MEDIA CONTACT: Polly Burks
561-297-2595, pburks@fau.edu

FAU Professor Receives Fulbright Grant

BOCA RATON, FL (May 4, 2006) – Michael Zager, professor of music and founder of Florida Atlantic University’s commercial music program and FAU’s Hoot/Wisdom Recordings, recently received a Fulbright Senior Specialist’s Grant to spend the month of July 2006 at the Payap University Music Department in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  Zager will design a major in Commercial Music at Thai University.  This will include the initiation of a student record label which will emulate Hoot/Wisdom Recordings, FAU’s student-operated, faculty-advised label.  Zager will also teach master classes on Writing Music for Television and Radio Commercials, Music Production, and Composing Film Music.

Payap University established the first music department at a Thai university in the mid-1970s. It offers both Thai and Western music to students at the bachelor’s level. There are plans to open a master’s degree program in music in 2006.  Zager will help design the commercial music component, which will include a joint commercial music program with FAU.

- FAU -