Gig man on campus
By Ashley Simpson | March 21, 2007Music has taken Prof. Melvin Butler to a variety of places before dropping him off at the University in the fall of 2005. Butler currently teaches two courses -- African-American Gospel music for undergraduate students and a graduate course, Music and Ritual. "It is a privilege to teach students who have such a passion for gospel," Butler said. Two years into his professorship at the University, Butler said he never planned on becoming a University professor -- it's just been part of the journey on which music has taken him. He said music had always been a part of his life, though, from playing the saxophone in his high school jazz band to applying to his dream college, the Berklee College of Music in Boston. "It was a 'just in case,'" Butler said, "and I ended up getting a scholarship." So, as a student at Berklee, he first majored in music education and then chose to pursue a degree in performance and jazz composition. Following graduation, Butler worked as a professional saxophone player in Boston.
