University Award for Excellence in Teaching
Steven Jordheim, 2001
"Steve Jordheim, you entered this world in Fargo, North Dakota, and nevertheless decided to stick around, enduring life in that region through your undergraduate studies at the University of North Dakota. Clearly, your years in your native state convinced you of the benefits of travel--initially to Chicago in 1979 to pursue a Master of Music degree at Northwestern University. Since joining the Lawrence faculty in 1981, your travels have taken you all over the world--first to Geneva, Switzerland, where you won the Concourse internationale d'execution musicale in 1983 at the age of 25; then to New York City where you won the first prize in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in 1984; later to Xi'an China, where you served as artist-teacher of saxophone in June of 1999; and most recently to Faenza, Italy, where you taught and performed at last summer's International Chamber of Music Festival.
At Lawrence you teach students not only how to play the saxophone, but also how to teach it to the future generations of musicians. In a review of your Wind Instrument Pedagogy course, one student wrote: 'If you measure the success of a course on how much it changed the viewpoints, attitudes, and even entire approach of a student, the Wind Instrument Pedagogy course is probably the most directly rewarding class I've taken at Lawrence.' Of your studio instruction, another wrote: 'Mr. Jordheim has taught me more about the saxophone in 10 weeks than I had learned in my previous 9 years of playing.'
You encourage and elicit the very best from your students. Thirteen years after your triumph in Geneva, you prepared six of your own students to participate in the same prestigious competition. Your students have been winners in the Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Artist Competition and Chamber Music Competition, the Wisconsin Public Radio Neal Silva Competition, and the Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs Competition.
You continue an active performance schedule, and your colleagues continue to marvel at your abilities, although it is only fair to say that some marvel at your ability to make the saxophone sound like a musical instrument. On a more serious note, one of your admirers described your playing as having 'velvet-textured sonority, impeccable articulation, extraordinary technical facility, and a most musicianly approach to every detail.' That 'musicianly approach to every detail' has served you well on stage, in the saxophone studio, and in every class you have taught throughout your career at Lawrence, whether music theory for music majors or non-majors, woodwind methods, wind instrument pedagogy, or saxophone chamber music.
For your many contributions to the educational mission of Lawrence, it is a pleasure to recognize you with the year 2001 Excellence in Teaching Award."