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Music and Memories
Who's Who Biographical Listings
Because of his considerable accomplishments in so many areas of music, Roger Lee Hall has been honored by being listed in two highly esteemed reference directories.
Who's Who in America
Who's Who in the World
To read more about these honors -- click here
"Dream World" is available on this CD -- click here
College Years
After returning home from Germany, he worked for a few years at Fidelity Union Trust Company in Newark, New Jersey and attended Rutgers University at night. After leaving the bank, he worked in the audio-visual department at the East Orange Public Library in New Jersey and attended Upsala College (now closed).
He then went full time at Rutgers University and graduated with a BA degree in 1970. His major was Music Theory and Composition. During that time he was named to the Dean's List for his accademic achievements, and also he composed several classical works, including a "Percussion Quartet" and a song cycle of poems he wrote, titled: "six haiku songs."
Roger was the first one in his family to graduate from college.
For the next two years he attended Binghamton University and received his MA degree in June of 1972. His major was Ethnomusicolgy and his focus was on music of the Shakers - America's oldest religious communal society.
Following his graduation at Binghamton University, he was a Ph.D. candidate in Musicology at Case Western Rserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. His specialty was early American music and his Ph.D. Thesis was on the music of the Shakers who had a community in what is now Shaker Heights, Ohio. Also, he was a teaching assistant for Bill Randle, a popular disc jockey who had introduced Elvis Presley on national TV in 1956. Randle asked Roger to teach his class and he taught his first college course: "History of American Popular Music." Recently, Roger has prepared a multimedia collection:
The Bill Randle Chronicles, with articles, pictures and music examples. To read about this collection -- click hereDuring this time at CWRU he did extensive research in Shaker music and presented several music programs featuring his singing.
Music Teaching
In 1977, he moved to Massachusetts and began teaching in the Boston area. He spent the next eighteen years teaching music courses to hundreds of adult students, including senior citizens. Some of the courses he taught include:
- A Listener's Guide to Music
- Great Composers (J.S. Bach, Handel, Mozart)
- The Genius of George Gershwin
- Masters of the American Song
- Music in the Movies
Music Compositions
While at Bloomfield High School he wrote his first song lyrics. But it was when he was in the US Army stationed in Germany that he began to write both words & music. He wrote his first complete song in 1961: "Dream World"
His first record was made of another song he wrote while stationed in Germany and is an homage to The Beatles and the London entertainment district which Roger visited. His song is titled: "The Soho Serenade." This song was recorded after he returned from Germany at a studeio in his hometown of Bloomfield, New Jersey.
During the 1960s he wrote a lot of songs but wanted to learn more about music theory and history. He began private piano and composition lessons with a very good teacher, Benjamin Hey Hissem.
Over the past five decades, he has composed over 100 classical compositions and arrangements.
His first classical composition was "Piano Variations of an Oriental Theme," composed in 1968. It is included on the AMRC CD, "Gentle Peace."
Here are five AMRC CDs with his music:
Music Preservationist
In addition to his composing and teaching, he has been a musicologist, lecturer, radio host, cable TV producer, film music critic, and singer. But his primary interest has been as a music preservationist working to save vintage American music.
Currently, he is the Director of the Center for American Music Preservation (or CAMP),
and
Album Producer for the American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC), which has released 50 CDs so far -- click here
News items about his music career:
See the list of entertaining his music lectures and workshops
See Roger Lee Hall's many publications
available at the
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