As a musicologist, Dane Heuchemer specializes in sixteenth-century Germany (with a particular emphasis on electoral Saxony) and issues in early music performance practice. His long-term scholarly project focuses on the extant sixteenth- and seventeenth-century print and manuscript collections of a number of Saxon towns and smaller cities, sources currently among the holdings of the Sächsische Landes- und Universitäts-Bibliothek in Dresden, Germany.

In recent years, he has also been exploring the patronage of music by nobles, with a particular emphasis on the impact of inter-court rivalry. Recent publications include articles in "The Influence of Hot American Idioms in Twentieth-Century German Music;" "Reader's Guide to Music: History Theory and Criticism;" "Great Lives from History: African Americans;" "Musicians and Composers of the Twentieth Century;" and entries for the second edition of "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians." He has also presented papers at numerous national and regional conferences. He is also working on a study of the United States military occupation of Korea following World War Two, a project inspired by his late father's military service. Heuchemer is also currently under contract as a professor with The Teaching Company.

As a conductor, Heuchemer assumed directorship of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the College's concert band, in its second year of existence and has developed the group into an ensemble of approximately sixty members. In addition, he founded the school's Early Music Ensemble. As a guest conductor, Prof. Heuchemer has directed numerous ensembles, at the professional, inter-collegiate, collegiate and high school levels, including the Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors' Association (OPCICA) Honor Concert Band. Heuchemer also serves as orchestra conductor for MTVArts, a local drama/musical theater company.

A performer on modern trumpet, Baroque (valveless) trumpet and Renaissance cornetto, he was recently featured as guest soloist with the Muskingum Valley Symphonic Winds and Heuchemer is currently serving as both co-principal trumpet and associate rehearsal conductor for that ensemble. He is the trumpet instructor and brass choir director for the North Central Ohio Adult Music Camp (Ashland University). Heuchemer has twice served as Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association (OPCICA) President and is currently serving as a member of the External Review Committee for Marietta College's McCoy Professor Program.

Areas of Expertise

Musicology (the study of music history) - the Renaissance, historical performance techniques, music as a tool of court politics, 20th-century music, jazz; Conducting - wind ensemble, early music, opera/musical theater; Performance - modern trumpet, natural (valveless) trumpet, cornetto.

Education

1997 — Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Cincinnati

1990 — Master of Music from Ithaca College

1988 — Bachelor of Music from the University of Northern Colorado

Courses Recently Taught

This course is the same as MUSC 302D. This course must be taken as MUSC 302D to count toward the fine arts diversification requirement. The most fascinating thing about jazz is its vitality. Jazz remains today what it has been since its inception: an art form of intense personal expression in the context of collaborative improvisation. This course is a social and stylistic investigation of the history of jazz, from its African American origins up to the present. Progressing chronologically, students will use a variety of sources to investigate the development and influence of the main jazz styles and musicians upon the jazz scene. Prerequisite: MUSC 101 or placement by exam. Offered every other year.

This course provides a concise chronological overview of music from the Middle Ages through the postmodern period and an introduction to the research methods used in the fields of historical musicology and ethnomusicology. Emphasis is placed on learning to listen analytically to and write about music, and on understanding the role of music within society. Some concert attendance may be required. Readings from primary sources supplement the basic texts. This counts as a prerequisite for upper-level courses offered by the music department. Suggested for first-year students or those new to the department. MUSC 102, 105 and 107 all serve as introductory courses in music history and satisfy the same prerequisites. Students may enroll in only one of these courses. This counts toward the history requirement for the major. No prerequisite. Offered every year.

The performance of Western art music (aka classical music) is a multifaceted process. First and foremost, performance serves as a conduit between a composer and the listeners, a vehicle in which the notated composition is converted from the printed page into an aurally comprehensible format. The performing musicians function as a "middle man" between the composer and the audience, and this community of artists adds its own layer of creativity and expression through its interpretation of the composer's work. The musicians pool their finely-honed abilities into a unity of purpose: presenting their audience with a cogent statement of artistic expression. This course aims to provide an in-depth understanding of how the music comes together, from a number of different points of view: performing musician, composer and listener. While the bulk of the content focuses on Western art music, additional styles, including jazz and select non-Western musics, are also explored. Gaining a historical context of style is a priority, and secondary emphases include analytical listening and writing about music. This counts as a prerequisite for upper-level courses offered by the music department. Suggested for first-year students or those new to the department. MUSC 102, 105 and 107 all serve as introductory courses in music history and satisfy the same prerequisites. Students may enroll in only one of these courses. This counts toward the history requirement for the major. No prerequisite. Offered every year.

This course is a survey of Western music from antiquity through the turn of the 17th century. While the stylistic development of music is central to the course, other issues to be discussed include aesthetics, philosophies, performance practices and cultural/social/political influences that significantly affected music. Primary and secondary source readings augment the basic texts. This counts toward the history requirement or as an elective for the major. Prerequisite: MUSC 101 or placement by exam and MUSC 102, 105 or 107. Offered every other year.

This course is a survey of major trends of 20th-century Western art music, from Mahler's late Romanticism and Debussy's rejections of 19th-century practices to today's musical eclecticism. While the stylistic development of music is central to the course, other issues to be discussed include aesthetics, philosophy, performance practice and cultural/social/political influences that significantly affected music. Primary and secondary source readings augment the basic text. MUSC 121Y-122Y is recommended. This counts toward the history requirement or as an elective for the major. Prerequisite: MUSC 101 or placement by exam and MUSC 102, 105 or 107. Offered every other year.

This course is the same as AMST 302D. It must be taken as MUSC 302D to count toward the fine arts diversification. The most fascinating thing about jazz is its vitality. Jazz remains today what it has been since its inception: an art form of intense personal expression in the context of collaborative improvisation. This course is a social and stylistic investigation of the history of jazz, from its African American origins up to the present. Progressing chronologically, students investigate through a variety of sources the main jazz styles and musicians and their development and influence upon the jazz scene. This counts as an elective for the major. Prerequisite: MUSC 101 or placement by exam. Offered every other year.

This ensemble, involving the standard concert band instrumentation (woodwinds, brass and percussion), rehearses and performs a variety of music from the wind ensemble repertoire, including works for smaller chamber-style ensembles. There is at least one performance per semester. This is not a yearlong course, and registration is required each semester. A section placement audition and permission of instructor required. No prerequisite.

Individual study is available to junior or senior music majors wishing to explore, with a music department faculty member, a topic not normally offered in the curriculum. The student proposes the topic to the faculty member, who then brings the proposal before the department for approval. The department discusses the feasibility of any proposal. Individual studies supplement the music curriculum and may not be used to satisfy major requirements. Individual studies earn either 0.25 or 0.5 units. After identifying a faculty member willing to oversee the individual study, the student should work with that professor to develop a short (one-page) proposal to be shared with the department for approval. The proposal should articulate the nature of the proposed study; present planned readings, assignments and other work; and describe how or what in the proposed study will be assessed at the end of the semester. Meeting schedules may vary, but at a minimum the department expects that students will meet once per week with the faculty member. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study by the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval.