation, controlled improvisation, extended instrumental and vocal techniques, and polyrhythmic complexes. Participation in three public performances of chamber music during the semester.

Analysis of selected significant American music from Ives to the present. Discussion of historical context and technological, social/political, literary, aesthetic and other influences. Special attention to tape and interactive computer music and problems encountered in performance.

Intensive study in integrated language skills (reading, writing, grammar, speaking, listening, and pronunciation) as well as functional language for university study, living in the US and communicating across cultures. (Non-credit)

English for Specific Purposes course designed to support students in understanding vocabulary and rhetorical styles of the study of Contemporary American music. Specifically the course will support the students work in Music 690 and Music 693. The course will include functional English for becoming successful UMBC students and help prepare students for the application process for graduate studies in the US. (Non-credit)

This non-credit course for advanced students familiarizes students with the TOEFL testing program in order to improve test scores. Class time include analysis of individual needs, strategies for success and practice with the listening, grammar, reading comprehension and Test of Written English (TWE) sections. Students will be introduced to the TOFEL on the computer and have access to the lab after class.

Students are introduced to information and activities that will enable them to talk and act comfortably, first in the classroom and then in mainstream U.S. culture. The activities promote increased language fluency and the self-confidence in the students' abilities to communicate and adjust to life in the United States. Students contribute information about their own cultures and make comparisons with U.S. culture.

Tutoring will focus on students' individual language needs related to successful completion of Music 691 and Music 694 as well as preparation for their performances, TOEFL testing and the graduate school application process.

Students will complete the certificate by presenting a public recital of solo and chamber music. Students will be expected to include works by a variety of composers and from a variety of compositional perspectives, and at least one work must involve the use of new technologies (the use of interactivity, or of digital audio processing, for example) or extended techniques.