Headlines
Lee Willingham
Laurier Centre for Music in the Community (LcMc)
Aug 20/07
WATERLOO — Wilfrid Laurier University has established a new research centre devoted to the study of music in the community. Scheduled to open in September 2007, the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community (LcMc) will examine music as a fundamental means of expression and an integral part of people’s lives.
“Music
diverts and entertains us, provokes us to understand ourselves, feel
compassion for others, and deepen our own sense of place in our
community,” said Lee Willingham, the newly appointed director
of LcMc and an associate professor in Laurier’s faculty of music. “The
LCAMC seeks to probe, discover, and report the many ways music
intersects with human lives."
The centre will provide a forum for deepening the quality of musical experience through conferences, festivals, a music and spirituality retreat, town hall forums, book publications and community performances.
Its interdisciplinary research activities will explore the historical,
philosophical and educational aspects of community music. Researchers
will examine both amateur and professional music across genres and in
local, national and international communities.
There are few other centres in the world with a similar focus, and LcMchas already
received international interest in collaborative research initiatives.
“This centre will provide an innovative context for formalizing partnerships
with arts organizations, educational institutions, and performers and
ensembles in the community,” said Charles Morrison, dean of Laurier’s Faculty of Music.
As the centre’s first director, Willingham will further these connections.
“Lee’s links with all levels of the education and musical communities,
both national and international, are extensive and will enhance the
performance and research activities of the centre,” said Morrison. “I
am extremely happy with his appointment.”
The centre’s initiatives further those of Laurier’s Faculty of Music, which has long
been committed to enhancing the cultural life of the local community
through performances, new music creation, educational initiatives and
music therapy. The centre’s research programs are under way, and an
endowment fund has been established to support the centre’s ongoing
operations.
