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Higher Education News

The Ohio State University Update

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Ohio State welcomes several new faculty — Dr. Nick Beltchev, visiting assistant professor of tuba and euphonium; Dr. Bolai Cao, visiting assistant professor of piano; Dr. James Faulkner, associated faculty, double bass; Christopher McManus, associated faculty, music education; and Dr. Leo Singer, assistant professor, cello. In addition, Phillip Louden, who has assisted with student teacher supervision for the past five years, returns with an expanded role contributing broadly to techniques courses, the student teaching seminar, and field experience supervision. Professor Louden brings more than 40 years of public-school teaching experience, most recently as a band director and secondary music curriculum coordinator for Westerville City Schools.
The School of Music begins this semester with the addition of the new Hip Hop minor. Open to students from every major, the minor explores the history, aesthetics, philosophies, and social impact of Hip Hop while engaging with the culture through interdisciplinary scholarship and hands-on creative experiences. Graduates gain the ability to critically analyze Hip Hop's influence on society, develop creative and technical skills rooted in its artistic traditions, and apply those experiences to careers in education, music, media, arts administration, entertainment, entrepreneurship, community engagement, and cultural leadership.
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The 2026 edition of Ohio State’s Youth Summer Music Programs welcomed nearly 700 students to campus. Students enjoyed performing and studying with our faculty, students and guest alumni. The annual String Teacher Workshop, led by Dr. Heather Lofdahl, welcomed 50 educators from across the country for a full week of learning and community-building. An additional 40 string educators took advantage of the online-only version of the workshop.
The Ohio State Community Music School, offering music lessons, ensembles and classes to children and adults of all ability levels, has expanded to three locations in Columbus.