Profile

Alex Ruthmann, Music Education

“The community of scholars that comprise the Honors Program here is a second family.”

Students in Asst. Prof. Alex Ruthmann’s Music Education class can expect to hear from their teacher in many different ways.  A fan of using technology to communicate, Ruthmann has his own Web site, blog and Twitter account. 

“Today's students engage with social media tools every day,” he says. “They spend hours on Facebook, consume news through blogs and more and more have recorded and posted videos to YouTube. It only makes sense for me to integrate these tools into my classes as a way to engage students outside of class time.”

Ruthmann is entering his second year as a music educator and researcher at UMass Lowell.  The Midwestern native was attracted to UMass Lowell for its “unique approach to music education which is deeply embedded in local community school partnerships.” He points to his Technology in Music Education course as an example, where his students spend two hours a week teaching in the classrooms at Lowell High School.  He is also impressed with the University’s emphasis on interdisciplinary partnerships between various departments, such as the Performatics program, a collaboration funded by the National Science Foundation between UMass Lowell’s Computer Science, Art, Music and English departments.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Ruthmann serves as the Honors Faculty Fellow living in residence at Eames Hall on North Campus.  “The community of scholars that comprise the Honors Program here at UMass Lowell is a second family,” he says.  “The Honors Program is a great way to connect with like-minded students and to get involved in faculty research projects.”

In his spare time, this music educator plays the French horn and performs with the University Wind Ensemble and Orchestra.