NYU, Songwriters Hall of Fame Launch Masters Session Series

Posted in News on April 8, 2011

Robert Rowe, director of music and performing arts professions at New York University’s The Steinhardt School of Education, Culture, and Human Development, and Jimmy Webb, chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF), have jointly announced that the two institutions will collaborate to create The Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Sessions at NYU. The inaugural Master Session will take place June 14, 2011.

With a focus on the art and craft of songwriting, but covering a wide range of topics relevant to students of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, the series will feature one major figure from music and the music industry each session. Many of the guests will be illustrious members of the SHOF, who are the most celebrated and influential songwriters of the past fifty years.

“This series represents an important affirmation of the new concentration on songwriting at NYU Steinhardt,” said Dr. Rowe. “We see songwriting as a vital and particularly expressive component of the art and craft of music composition, and are glad to be presenting the world’s finest songwriters to our students.”

“We are excited to be offering this new series of master classes with NYU,” said SHOF Chairman Webb. “It is a splendid extension of our mission to help develop the next generation of songwriters. I look forward to the opportunity to participate personally as we kick off this series in June.”

Each Master will visit the professional-level facilities at Steinhardt, including its recently opened James P. Dolan Music Recording Studios, meet and consult with the program’s undergraduate and graduate students, and participate in a session that is part lecture, part performance, and part in-depth interview. A Q&A will conclude each session.

The Master Sessions will be organized and moderated by Grammy-nominated songwriter Phil Galdston, a member of NYU’s Artists’ Faculty for five years. He has also recently been named the first member of the School’s songwriting faculty, as well as Songwriter-in-Residence. His work at Steinhardt includes the development of a soon-to-be-announced Concentration in Songwriting, as part of the graduate Music Composition program.

The Master Sessions will be open and free of charge to the NYU community, members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the music community.

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