The Northern Essex Community College Jazz Rock Ensemble, under the direction of NECC music professor Michael Lecuyer, will present its winter recital on Thursday, Dec.  10, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 103 of the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

This event is free and open to the public.

The ensemble will perform jazz classics covering all genres of jazz, including Be Bop, ballads, modal, Latin, and swing by jazz composers such as Miles Davis, Antonio Jobim, Dave Brubeck, Rodgers & Hart, and others.

Northern Essex offers an Associate in Arts Degree: Music Option and a Certificate in Music Technology.

For additional information contact Lecuyer at mlecuyer@necc.mass.edu

Northern Essex Community College faculty, staff, and students are invited to meet administrators and students from the NECC Methuen Police Academy and the Essex County Sheriff’s Department Academy at an “Academy Meet and Greet” on Wed, Dec. 2 in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott St.

The meet and greet will start at 11:30 a.m. with pizza and an informal opportunity to chat with academy administrators and students. The program will begin at noon and run until 1 p.m.

NECC President Lane Glenn will give a welcome at noon and then an administrator from each of the academies will share an overview of their academy including how their recruits are selected, what the training entails, and the jobs recruits will be filling after graduation. A student from one of the academies will also be invited to speak and share experiences from the student perspective. Questions and answers will follow the speaking program.

The college decided to host an “Academy Meet and Greet” so that the college community could learn about the academies, which are located on the college’s Haverhill Campus.

“The recruits are very visible on campus and we thought it would be helpful to give faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to get to know them,” said George Moriarty, NECC’s executive director of workforce development, who is responsible for overseeing the academies on campus.

The NECC Methuen Police Academy welcomed its first group of recruits last February and a second academy started this fall.  The academy is an intensive 25-week program that covers constitutional law, prevention and intervention, community policing, domestic violence, elder abuse, victims’ rights, and other topics. All training takes place on the Haverhill Campus except for fire arms training and emergency driving techniques which are held at off-campus locations. Most recruits are sponsored by local police departments so work in the area after graduation.

The Essex County Sheriff’s Office began renting space from the college for its academy in September of this year.  The 12-week academy covers topics including first responder medical training, defensive tactics, ethics and professionalism, substance abuse, cultural diversity, and more.  Graduates are prepared for careers as corrections officers in the Essex County Sheriff Department.

For more information about the forum or the academies that are located on NECC’s Haverhill Campus, please contact George Moriarty at 978 659-1224 or gmoriarty@necc.mass.edu.

Grace Young, dean of academic support services, articulation, and transfer at Northern Essex Community College, has been selected as a recipient of the YWCA Tribute to Women Award for her decade-long commitment to the efforts of the college and its students.

Young received the honor last month at the 26th annual Tribute to Women Luncheon, a special event honoring women who excel in the fields of art, business, education, finance, health, human services, and volunteerism. The program featured remarks by YWCA Board of Directors President Patricia O’Brien, Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini, and Tribute to Women Co-Chair Elizabeth Rose.

Annually, YWCA Haverhill sponsors Tribute to Women, an uplifting event that includes an Academy of Women Reception and Honoree Awards Luncheon.  The Tribute to Women Award recognizes a small group of women living and/or working in the Essex County or Southern New Hampshire areas who have made outstanding contributions in their careers and communities.

Northern Essex President Lane Glenn nominated Young for the award, crediting her for building a student-centered advising and transfer program at the college.  “She is extremely passionate about her work at NECC and is truly committed to the college and its students.”

Young will be inducted into the Haverhill YWCA’s Academy of Women as a result of her achievement.

After working as a police officer for 14 years, Grace Young turned to the field of higher education in 2001 and soon obtained a career as a transfer and advising coordinator at NECC. Young went on to become the director of academic advising before moving into her current position as dean of academic support services, articulation, and transfer. Through her various roles at the college, she has taken great strides to develop stronger articulation pathways and revitalize academic program offerings. Young holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in occupational social work from Syracuse University.

On Thursday, November 12, Northern Essex Community College celebrated its veterans with the Veteran and Military Appreciation Luncheon.

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera was the keynote speaker at the luncheon, sharing his experiences as a military police officer in the U.S. Army.

