Feature: Arts department chair devoted to choral music, conducting
Planning a meeting with Dr. Joel Scraper is like trying to catch a fish with bare hands—almost impossible.
He is a busy person, but once you have his time he is a fascinating and captivating individual.
During an interview, I was surprised to learn that Scraper originally wanted to be an architect.
“I always loved to draw. When I was a kid, I would always draw floor plans,” Scraper explained. “I liked to draw, I liked to create, I liked to build things to scale, it seemed like a perfect fit.”
His plans did an about-face when his piano tutor suggested that Scraper study music with him at Friends University, in Wichita, Kansas.
Scraper never thought of having a career in music.
“I had always assumed that music would be just like a hobby that I would keep for the rest of my life.”
After thinking about it, he decided to trust his professor.
When asked about his background in singing he was extremely modest, stating that he’s never considered himself a singer.
“I know how to sing, I know what good singing is, I think,” he said.
When he was younger he had been in choir, beginning with his mother's church choir then continuing until his senior year, when he chose band instead.
His formal training as a singer came directly from his foundational training in music education. During his undergraduate years, he double majored in piano and music education.
Upon entering college, he was primarily focused on piano, later on taking up playing the trombone and studying voice.
For his masters and doctoral degrees, he studied voice.
“Once I committed to being a conductor, I knew that choral music is where I wanted to be.”
Though he no longer does anything in the field of architecture, Scraper noted similarities between both architecture and music.
“I would say organizing, planning and designing is 80% of my job.”
Scraper said he loves that in choral music there is nothing between the singer and the audience. The immediacy that comes from singing is unique.
“The vulnerability as a singer is different than that of an instrumentalist. There's nowhere to hide.”
Professor Scraper has been the choral conductor at USCA since 2006, and does not plan on leaving.
He said that the connectivity and support system from the campus is unparalleled and that he would rather work here instead of a larger university.
Photo by David Frantz
