What does it take to be a great American songwriter and performer? Multiple Grammy Award winner Bruce Hornsby knows, and he is going back to his roots, returning to his alma mater, the University of Miami, to officially launch a program designed to develop the creative skills of talented young songwriters.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Business Wire EON) March 28, 2008 --
What does it take to be a great American songwriter and performer?
Multiple Grammy Award winner Bruce
Hornsby knows, and he is going back to his roots, returning to his
alma mater, the University of Miami,
to officially launch a program designed to develop the creative skills
of talented young songwriters.
On April 1 at a special presentation at 10:30 a.m. in Clarke Recital
Hall, Hornsby, who endowed the program with a gift of $600,000 to the Frost
School of Music at UM, will explain this new approach to studying
American music when he discusses the new Creative American Music
Program. He will meet with students and hold sessions on lyric writing,
melody writing, and developing a song arrangement.
“Bruce Hornsby is a great songwriter whose
work embodies a wonderful combination of genius and craft,”
said Shelton Berg, Dean of the Frost School of Music. “Bruce
is a lifelong student of music and lyric writing, and his deep
connection to past masters informs the innovation of his own work. That
he has generously chosen to support and share his ideals with the Frost
School of Music will make the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music
Program one of the most important songwriting initiatives in the
country.”
The rigorous program immerses students in the diverse traditions that
are the foundation of modern American songwriting, offering study in
everything from pop to hip-hop, jazz to rock, and gospel to bluegrass.
Students will also be trained in the structure of melodies and lyrics
that make a song truly an American work of art.
“Other music schools offer songwriting. What
makes this program innovative is that students will learn not only how
to write a great song, but also how to perform it,”
says associate professor Rey Sanchez, who serves as the program director
and who will teach in the program.
Students will develop a portfolio of original music and recordings and
compete for a scholarship award in their junior or senior year.
Acclaimed by critics as a brilliant songwriter, virtuoso pianist,
collaborator and beloved performer, Hornsby and his wife Kathy brought
the idea of establishing a unique program to the University of Miami,
where he graduated in 1977. He has remained close to his alma mater.
Hornsby has sold more than 11 million records, drawing inventively on a
range of American traditions including bluegrass, folk, rock, pop,
country, blues and jazz. He is best known for his hit song “The
Way It Is,” which was the most played song on
American radio in 1987, and won the ASCAP “Song
of the Year” award.
The University of Miami’s mission is to
educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide
service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud
of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future
leaders of our nation and the world. www.miami.edu
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