Springer Hosts Musician in Residence Jim McCutcheon

Eighth-graders Aemon Young and Yann Kemper were impressed with the presentation. “It was cool how electricity was transmitted through my friend’s forehead,” said Young. Kemper liked that using a strobe light, McCutcheon was able “to make a fan look like it was going backwards.” Seventh-grader Cameron Fischer commented, “It was amazing to watch how strobe lights made things look different from what you normally see.”

During his residency, McCutcheon worked with a small group of Lower School students, teaching them to play the ukulele and developing a program which they performed at a December 20 all-school assembly. Fifth-grader Zoe Jackson owned a ukulele before McCutcheon’s visit. “This was a good way to learn to play the ukulele with your friends,” she said. Korra Zimmer, also in fifth grade, added, “It was surprising how fast we learned, and how many notes we learned.”

“Working with the students at Springer is always a fulfilling experience,” said McCutcheon. “Their excitement about learning, their ability to focus both individually and as a group, their willingness to participate in new and different activities and their sincere appreciation for the experiences each school day offers tells me clearly that they are in a good place, working with a knowledgeable staff who understands and cares for them.”

On the faculty at the University of Dayton, Miami University and Wright State University, McCutcheon was awarded the 2017 Ohio Governor’s Award for the Arts in Art Education. He is a published author and composer, and host of the longest-running locally-produced program on Dayton Public Radio, “The Intimate Guitar.”