Sharon Wayne has recently stepped into the role of Faculty Council Chair at CMC, bringing with her more than thirty years of experience as a performer, recording artist, educator, and chamber musician. For her, this position feels like a natural extension of the work she has already been doing within the community. “For the last three years I’ve served as the CMC Faculty Newsletter editor, which has been a lot of fun. It’s been a great excuse to get to know more of the amazing faculty here, and since it’s an at-large Faculty Council position, it’s also allowed me to see some of the inner workings at CMC and to work with a really thoughtful group of people. Jono’s leadership the last three years has helped set the tone for this incredible working group, and when his term was coming to an end last spring, I was encouraged to consider the role. I am excited to deepen my support of CMC in this way.”
Since joining the faculty in 2021, Sharon has been engaged in many aspects of life at CMC: she teaches and accompanies four Neighborhood Choirs, has been a student herself, and is also the parent of two students. This, she says, helps her act as a bridge in her new role. “I’ve been plugged into quite a variety of programs here, which I think supports my new role as a connector between my fellow faculty and the Faculty Council and the Board. And in addition to teaching and accompanying… I can bring a multitude of perspectives to the role!”
Her long career as a performer and teacher shapes the way she sees her responsibility to represent her colleagues. “The faculty here at CMC are so talented and skilled in such a huge range of styles and musical languages, that it’s hard to say my experience as a performer, recording artist, and teacher encompasses more than a small fraction of the perspectives of our faculty, but I do understand and appreciate the ways in which we, as a collective group, must be creative and persistent. We are pulled to do our art, and also pulled to nurture these abilities and the love of music in our students… teaching is itself an art, and all of these things require our love and energy and time and attention. It’s important to me to hear how other faculty members are experiencing CMC, and how they feel CMC can best support them.”
Sharon’s passion for new music also informs her vision. “I think it’s critical to keeping our musical community vibrant and alive! Supporting new music is good for faculty, and good for students and for the mission of the school. … When you make composers and new music accessible to students, they see the possibility. Exposure can spark interest for students. We have an ecosystem here that we should take full advantage of.” She recalls with special joy a project supported by a Partnership Grant where she and faculty member Martha Rodríguez-Salazar commissioned Erik Pearson to compose a work for flute and guitar. “He based his composition on a traditional Appalachian melody, and we put together a presentation with a Q&A session, an Alan Lomax video of 88-year-old union activist Nimrod Workman singing the inspiration melody, and then the premiere of Erik’s piece. We saved time for more audience conversation afterward, and some really wonderful personal reflections were shared. It was touching.”
These kinds of collaborations are what Sharon sees as the heart of the community. “Oh there are so many, and such completely varied projects! It’s impossible to choose one collaboration that stands out because they’ve all been so different and all so meaningful to me. … Nothing builds community like making music together, and I think there is deep mutual respect and appreciation here, among teachers and students alike.”
Looking toward the future, Sharon feels hopeful about the ways CMC can continue to grow. “I think we’re poised for some incredible growth! … We’re still learning in an ever-changing landscape and adapting, which is a core strength of CMC. With the incredible faculty and staff we have, we are able to provide a fantastic array of musical experiences for our whole community. I am very excited to see all the new and different ways we find to reach students!”
Her own career speaks to that commitment. A founding member of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet and former Artistic Director of both the San Francisco and Boston Classical Guitar Societies, she has commissioned, premiered, and recorded numerous new works. She has also taught at Santa Clara University, the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division, and community music schools across the country. “I love teaching students of all ages and levels. I tailor lessons to the interests and needs of each student, always with attention to developing a healthy technique that will support a lifetime of playing.”