Professor, students published in international journal

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis, Abigail Cannon ’24 and Lily Hammond '24 had an article published in "Choral Journal," the international journal of the American Choral Directors Association. Morgan-Ellis combined the research papers of Cannon and Hammond, added her thoughts and submitted the new journal article.  

The students are lead authors and Morgan-Ellis is third author of "A Song You Just Wanna Sing": Compositions Shaped by Community.  

Cannon and Hammond were in Morgan-Ellis' Music History III class in which students are required to interview a composer, study their music and then present their research at the Research on Contemporary Composition Conference, an annual conference held in October by Morgan-Ellis and Dr. David Peoples. 

Jesse P. Karlsberg was the focus of Cannon while Hammond interviewed P. Dan Brittain, a revered shape note composer, and emerging composer Rachel Wells Hall.

"It just occurred to me one day that I could combine those two papers into a great article for "Choral Journal." The next day I did. I reorganized and wove the essays together, reworking some of their material for an introduction and a conclusion," Morgan-Ellis said. "I didn't really add anything at all. I just reworked what they had done and sent it off."

Cannon has since moved out of state to get more deeply involved in Sacred Harp singing, which is the focus of the article. Sacred Harp is an American tradition that brings communities together to sing four-part hymns and anthems.

"The sense of community that I get from Sacred Harp singing is just so overwhelming and wonderful that I wanted to live and work with people who have been doing it their whole lives and see how the music influences work and work influences music as well," Cannon said.

Hammond is at the University of Massachusetts studying music theory because she was able to tailor her experiences at UNG to her needs.

"I'm getting a master's in music theory with a certificate in vocal performance. After that, I would love to get my Ph.D. and follow in the footsteps of Dr. Morgan-Ellis and Dr. Gabe Fankhauser and hopefully have the same kind of impact on my future students as they had on me," Hammond said. "I wouldn't be here without them and Dr. Benjamin Schoening."

The trio has several co-authored articles among them, with another due soon, Morgan-Ellis said.