First Name:
Dr. Laurie
Last Name:
Semmes
Main Title:
Professor of Ethnomusicology
Office Location:
Room 202A, Broyhill Music Center
Phone Number:
828-262-7239
Email:
Type:
Area(s):
Dr. Laurie Ruth Semmes is a full professor of ethnomusicology in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University. She began her career as a private school band director and freelance French hornist in Sarasota, Florida. After earning her Ph.D., she then served as a visiting assistant professor at Florida State University before joining the Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University in 2003, where she became a full professor in 2019.
Dr. Semmes's research interests span Ukrainian-American bandura education and performance, music and propaganda, Cuban music and culture, and exoticism in musical theatre. She has presented at international conferences in Italy and Ukraine and at Society for Ethnomusicology conferences. Her teaching methodology was published in the Music Educators Journal in June 2010. At Appalachian State, she teaches world music, music and propaganda, and is involved in the Music Industry Studies program, where she offers a survey of Western music history.
In 2012, she documented the construction of a gamelan gong kebyar in Bali for the Appalachian Hayes School of Music. Dr. Semmes has also worked on developing collaborations with La Orquesta Nacionál de Cuba to enhance performance and teaching opportunities between students and faculty at Appalachian and Havana. Her contributions to the field and her active engagement in ethnomusicology and music education have significantly enriched the academic community at Appalachian State University.
Dr. Semmes holds a Ph.D at Florida State University (2002), a Master of Arts in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music (1985), and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Lawrence University (1983).