đ
Date: Friday, December 4, 2026
đ Start Time: 4:00 PM
đ Location: Harkness Chapel, Classroom
đ„ Who: Free | Open to the public
About The Series
Our weekly Friday colloquia showcase current research by distinguished visiting scholars alongside our own faculty and graduate students in musicology, historical performance practice, and music education. A brief reception follows each talk to keep the conversation going. All are welcome!
About The Talk
âInterviewing Musicians: Speaking on the Record with Superstars and Unknown Legendsâ
TBD
About The Speakers
Lisa Koops, Ph.D., professor of music education at Case Western Reserve University, specializes in early childhood music, elementary general music, and world music education. Her research focuses on the vital role of the family in optimizing early childhood music development and education. Additional research interests include the interplay of enjoyment and agency in childrenâs music making; international models for childrenâs music education with a focus on The Gambia, West Africa; and inclusionary models of early childhood music education for children with disabilities. Koops holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Calvin University (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and Master of Music and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Music Education from Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan). Koops taught general music in Zeeland (Michigan) Public Schools as well as early childhood music at Michigan State Universityâs Community Music School and The Music Settlement in Cleveland.
Koops won an âExcellence in Teachingâ citation from Michigan State University (2006) and has been a nominee for the CWRU Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the John S. Diekhoff Award for Distinguished Graduate Mentoring, the John S. Diekhoff Award for Distinguished Graduate Teaching, and the Outstanding Faculty Advocate Award (CWRU Educational Services for Students Office). Koops served as a consultant for The Cleveland Orchestraâs âMusical Neighborhoodsâ 3-year early childhood music initiative funded by PNC Bankâs Grow Up Great program and conducts workshops for early childhood and elementary teachers. Koops regularly presents workshops for parents, teachers, and childrenâs librarians on topics of incorporating music in family life, classrooms, and story-time.
George Blake holds a PhD and a Masterâs Degree from the Department of Music at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research focuses on the hidden musical histories of Black Cleveland, while examining how performers throughout the region negotiate the racialized borders of urban space.
His teaching in urban ethnomusicology challenges students to use digital humanities tools, such as ArcGIS, to engage alternative musical archives and imagine place in new ways. An award winning teacher, Dr. Blake has taught university courses on improvisation, Black film, jazz, music of the African diaspora, gender and sexuality, hip hop, world music and popular music. His work includes research on blackface minstrelsy and his ongoing research on Robert Lockwood Jr. is supported by a grant from the UCSB Center for Black Studies Research.
Anna Zelenski TBD
Daniel Goldmark works on American popular music, film and cartoon music, the history of the music industry, and popular music in Cleveland. He is the author or editor of The Cartoon Music Book (A Cappella, 2001), Tunes for âToons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon (California, 2005), Beyond the Soundtrack: Representing Music in Cinema (California, 2007), Funny Pictures: Animation and Comedy in Studio-Era Hollywood (California, 2011), Jazz/Not Jazz: The Music and Its Boundaries (California, 2012), Sounds for the Silents: Photoplay Music from the Days of Early Cinema (Dover, 2013), Korngold and His World (Princeton, 2019), and the Grove Music Guide to American Film Music (Oxford, 2019).
Goldmark also spent several years working in the animation and music industries. He was an archivist at SpĂŒmcĂž Animation in Hollywood, where he also worked as the music coordinator on the short cartoons âBoo-Boo Runs Wildâ and âA Day in the Life of Ranger Smith.â For five years Goldmark was research editor at Rhino Entertainment in Los Angeles, where he also produced or co-produced several collections and anthologies, including a two-CD set of the music of Tom & Jerry composer Scott Bradley, and a two-disc anthology entitled Courage: The Complete Atlantic Recordings of Rufus Harley.
Venue Information
Harkness Classroom, located inside Harkness Chapel, serves as both a lecture hall for large classes and a backstage area during events. It is also the meeting location for the CWRU Music Colloquium Series.
Health + Safety
The health and well-being of our community is important to us as we gather for campus events. University Health and Counseling Services provides up-to-date guidance and resources to help support a safe campus experience. For life-threatening emergencies, please call CWRU Public Safety immediately at 216.368.3333.