Faculty Profile: Christine Crookall “It was quite funny because my mother didn’t want to put me on the violin waiting list because it was so long. She wanted to enroll me quickly, and not that many people were interested in playing the cello at the time,” laughs Dr. Crookall. “The Suzuki program is based on the idea that you teach a child to play an instrument at an early age—much like teaching them another language. My mother made a good decision, and I thank her every day.” The Canada native knew she wanted to teach when she was in high school and began giving cello lessons. “I caught the teaching bug. I knew I wanted to teach, but I just wasn’t sure at what level,” she says. After completing her bachelor’s degree in music from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Dr. Crookall says she decided to apply for graduate school because she wasn’t ready for the “real world.” “I decided to attend the University of Texas in Austin,” she says. “That was a culture shock, and then I realized that Austin wasn’t truly the South!” Upon graduating from UT with a master’s degree in music and a doctoral degree in musical arts, she applied for a teaching position at Augusta State in 2001. “I was lucky enough to get the job here at ASU. I’ve moved from Vancouver to Texas to Georgia. It’s been quite a path,” she quips. A path, though, she is thankful she has taken. She teaches cello, music history, ear training, and sight singing to music majors; and string methods to music education majors; and humanities. “I have a lot of students who really dislike the humanities courses when they’re going through them,” says Dr. Crookall. “But teaching the course is one of the things that appealed to me. I think it is really an important part of an education.” When asked what her teaching philosophy is, Dr. Crookall points out that it is the idea of taking students from where they are talent and ability wise and giving them the tools to make them better. “I love teaching all ages and all ability levels,” she says. “I think it makes me a better teacher to be able to teach at all levels and to give students the tools to allow them to be their own teachers—to create independent critical thinkers.” In addition to also teaching in ASU’s Conservatory Program, Dr. Crookall serves on the Lyceum and Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committees. She previously served on the Advising Edge, Library, and Fine Arts Retention Committees. She is also a member of several professional organizations including the American String Teachers Association, the College Music Society, the Georgia Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education. When she is not teaching, Dr. Crookall enjoys taking spinning classes three to four times a week. She also enjoys attending and playing in concerts. “Music is not just a job, it’s a way of life,” says Dr. Crookall. “My music-making and teaching doesn’t stop when I leave ASU, so most evenings I’m playing in or going to concerts. I do enjoy being an audience member because I don’t get to be one very often.” Name: Christine Crookall Position: Professor of Music in the Department of Music How long at ASU: Five years Personal Accomplishment: Managed to lose 90 pounds while living in the land of fried chicken and biscuits. Before the cello: “I’m the black sheep of the family because all of my other siblings are in the science field. I tried it for about six whole weeks. I loved it, but not nearly as much as I love music.” What she enjoys most about working at ASU: “It has been a fantastic experience so far. My colleagues are great, and they have really mentored me. The Southern hospitality is great as well.” Other News Stories:
December 2006 |
For Christine Crookall, playing the cello wasn’t a decision she made. At the age of two, her mother enrolled her and three siblings in a Suzuki music program, and at the time, the waiting list for the cello was the shortest.
