Dr. Derrick Fox, Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education and Choral Conducting at Ithaca College, served as Guest Conductor and Clinician at ISKL from October 21-24. On October 21, Dr. Fox was able to work with all three High School choir classes prior to their leaving for the High School Global Action Program trips and provided an after school workshop for the Elementary, Middle, and High School Music Faculty at ISKL. On Friday, October 23, Dr. Fox worked with the ISKL Middle School Choirs individually and then worked with the choirs of SJK(C) Kung Man school, who joined the ISKL students for a Middle School Choral Exchange. For the rest of the day the choirs combined to collaborate and rehearse together four pieces of music that they performed for a Middle School Festival Concert on October 24, 2015 at the Robert B. Gaw Theatre on ISKL’s Ampang Campus, working with Middle School Music Faculty, Don Cosgrove, Kevin Christiansen, Vincent Cee and Dr. Fox. Middle School Drama and Dance teachers, Tina Casey and Karen Palko also collaborated with the students for their concert. According to Kevin Christiansen, MS Music teacher, “Dr. Fox brought both his expertise and his enthusiasm to share with our choral community. Everyone he worked with, from students to faculty, benefited from the experience. There is such a buzz and excitement for choral singing that we hope to build on throughout the year.” The performance was a tremendous success, and a great collaboration between the two schools.

At Ithaca College, Dr. Fox conducts the IC Chorus, IC Madrigal Singers and teaches choral conducting and rehearsal techniques. He is an active adjudicator and clinician for regional, state and national organizations from the Middle/Junior High School to the collegiate level. He has worked with ensembles and presented at various U.S. state conventions. As a soloist, Dr. Fox has performed with the Arkansas Symphony, Lansing Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, University of Missouri, Michigan State University and the Espaco Cultural (Brasilia, Brazil). He is also a contributing author in the Hal Leonard/McGraw Hill choral textbook Voices in Concert and his arrangement, Lord, Give me Just a Little More Time is available in the Hal Leonard Sacred Music Series.

Bringing Dr. Fox to campus was a collaborative effort, supported by the Elementary, Middle, and High School Music Faculty and the ISKL Annual Fund. We thank all the ISKL community members who supported this endeavor last year to make Dr. Fox’s visit a success!