Penn State Brandywine student Tim McClure playing the piano.
MEDIA, Pa. — Timothy McClure is a very involved student at Penn State Brandywine; from being secretary of the Student Government Association to serving as president of the Billiards Club, vice president of the Math Club, treasurer of the MarComm Club, and a student worker in the Student Academic Success Center and the Office of Student Affairs, his schedule is pretty full. Recently, to add to his involvement on campus, he was in the Penn State Brandywine Songwriting and Composition Circle, where he wrote his own composition, "Living Waves."
“When I wrote 'Living Waves,' it was the first time I ever wrote anything serious,” said McClure. “I had tried songwriting a few years prior, but I never ended up writing anything with which I was satisfied.”
The second-year political science major learned about the songwriting circle after taking a class with Paul Greene, professor of ethnomusicology and integrative arts.
“Last fall, I took Dr. Greene’s Cultural Diversity: A Global Perspective (ANTH 45N) course, and one day, we had a conversation about his musical background. During that conversation, he mentioned that many years ago, he had run a songwriting circle on campus,” he said. “A few other students and I expressed interest in forming a circle for the spring, and he agreed to get one started.”
McClure said he was inspired by composer Johann Strauss’ compelling and danceable waltzes when writing his piece.
“I have loved Strauss’ work for many years. My piece replicates the form of his waltzes. It starts with an introduction in non-waltz time, proceeds through four waltzes, and ends with a coda,” he said. “I have always felt that his waltzes have such an elegant and dreamy quality, and I wanted to replicate the same feeling in my work. I hope that others feel I was successful.”
After having "Living Waves" published this fall, McClure said, he reflected on the full-circle moment he felt when it went live. (Listen to McClure's composition here.)
“I did not think that I would ever complete the piece in time for the end-of-semester deadline. To see and hear it complete, and having it shared across campus, is a very exciting and humbling experience,” he said.
The songwriting circle is a collaborative environment in which each participant presents original work from any musical tradition, offers feedback to others, and refines their own compositions through constructive dialogue over the semester. Students are welcome to compose in any musical tradition: world, folk, popular or classical.
“We aim to nurture creativity across genres while deepening understanding of musical structure, rhythm and expression,” said Greene. “I participated as an equal member of the Spring 2025 circle, contributing my own recent piece, Traces of Rain, and engaged in the same process of exchange and revision that defines our circle practice.”
Greene started the course over 10 years ago. He said his inspiration to start the course began when he realized there weren’t many spaces for students to develop their musicianship on campus.
“I tried to meet the need we had on campus. We do have music courses that emphasize its history, but at the time there weren’t any courses that revolved around composition,” he said. “I wanted to take a step towards filling that gap.”
The songwriting circle is taught through an integrative arts independent study course, INART 296. Students experiment with melody, lyrics, harmony and arrangement in a supportive circle format. The course puts emphasis on growth, creative risk-taking and peer learning, with students producing original work and reflecting on their process. There is no prior musical training required to take the course.
“There is a growing interest in composition courses at Brandywine. The success with the Brandywine Music Association has really galvanized interest in the arts on campus,” he said.
The class meets once per week for 50 minutes and is a one-credit course. Students who have any questions or are interested in participating in the songwriting circle can reach out to Greene via email, [email protected].
