{"id":123535,"date":"2022-04-28T09:42:19","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T13:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=123535"},"modified":"2022-08-18T14:46:22","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T18:46:22","slug":"sharing-the-joy-of-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2022\/04\/28\/sharing-the-joy-of-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing the joy of music"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Wright State School of Music students with instruments from the collection of the late professor Mel Goldfinger.<\/p><\/div>\n

Mel Goldfinger, Ph.D., always loved music. From playing the trombone as a kid to sharing his talent as a member of the Wright State University Symphony Orchestra, music was always an integral part of Goldfinger\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had an incredible aptitude for music. He adored it,\u201d said Adrian Corbett, Ph.D., Goldfinger\u2019s wife and an associate professor of neuroscience, cell biology and physiology<\/a> at Wright State.<\/p>\n

Throughout their marriage, Corbett witnessed firsthand Goldfinger\u2019s uncanny ability to learn how to play any instrument that he picked up. While the trombone was his first great love, Goldfinger would also go on to play the baritone horn or euphonium, viola, violin, piano, guitar and banjo.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe could sight read music and be almost perfect,\u201d Corbett recalled.<\/p>\n

While Goldfinger\u2019s aptitude and passion for music earned him a spot in New Jersey\u2019s state band and the opportunity to perform in the Rose Bowl parade with Rutgers University, he did not pursue a career in music. Goldfinger became an accomplished neuroscientist and taught at Wright State for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

As Goldfinger built a successful career on his scientific acumen, he still managed to fulfill his passion for music. He practiced nightly on his extensive collection of musical instruments, performed with the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra, and played the viola and trombone in the Wright State University Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone from the orchestra loved him. He was a very talented musician,\u201d said In-Hong Cha, D.M.A. professor of music and conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n

Goldfinger\u2019s love of music was palpable, and his deep devotion to the field now lives on for current and future generations of Wright State students. After Goldfinger\u2019s passing in September 2021, Corbett donated most of his instruments to the Wright State School of Music<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMel wanted the students to benefit,\u201d she said. \u201cHe knew that a lot of people didn\u2019t have the wherewithal to afford instruments, particularly students. He wanted to make sure that, when he died, his instruments would go to someone who could really use them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As chair of the School of Music, Dan Zehringer, D.M.A., is ensuring that Goldfinger\u2019s beloved collection is being put to good use.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese instruments are of very high quality,\u201d said Zehringer. \u201cWe will use them in our main inventory for students who are participating in our concert bands and orchestras.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goldfinger left several string instruments to the university along with alto, tenor and bass trombones and two baritone horns, also known as euphoniums. All of the instruments arrived on campus in high-quality, leather cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a large number of very fine violas and a few violins that we will be able to use to allow our better students \u2014 who maybe don\u2019t have as high a quality of instrument \u2014 to play on while they\u2019re here,\u201d said Zehringer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mel Goldfinger with In-Hong Cha, professor of music and conductor of the Wright State University Symphony Orchestra.<\/p><\/div>\n

Some of Goldfinger\u2019s instruments will serve as valuable teaching tools in methods classes, where music education majors are taught how to play string instruments.<\/p>\n

As a lover of classical music, Goldfinger had boxes and boxes of sheet music. Corbett gathered the scores by Beethoven, Bach and Shubert \u2014 along with their accompanying CDs \u2014 for the School of Music. Music stands were also donated, in addition to pedagogical materials that will be helpful for future music educators.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great gift for investing in the future of the School of Music and for providing a special perk for those students who may not have a high-quality instrument of their own,\u201d said Zehringer. \u201cWe are just very grateful that Mel chose the School of Music to be the recipient of these gifts. We will definitely take care good of them and put them to good use for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Corbett, the gift to the School of Music is the perfect tribute to her husband\u2019s lifelong love of music and his compassion for others.<\/p>\n

\u201cMel was one of the last true altruists,\u201d she said. \u201cHe cared so much about everyone else. That was the philosophy behind his whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The late Mel Goldfinger’s beloved collection of instruments was donated to the Wright State School of Music. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":123560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,2037,2023,4859,2040,725,747,2016,2115,715,746],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-arts-scene","category-faculty","category-fine-and-performing-arts","category-giving","category-home-news-sidebar","category-liberal-arts","category-medicine","category-neuroscience-cell-biology-and-physiology","category-news","category-science-mathematics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123535"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123709,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123535\/revisions\/123709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}