Ideas for Professional Development
The Job Search: Cover Letters
About a decade ago, I became concerned that my college students were not being intentionally trained in how to prepare cover letters and resumes so that they would be ready to apply for their first post-collegiate jobs. Because I was teaching classes many music majors took, I began to incorporate basic professional writing assignments into […]
Read MoreThe University of Kentucky’s School of Music Honored by the Commonwealth’s House of Representatives
It’s not often that the University of Kentucky School of Music, its faculty, and programs make their way into the business of the Commonwealth’s General Assembly. Yet that happened on March 28, 2019, when the House of Representatives adopted House Resolution No. 214, which had been introduced to the assembly by Representatives Ruth Palumbo, David […]
Read MoreA Tribute to My Father, II
Lyman Edward Pelkey (1937–2018) My kind father and friend, Lyman Edward Pelkey, passed away peacefully this morning(Tuesday, December 11, 2018) at the ManorCare Nursing Home in Montgomeryville,Pennsylvania. He was 81, having celebrated his last birthday on November 25. Back in November 2015, I wrote a lengthy blog in tribute to “My Musical Father.” I’ve […]
Read MoreSTEAM Before STEM: Lewis Mumford’s Ideas about Art and Technology
Digital Handout for: “STEAM Before STEM: Lewis Mumford’s Ideas about Art and Technology and Why They Matter Today” Stanley C. Pelkey, Director University of Kentucky School of Music 2018 College Music Society National Conference Vancouver, BC Lewis Mumford (1895–1990) Definition of “technics”: The field of “practical arts” and “that part of human activity wherein, by […]
Read MoreLeadership Challenge: Managing Your Emotional Week
During the past ten years, I’ve become acutely aware of the patterns of the more-or-less predictable ups and downs of my moods and associated emotions over the course of most seven-day cycles. I call these patterns my “emotional week”. My emotional week is shaped in large part by the rhythms of my work week, its […]
Read MoreWhat I’ve Been Listening to: All Kinds of Creatures… Big and Small
The music that has been occupying quite a bit of my attention during the past month was some of my own. As I have been sharing on the homepage for the past month or so, several of my new, short original compositions were featured on a program for families called “Libraries Rock!” at the Cape Girardeau Public […]
Read MoreNjal’s Saga: Literature and Leadership
By Stan Pelkey In mid-January, during the last few days my two children were home for winter break, my son and I began to watch the first season of Vikings (Michael Hirst, 2013–2018) on Amazon Prime’s streaming video service. We’d watched The Last Kingdom on BBC America in 2015, and we’re huge fans of Game […]
Read MoreMusic Entrepreneurship at the FSU College of Music in November 2017
More “Pop Up Concerts” at FSU November 25, 2017 Again this fall, students from my “Introduction to Music Entrepreneurship” class at the College of Music at Florida State University gave a “pop up concert” in the Strozier Library at the heart of campus. The students served on two teams that were responsible for planning and performing […]
Read MoreLearning to Push Back Against Life’s Unexpected Set Backs
My daughter, Madison, who has done some guest blogging on my website, has headed off to college back up in New York State, where she was born and where she spent her early high school years. She’s now writing a regular blog as part of her college experience. I wanted to share her latest, which […]
Read MoreHow To Survive A Big Move (Like Leaving for College!)
How To Survive A Big Move: 4 Tips to Make Sure You Don’t Fear the Change, but Embrace It! By Maddie Pelkey When people ask me, “Maddie, where are you from?” I never exactly know how to respond. I’ve lived in four different states and five different cities, ranging from upstate New York all the […]
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