S. Beth May

To me, the compositional process is not complete until a performer interprets and shapes the music, and even performers who might choose to play works by composers they do not have the opportunity to interact with collaborate and are part of the creative process in their realization of the music. I have enjoyed writing music for many performers, directors, and choreographers. As a composer, my favorite thing is to work directly with performers and craft pieces that are tailor-made for the one(s) who will play them. I hope that my pieces will create worlds, images, and enjoyment for the listener.

I was born and grew up in Indiana. I started picking out songs on the piano early, so my parents got me into piano lessons at the age of four. For many of my earliest years of piano lessons, my father sat at the piano with me while I practiced, coaching (and sometimes arguing with) me. My early music teachers opened up the magical world of music and taught me to explore and try things out, both at the piano and on the page. I will forever be indebted to them for their encouragement and generosity.

After graduating high school early, I spent one semester at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. I finished my undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and then went on to receive my Master of Music degree at Yale.

Upon completing my master’s degree, I served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Namibia, where I worked as a lower primary school teacher trainer. During this pre-social media age and living without internet (or electricity), I got to spend a lot of time learning, thinking, and growing. Thanks to my mother, a children’s literature professor in the education department at Purdue University, I was well-stocked with education textbooks to read and learn from while I was in Namibia, and I came back to the United States with some new perspectives and knowledge.

Luck brought me an opportunity to become an adjunct professor at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, Texas, beginning in 2002. I soon became a full-time faculty member, and enjoyed teaching and learning with many great colleagues who still influence and inspire me to this day. It was there that I had my first online teaching experiences in 2003 and where I learned to develop online courses, and while in San Antonio, I developed many deep ties to people and places. It was there that I started the Jack Stone Award for New Music, which remains a major passion to this day. It was also while working there that I pursued and received my Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Texas - Austin.

However, although part of my heart remains in San Antonio, I am a lover of change, and value my family, so in 2014 I tried living in Baldwinsville, New York to be near my sibling before settling in Washington state where I live now. I have been working at Centralia College since 2015, serving both as full-time faculty and as Faculty Director of Teaching and Learning.

Outside of music and thinking about pedagogy/andragogy, I am a comprehensively certified Pilates instructor and studio owner. I love hiking and have run several marathons, and I have been studying Spanish for several years. I also enjoy knitting, reading, cooking, and listening to podcasts and audiobooks.

I live with my husband, Dennis, our two cats, Tsunami and Colson, and our dog, Auggie, in a cozy 1920s bungalow within walking distance of my parents in Olympia, Washington. My heart is full of gratitude for the many people who have shaped me.