{"id":210883,"date":"2025-03-21T14:04:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T18:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/?p=210883"},"modified":"2025-03-21T14:04:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T18:04:16","slug":"shea-scruggs-appointed-director-of-the-john-j-cali-school-of-music-at-montclair-state-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/2025\/03\/21\/shea-scruggs-appointed-director-of-the-john-j-cali-school-of-music-at-montclair-state-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Shea Scruggs Appointed Director of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University"},"content":{"rendered":"

Montclair State University is pleased to announce the appointment of Shea Scruggs as the new Director of the John J. Cali School of Music<\/a> effective July 1st, 2025. A highly accomplished arts administrator, educator and former professional oboist, Scruggs brings a dynamic background in music education and institutional leadership and program development to the Cali School.<\/p>\n

Scruggs joins Montclair from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, where he served as Chief Enrollment Officer and Director of Institutional Research and Musician Experience. At Curtis, he led initiatives in admissions, alumni engagement, and institutional research, while also playing a pivotal role in enhancing opportunities for all in classical music.<\/p>\n

A graduate of Swarthmore College, the Curtis Institute of Music and Cornell University\u2019s Johnson Graduate School of Management, Scruggs has also enjoyed an acclaimed professional career, serving in principal oboe positions in the San Francisco Opera, Cincinnati Symphony and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. His leadership extends beyond performance and education\u2014he is also a founding member of the Black Orchestral Network<\/a>, an organization dedicated to increasing representation for Black musicians in classical music. His work in this space has garnered national attention, including being featured on NPR\u2019s \u201cAll Things Considered<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thrilled to join this fantastic community of students, faculty and staff and continue the Cali School’s tradition of excellence in performance and teaching,\u201d said Shea Scruggs. \u201cAs director, I look forward to supporting faculty as they teach and develop the next generation of performers and educators, and empowering students as they create, explore and connect with local and global communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montclair State University leadership expressed great enthusiasm for Scruggs\u2019 appointment, highlighting his deep understanding of both artistic and academic landscapes.<\/p>\n

As Director, Scruggs will oversee the continued growth and innovation of the John J. Cali School of Music<\/a>, ensuring its commitment to excellence in music education, performance and therapy, while strengthening the school\u2019s presence in the New York and New Jersey arts communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cShea\u2019s extensive experience as both an innovative arts administrator and an accomplished orchestral musician uniquely positions him to build on the Cali School\u2019s legacy of excellence while broadening its reach and impact,\u201d College of the Arts Dean Daniel Gurskis said. \u201cHis visionary approach and commitment to creating opportunities for young musicians align seamlessly with the university\u2019s mission and our aspirations for the future of music education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

About the John J. Cali School of Music<\/strong>
\nThe John J. Cali School of Music offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in music education, music performance, music therapy, composition, jazz studies and recording arts and production, as well as a two-year Artist\u2019s Diploma and one-year Performer\u2019s Certificate. Twenty-one full-time faculty members and approximately 200 part-time instructors serve more than 500 students, who matriculate through a competitive admissions process. The school maintains strong relationships with professional performance and educational organizations along with several music schools around the world, and beginning in the 21-22 Academic Year launched two major new initiatives with the Cali Pathways Project, focused on reducing barriers for burgeoning musicians in underserved communities, and the Cali Immersive Residency program, imbedding world-renowned artists and ensembles for week-long residencies at the school. Its facilities provide a conservatory-like setting, consisting of the 235-seat Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall, teaching studios, music practice and rehearsal rooms, and faculty studios. Our students and faculty engage in over 300 concerts and recitals a year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Accomplished arts leader and oboist brings vision and experience to one of New Jersey\u2019s premier music-education programs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":210884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-210883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-153_music","category-news-and-announcements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210883"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210885,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210883\/revisions\/210885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}