Rivera joined the military following his graduation from Lawrence High School. After serving in Germany, he was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

He said that while in the military he learned that if you have a tough job to do you need to find someone dependable to do it, which is something he remembers and uses every day as mayor of Lawrence.

Rivera also described what it’s like to serve far away from home.  “No iPads, no Cool Whip, definitely no cold beer, and people are trying to hurt you,” he said.  “The only thing you really have are your colleagues.”  He urged the audience to think about the sacrifices of our soldiers, and “the next time you see a veteran; thank them for their service.”

Rivera also related to veterans who had enrolled in college after serving.  He started taking college courses while stationed in Florida and, as a result, he was able to complete his bachelor’s degree at UMass Amherst in just three years after leaving the service.  “I wouldn’t have been able to pay for college if it weren’t for the GI Bill.”

Bill Heineman, vice president of academic and student affairs, gave the welcoming remarks at the luncheon.  “I started as a history instructor and I have always been interested in military history,” he said.  “I am awed by the dignity and professionalism of our military.”

Northern Essex currently has 130 students who are veterans or have ties to the military enrolled at the college, and that number has been growing in recent years, a trend that makes Heineman proud.  “We had our first orientation especially for veterans this year and we’re developing a veterans’ peer to peer program,” he said. “The college was also recently named one of the best colleges for veterans by Military Times earlier this week.”

John Caswell, president of the NECC Veterans & Servicepersons Club, a student club, served as the master of ceremonies and described the fallen soldier table which was set up in the corner of the room with dinner service set for one and a single red rose in a vase. Filled with symbolism, the Fallen Soldier Table acknowledges those killed in action, prisoners of war, and those listed as missing in action.

Northern Essex offers a Veterans & Services Club for students as well as a Veterans’ Writing Group which Professor Paul Saint Amand leads.  To learn more about opportunities for veterans at NECC, visit the website.

Veterans with questions regarding educational benefits, funding resources, and prior credit and/or transfer opportunities, can contact Jeff Williams, NECC’s veterans’ services coordinator, at 978 556-3631 or jwilliams@necc.mass.edu.

Grammy Award winner Adam Ayan, who has worked with  music giants such as Madonna, Foo Fighters, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Pearl Jam, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, the Rolling Stones, and Rascal Flatts, will give a presentation, sponsored by Northern Essex Community College, on album mastering on Wednesday, December 9th, at 7 p.m. in TC103 at the David Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

This event, which is free and open to the public, will explore the mechanics of music mastering from a leader in the field. Music mastering is the final creative step in transforming a recording into a record.

Ayan, who grew-up in Malden and Windham, NH, graduated from Pinkerton Academy (Derry, NH). He is also a graduate of UMass Lowell’s Sound Recording Technology (SRT) Program. He works as a mastering engineer at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine, where he has collected more than 90 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums.

In 2006 Ayan won his first Grammy Award in the category of “Best Historical Album” for his mastering work on the Jelly Roll Morton box set “The Complete Library Of Congress Recordings By Alan Lomax.”

In 2007, Ayan won 2 Latin Grammy Awards in the categories of “Best Engineered Album” and “Album Del Ano (Album of the Year)” for his mastering work on the Juan Luis Guerra album “La Llave De Mi Corazon”. His win in the category of “Best Engineered Album” marked the very first time a mastering engineer had been awarded a Grammy in that category.

Ayan was nominated again in 2008 (the 50th Annual Grammy Awards) for a Grammy Award in the prestigious “Album of the Year” category for his mastering work on Vince Gill’s latest release “These Days.”

“Mastering is all about bringing my clients’ music to its fullest sonic potential, and always respecting their artistic vision,” Ayan says. “I have been in the fortunate position of mastering recordings across many musical genres, maintaining the same philosophy of crafting my clients’ recordings to best serve their musical message. Be it rock, pop, metal, country or jazz, the concept is always the same: master to best convey my clients’ recordings to the listener.”

“Ayan is one of the most celebrated music professionals who most people have never heard of,” according to Mike Lecuyer of NECC’s Music Department. “Rock legends and country crooners alike trust him to make the final adjustments to their recordings when cutting an album.”

Northern Essex offers a certificate in music technology and an associate’s in general studies: music.  For additional information on the music certificate or degree programs visit www.necc.mass.edu

For additional information on this event contact NECC music instructor Michael Lecuyer atmlecuyer@necc.mass.edu