OU School of Music

Congratulations to Dr. Maxwell Yamane who has just been published in the Journal of the American Musicological Society as part of a special colloquy featuring 15 scholars on “American Musical Objects,” marking the lead-up to the United States’ 250th anniversary!
Dr. Yamane's contribution examines a powwow drum known as "Desert Thunder," constructed from scrap materials by Native soldiers of the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion (headquartered in Okmulgee, Oklahoma) during their deployment at Camp Taqaddum in Iraq. On September 17–18, 2004, these soldiers organized and performed a powwow, bringing a musical and dance practice from Oklahoma into an active war zone.
Desert Thunder was later gifted to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, where it remains part of the permanent collection.

You can learn more about the drum here: https://online.ucpress.edu/jams/issue/79/Supplement%201

Photo Credit: National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., https://americanindian.si.edu/collections-search/object/NMAI_281343

The OU School of Music is looking to fill this job vacancy. Join our incredible community!
All listings through University of Oklahoma Norman Campus: Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts: School of Music
Job listing linked here: https://apply.interfolio.com/187718

Congratulations to OU School of Music Alum, Jacob Nance!
Jacob will be joining the faculty at Utah State University this academic year as Temporary Professor of Saxophone/Jazz!
Jacob graduated OU with a Bachelor of Music in saxophone.

Congratulations to current Freshman voice and music education major, Kailyn Smith, for winning the High School Honors: Outstanding Soloist award for Downbeat magazine! Downbeat is "the premier American music magazine dedicated to jazz, blues, and improvised music. Often referred to as 'the Bible of jazz'". The student music awards are considered one of the most prestigious awards in jazz performance and music education and considered a "Grammy award for student musicians". Kailyn won the soloist award for her performance of "Don't Lose Sight" with the OkCDA All-State Jazz Choir in January 2025, directed by Dave Barduhn, choir teacher-Diana Carter.

This past weekend 🎓🌟🎉

We are so proud of all School of Music students who graduated and we can't wait to see where their next chapter leads!

A huge SHOUTOUT to the commencement band🎶 Music makes memories and an impact for all 10 OU commencement ceremonies, so we could not have a graduation without the musicians.

A huge congratulations to Dr. Karathanasis! The International Computer Music Association has awarded his composition for Aulos and Live Electronics the ICMC 2026 Best Music Award in the professional category. This is one of the highest international distinctions in the computer music field, and his piece was selected from among 480 music submissions from around the world.
Dr. Karathanasis had a successful performance at the Hamburg conference in Germany and has been invited for a short residency to perform the piece at SUNY Stony Brook this September.

The OU School of Music is exceptionally proud of DMA composition alum, Kyle Vanderburg, who earned the North Dakota State University 2025-26 Peltier Innovation in Teaching Award! This prestigious award honors faculty members who demonstrate innovative teaching practices that significantly enrich the learning experience of NDSU students. Dr. Vanderburg's accomplishments and teaching is inspiring the next generation of musicians. Congratulations!

Congratulations to all OU School of Music 2025-2026 graduates! 🎉🎓