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Kurt Dietrich'sHome Page |
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Kurt Dietrich'sHome Page |
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Here are the various aspects of my professional life:
I teach in the Music Department at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin. My duties include directing the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Ensemble, teaching private lessons for all brass instruments, teaching a music history class, a music theory class, jazz history, and occasionally other things. In 1999 I became Professor of Music and was appointed Barbara Baldwin DeFrees Chair in the Performing Arts. To find out more about this aspect of my life, including information on the courses I teach, see the teaching page.
I continue to maintain an active performing career. Before I started teaching full time, I was on the road for five and a half years with the jazz group Matrix. I still play jazz and "legit" music, and various things in between, primarily as a trombonist. What I've been up to recently can be found on my playing page.
In the 1980s, while working on my doctorate, I discovered that I really like to write about music and music history. My doctoral dissertation led to a number of journal articles, and finally, a book, Duke's 'Bones: Ellington's Great Trombonists. My new book, Jazz 'Bones: The World of Jazz Trombone, was published in late 2005. My newest project is a history of jazz in Wisconsin. I also regularly review books for CHOICE and recordings for the International Trombone Association Journal. For more on these projects, see my writing page.
I also have been active in a number of professional organizations. Primary among these was the late-lamented International Association of Jazz Educators, but I am also a member of the International Trombone Association and the Music Educators National Conference. More information on these professional groups can be found on the organizations page.
One other thing I do at Ripon is serve as director for CHAMBER MUSIC AT RIPON. To see a listing of these concerts and other Ripon College events, visit the Ripon College calendar.
Most important to me is my family (no, this is no longer professional). They get their own page.