ANC - Music Department

FACULTY


Dennis Hay full-time faculty dhay@smail.anc.edu 870.762.3124 view bio	Dr. Andrew Jensen full-time faculty ajensen@smail.anc.edu 870.780.1263 view bio	Dr. LeAnne Foust Ragan adjunct faculty lragan@smail.anc.edu - view bio

FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES

Dennis Hay

For over twenty years, Dennis Hay has served on the faculty at Arkansas Northeastern College as Instructor in Music specializing in piano pedagogy. He currently teaches a wide variety of courses including Music Appreciation, Fundamentals of Music, Applied Piano, and Class Piano in addition to his role as accompanist for all three choirs. He performs frequently throughout the Mid-South as both a solo and collaborative artist. He has served as organist at First Baptist Church in Blytheville for over thirty years. Hay holds degrees from Arkansas State University and the University of North Texas and has done additional post-graduate work at the University of Memphis. His piano teachers include Myron Myers, Dorothy Sahlmann, Stefan Bardas, J.D. Kelly, and Sam Viviano. He also studied accompanying with Harold Heiberg while at the University of North Texas. Mr. Hay was honored to be selected Distinguished Instructor of 2007 at Arkansas Northeastern College.
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Dr. Andrew Jensen

A native of central Illinois, Dr. Andrew Jensen came to Arkansas Northeastern College after completing his studies in the Spring of 2008. As Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Jensen teaches Music Appreciation, Aural Theory, and Applied Voice in addition to his duties as conductor of Concert Singers, Women's Choir, Chamber Singers, and Community Choir. Before coming to ANC, Dr. Jensen held full graduate assistantships in choral music while pursuing the Master of Music at Illinois State University and Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Southern Mississippi. He studied both conducting and educational pedagogy under Gregory Fuller, Karyl Carlson, James Major, and Timothy Fredstrom. He currently holds an additional position as Minister of Music at First Presbyterian Church in Blytheville, AR and is rapidly establishing a reputation as clinician and guest conductor with appearances at the Southern Invitational Choral Conference (Hattiesburg, MS), Appalachian Choral Invitational (Philippi, WV), and the West Tennessee Vocal Music Educators Association Jr. High Choral Festival (Memphis, TN).
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LeAnne Foust Ragan

Dr. LeAnne Foust Ragan, is a native of Forrest City, Arkansas and grew up singing in her church. She began vocal studies under Rev. Doug Turner and continued her studies, while in high school, with Mrs. Gloria Borell. While attending ASU in Jonesboro, Arkansas, LeAnne studied voice with Julia Lansford. LeAnne graduated from Arkansas State University in 1990 with a BME in Vocal Music. While at ASU, LeAnne was president of Sigma Alpha Iota. She taught in the Forrest City School system for two years before moving to Iowa to continue her musical education. LeAnne began attending the University of Iowa in the fall of 1994 to pursue her MA and completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy in 2003. While at Iowa, LeAnne studied voice under Stephen Swanson and was coached by Darlene Lawrence, Richard Boldery, Beaumont Glass and John Muriello. She has been a featured soloist with the Omaha Chamber Singers, the University of Iowa Choirs and Symphony as well as a Young Artist on a Simon Estes recital. LeAnne has performed in various opera roles including "Sister Angelica" in Suor Angelica and "Lady Billows" in Albert Herring. While at the University of Iowa, she also directed a one act opera, "The Proposal." Dr. Foust Ragan taught as Adjunct Voice Instructor at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for seven years. During her tenure there, Dr. Foust Ragan directed a Kirkwood Community College production of "Into the Woods," performed as a soloist with the Kirkwood Chorale and was guest conductor of the Kirkwood Chorale. In the summer of '09, LeAnne auditioned and was named to the Associate Roster of Conspirare, a professional chamber choral group based in Austin, TX under the direction of Craig Hella Johnson. LeAnne is an avid lover of art song and pursues that love through recitals with fellow musicians. In the past few years, her love of dogs has brought her great joy and she has spent much of her time since leaving Wayne State involved in canine rescue and volunteering with various animal shelters. On a personal note, LeAnne is "mom" to 2 Pembroke Welsh Corgis: Bacio, Bedde. Dr. Foust Ragan is very excited to be back in the South again and to be teaching at ANC.
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