February 1, 2022
Dr. Justin Sharp, East Central Community College music/keyboard instructor, was selected the college’s Humanities Teacher of the Year and will present a special program Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at 2:25 p.m. in the Vickers Fine Arts Center Auditorium on the Decatur campus. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.
His presentation is titled The Nocturne: Listening to Music Through Imagery and Imagination.
Sharp said, “When we listen to music, we constantly make mental associations, form images in our minds, and develop those images within our imagination. By examining the nocturne, a 19th-century genre of piano music, we will discover insight into the role of imagery and imagination in our music listening experience.”
Sharp will also be recognized during the Mississippi Humanities Council’s Public Humanities Awards Ceremony in Jackson on March 25.
A native of Sebastopol, he has been employed at the college since 2015. Before this, he taught piano in various schools and privately to students of all ages. He has also worked extensively on numerous projects in the development of music curriculum.
A graduate of East Central Community College, he continued his education in music at Mississippi College where he received a Bachelor of Music degree. In 2002, he began graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin. He received a Master of Music (2005) and a Doctor of Musical Arts (2010).
In addition to his work as a pianist, he is a composer and arranger, with performances of his music at numerous music festivals and conferences throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
