Music Professor, Private Piano Teacher
MM, Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC
BS, Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC
Office: Old Main 313
Contact Mrs. Brown
All faculty Fine Arts faculty
Mrs. Brown's Description of Her Classes
- Accompanying: We need great accompanists in the ministry and in teaching music. Taught once a year, students work on several areas of accompanying that include choral octavos, writing an original accompaniment, and studying the different styles of classical accompanying. This is a practical class for a church pianist, for a vocal/instrumental teacher, for pianists who want to accompany with confidence and creativity.
- Curriculum and Methods in Music: I love teaching future teachers! The goal of this curriculum class is to help Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education students learn to incorporate music into their classroom teaching. We work on adding music to their general teaching via use of recordings, songs used for teaching, etc. Part of the semester we work on lesson plans that stress music involvement in everyday classes, put together holiday programs for future holidays (parent days, Christmas, patriotic programs), experiment with the autoharp, handbells, and learn several songs on the recorder. The projects we work on each week go into a resource notebook for their future classroom teaching use.
- Hymnplaying III: Hymnplaying III builds on study from Hymnplaying I and II. Students will learn advanced congregational playing, modulation, transposition and work to create a hymnplaying notebook for future ministry.
- Music Theory Fundamentals: Offered each Fall semester, Music Theory Fundamentals is a great class for reviewing the basics of music theory. It provides a foundation for the “serious” Harmony I class that begins each spring semester. This is also a valuable class for a student who has a weak theory background and would like to learn theory basics like note recognition, intervals, key signatures, basic rhythms, major/minor chords and early ear training.
- Private Piano lessons: There are so many options in signing up for piano lessons at MBBC! A student can sign up for personal enrichment, hymnplaying, concentration, minor, major in piano. There is a lesson to fit every need! College is the perfect time to grow in piano skills.
About Mrs. Brown
Ruth Brown is the wife of Dr. David Brown (also MBBC music faculty). God has blessed them with two children, Audrey and Will. Mrs. Brown enjoys spending time with her family, walking, playing tennis, riding with her husband on Wisconsin's many bike trails, swimming, Sudoko, and reading. She recently talked her husband into cross country skiing and is ready to try kayaking next summer! Dr. Brown told her it is time that she try HIS sport—hunting!
A native of South Carolina, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education (piano emphasis) and Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance from Bob Jones University. She has enjoyed the roles of church pianist, teacher, and arranger. She has had several hymn arrangements published through Hymn Notes--C & L Enterprises. In 1999 she and her husband recorded the CD “Lord, Be Glorified.” Over the last 20 years she has conducted hymnplaying seminars and piano workshops, played for TV and radio advertisements, taught in music camps, served as a Guild judge, and taught private piano lessons. Several of her high school students have placed first in the AACS National Competition and gone on to major in piano or music education.
At Maranatha she teaches several music classes and works with pianists majoring in Music Education, Piano Pedagogy, and Church Music. She also teaches students with a minor or concentration in piano, and works with several hymnplaying students.
Mrs. Brown's Ministry
Mrs. Brown assists her husband, Dr. David Brown, with ministry at Calvary Baptist Church in Watertown. She helps with the college choir, plays offertories and special music, and serves as a Christmas percussionist. The Browns love to involve their children in ministry as much as possible by singing together as a family, playing instrumental offertories together, and working with those from nursery age to college age.
How Dr. and Mrs. Brown met
While pursuing his master’s degree from BJU in trombone performance, Dave Brown asked a student named Ruth to accompany his senior recital and was turned down. “She’s a small-town country girl, and I’m a big time Philly boy, and I rubbed her the wrong way,” he says. However, he needed an excellent pianist and got the dean to assign her to the job. As a result, he and Ruth rehearsed together for the whole school year. After the recital he asked Ruth to an opera. “We got in trouble for talking, but we had a blast,” says Dr. Brown. “We didn’t even know there was an opera going on!”
Mrs. Brown, Hayley McGrail combine for CD
Mrs. Brown accompanied Hayley McGrail (left) for 12 of the 14 songs on McGrail's debut CD, Be Still. McGrail is a Maranatha graduate and former dorm supervisor and soccer coach. Click here to read more about the music and order a copy.