Kyle Vanderburg, DMA

Composer in Residence / Asst. Prof. of Practice
Challey School of Music
North Dakota State University

Music Ed. 115C / Dept. 2540, PO Box 6050 / Fargo ND 58108-6050

ndsu.edu | kylevanderburg.com | ndsucomposition.com



From: Vanderburg, Kyle
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 1:28 PM
To: Burns, Kelly ; Moe, Charlette ; Iverson, Jacoba ; Wottrich, Tyler ; Law, William
Subject: Re: Summary for 07/21/2025 Meting
 
Sure—I can't speak in depth to Cassie's concerns because she's at IMC this week, but she says Catherine is not a graduate level analyst. 

For my concerns, I don't know Catherine's history all that well, but I haven't seen paper evidence that she's qualified to teach a graduate theory course. For the current Theory faculty, Cassie and Will have Master's degrees in theory pedagogy, I have 18-ish grad credits in theory, and Tyler is Tyler. With what I have available to me, I'm seeing that Catherine took 6 credits of theory here (counterpoint and analytical techniques), and she would have been required to take a 3-credit "Perspectives of Music Theory" course at UND (per https://und-public.courseleaf.com/archives/2011-2013_UND_Academic_Catalog.pdf, page 374). 

Willing to revisit if you have additional information regarding Catherine's qualifications.

I realize that a similar argument can be made against Mara teaching graduate history. However, Mara's research record (Hugo Daffner; Holocaust non-survivor poetry lecture-recital) makes a compelling case under policy 309, section 2.1. 

-Kyle

Kyle Vanderburg, DMA

Composer in Residence / Asst. Prof. of Practice
Challey School of Music
North Dakota State University

Music Ed. 115C / Dept. 2540, PO Box 6050 / Fargo ND 58108-6050

ndsu.edu | kylevanderburg.com | ndsucomposition.com


From: Burns, Kelly
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 11:20 AM
To: Moe, Charlette ; Vanderburg, Kyle ; Iverson, Jacoba ; Wottrich, Tyler ; Law, William
Subject: Re: Summary for 07/21/2025 Meting
 
May I ask what the concerns are for Catherine?

Kelly

_________________________

 

KELLY W. BURNS, DMA

Associate Professor of Voice

Director of NDSU Opera

Challey School of Music

NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY

Pronouns: he, him, his

From: Moe, Charlette
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 9:14 AM
To: Vanderburg, Kyle ; Iverson, Jacoba ; Wottrich, Tyler ; Law, William ; Burns, Kelly
Subject: Re: Summary for 07/21/2025 Meting
 
Thank you, Kyle, for sending the email. I was wondering if Catherine had a degree that would qualify her to teach a graduate theory course. I believe that in our NASM report, they look for qualifications which align with courses, especially at the graduate level?
From: Vanderburg, Kyle
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2025 4:31 PM
To: Iverson, Jacoba ; Wottrich, Tyler ; Law, William ; Moe, Charlette ; Burns, Kelly
Subject: Re: Summary for 07/21/2025 Meting
 
Cassie and I have briefly discussed the possibility of Catherine teaching Form and Analysis, and we have reservations about Catherine teaching a grad theory course.

If that's direction we need to go for staffing reasons, it may make more sense to juggle the theory assignments this fall and have Will or me take the topics course, and have Catherine cover theory I or III. 

-Kyle

Kyle Vanderburg, DMA

Composer in Residence / Asst. Prof. of Practice
Challey School of Music
North Dakota State University

Music Ed. 115C / Dept. 2540, PO Box 6050 / Fargo ND 58108-6050

ndsu.edu | kylevanderburg.com | ndsucomposition.com


From: Iverson, Jacoba
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2025 3:30 PM
To: Wottrich, Tyler ; Law, William ; Moe, Charlette ; Burns, Kelly ; Vanderburg, Kyle
Subject: Summary for 07/21/2025 Meting
 

Below is a summary of next steps from the meeting. Please let me know if I misunderstood anything or how I can help at all,