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General Interests
"As a performer, I continue to experiment with new approaches to jazz improvisation. As a musicologist I continue to focus my research on the relationships between jazz and the political and social climates surrounding different periods in jazz history. As a director, I emphasize a broad knowledge of both classic jazz repertoire and new innovations in jazz composition."
Years at Knox: 2003 to present
Education
Ph.D., Music, 2012, University of Iowa.
M.A., Musicology, 2002, Washington University-St. Louis.
B.A., Music, 1998, Knox College.
Teaching interests
World music, Jazz history, music and film, pop music, music and diaspora.
Presentations
"The History of Jazz." Carl Sandburg College Music History Class, Carl Sandburg College, Galesburg, Illinois, 2007.
"Cool Jazz: Reaction to or Development of Be-Bop Style?" University of Iowa Graduate School of Music Pedagogy Workshop, Iowa City, Iowa, 2007.
Performances
Vibraphone performance: approximately 15 performances over the course of 2010, as both group
leader and as band member with numerous central Illinois professional jazz artists.
Featured soloist, WCBU radio, "Jazz From the Hilltop," 2010.
Featured soloist, Bradley University Music Scholarship Concert Series, "Classics to Jazz," with Dr. Edward Kaizer, 2010.
Vibraphone performance: approximately 25 performances over the course of 2009, as both group
leader and as band member with numerous central Illinois professional jazz artists.
Percussionist, Knox Galesburg Symphony and Galesburg Community Chorus (featured timpani soloist
December, 2009.)
Director, Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival. Galesburg, Illinois.
Director, Bix Beiderbecke Youth Jazz Band, Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival. Davenport, Iowa.
Campus & Community Involvement
Member, Knox-Galesburg Symphony, percussion; Galesburg.
Member, Knox Cherry St. Combo, (jazz combo), Galesburg.
Member, The U. City Social Club (jazz trio), St. Louis, Missouri.
Member, The Defenestration Quartet, (jazz quartet), Galesburg.
What Students Say
"What makes Nikki Malley great is her enthusiasm both in and out of the classroom. She wants her students to grow emotionally, mentally, and professionally and her encouragement and wisdom in all things musical helps push students to the next level. As someone who got her PhD in thinking outside the box, she works very personally with her students to do the same. After years of work with Nikki on the bandstand and in the classroom, she starts to feel closer to a friend."
-Jake Hawrylak, Music Major
"Nikki Malley makes everything she teaches, whether in a class or in the Knox Jazz Ensemble, come to life through her down-to-earth teaching style. Her excitement about bringing music to everyone she encounters is contagious. Nikki drives every one of her students to always give 110%, and she gives so much support to them every step of the way toward improvement. It is evident just how much Nikki Malley cares about each of her students simply by being available whenever students need her along with her one-on-one attention to each and every student's progress."
-Kailee Gawlik, Music and German Major
Through his music capstone project, Nate Beck -- who has a minor in business and management -- finds that the processes of brand management and music composition have more in common than you'd probably expect.
Baby talk is serious business for senior Megan Beney, a double major in music and anthropology and sociology. Her Honors research focuses on the musical qualities of the ways that people talk to infants.
Leading up to a worldwide event -- Gun Control Theatre Action Week, May 27 through June 2 -- a play by Knox College theatre professor Neil Blackadder is selected for a new collection, "24 Gun Control Plays."
