CONTACT: Colene Lind, (785) 227-3380, ext. 8122

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                    August 9, 2007

WIEDEMANN FOUNDATION GRANTS NEARLY $35,000 FOR BETHANY DIGITAL PIANO LABORATORY

LINDSBORG, Kan.—Bethany College recently received $34,766 from the K.T. Wiedemann Foundation in support of a digital keyboard laboratory for the college’s music department.

            Existing classroom space in Presser Hall will be retrofitted in summer and fall of 2007 to accommodate a laboratory equipped with eleven digital pianos and one music lab communication system.

            “We are very thankful for the Wiedemann Foundation’s gift, which will greatly support our commitment to using technology to enhance teaching and learning opportunities,” said Dr. Edward F. Leonard III, president of Bethany College.

              Desktop computers, software and headphones at each student keyboard will enable instructors and students to listen to each other.  This will facilitate ear-training and development of improvisation, harmony, and composition skills, in addition to keyboard theory and sight-reading.

“Because of the special programming capabilities of digital instruments, students will be able to practice skills and learn collaboratively in ways that traditional instruments don’t allow,” said Dr. Daniel Masterson, assistant professor of music and music department chair.  “The lab will be especially helpful as we prepare for re-accreditation.”

            National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) accreditation, which Bethany has held continuously since 1935, is reserved for schools who agree to set and pursue the highest standards of classroom instruction, and to encourage creativity and performance excellence in their students.  This kind of recognition is helpful to students seeking teaching positions or admission to competitive graduate programs in music.

            Piano proficiency is a core requirement for all music majors at Bethany, and many non-music majors enroll in piano lessons as a way to fulfill a fine arts requirement within the general education curriculum.

            Music has played a central role in the life of Bethany College since its foundation in 1881.  Every year since 1882, the Bethany Oratorio Society has presented “Messiah” at the college.

            The K.T. Wiedemann Foundation was established in 1959 by Mr. Karl T. and Mrs. Gladys Wiedemann.  The Wiedemanns were in the oil and gas, ranching and gasoline distribution business.

Mrs. Wiedemann, who passed away in 1991, had a long history of supporting Bethany College and the arts in central Kansas.  She was a violinist and an accomplished organist.

            Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they live lives of faith, learning and service. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.

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