Teaching experience

Composition Instruction:

2011-12 University of South Dakota. Lessons and Orchestration/Arranging. Assistant Professor

2010-11 University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Lessons and Seminar. Visiting Lecturer (full-time)

SP09/SP10 Naugatuck Valley Community College, Applied Lessons. Adjunct Faculty

2008-09 The Hartt School. COM 110/111 (Lessons). Graduate Teaching Fellow

Music Theory Instruction:

2011-12 University of South Dakota. Assistant Professor
20th c. music theory techniques (undergrad/grad)
form and analysis (undergrad/grad)
sophomore theory and ear-training
counterpoint lessons.

2010-11 University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Visiting Lecturer (full-time)
4th/5th semester theory and ear-training
Graduate Theory Review

SP 2010 Naugatuck Valley Community College. Theory IV, Ear Training IV. Part-time Lecturer
SP 2009 Naugatuck Valley Community College. Ear Training IV. Part-time Lecturer

2006-07 University of Oregon MUS 237/8/9 Keyboard Skills IV,V,VI (sophomore year theory core component)
2005-06 University of Oregon MUS 137/8/9 Keyboard Skills I,II,III (freshman year theory core component)
2004-05 University of Oregon MUS 136/7/8 Rudiments of Keyboard Skills, Keyboard Skills I and II (freshman year theory)

Music History Instruction:

SP 2008, 2008-10 Three Rivers Community College. MUS 101 Music History and Appreciation. Part-time Lecturer

SP 2008 The Hartt School. HLM 100 Introduction to Music. Graduate Teaching Fellow

2001, 02 University of Nevada-Las Vegas: History of Rock 'n' Roll. Invited Lecture. "70s Progressive Rock and Jazz Fusion"

Jazz Instruction:

SP09/SP10 Naugatuck Valley Community College, Applied lessons (percussion/drum set) Adjunct Faculty

2005-07 University of Oregon MUP 199 Jazz Drum set Lessons
2006 University of Oregon MUJ 392/692 Jazz Lab Band III (co-director)
2005 Oregon Jazz Festival, clinician (rhythm section)
2005 University of Oregon MUJ 393/693 Jazz Lab Band II (co-director)
2004-05 University of Oregon MUJ 395/695 Jazz Combo
1996-2004 private drumset lessons (home, music stores, etc.)

Audio Examples of UO Jazz Band III

Listen to a recording of the U of Oregon Jazz Lab III under the direction of Nolan Stolz:

playing Mike Titlebaum's 'Round Chi-Town

Don Menza's Samba de Rollins

Quotations from Student Evaluations

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Composition Lessons Spring 2011

“He broadened my musical imagination and brought new freedom to my music. He doesn’t just show me how to make something better, but teaches me quite clearly how I can make it better on my own. The lessons are relaxed and feels like we collectively work together in the teaching process. He pushes just the right amount of work weekly to progress well throughout the semester.”

UNLV, 20th Century Music Spring 2011

“Instructor gave several methods in improving skills needed and was very helpful in giving tips for developing those skills. Good objective environment to learn in.”

“It really helped when our instructor gave us short examples of how to go about doing the homework; the examples cleared up any questions we may have had concerning the assignment.”

UNLV, Advanced Musicianship II (aural skills IV) Spring 2011

“The instructor was good at making topics clear in more ways than one and was also always on top of making sure students were where they should be at points in the semester.”

Naugatuck Valley Community College, Ear Training IV Spring 2010

"[Nolan] helps us find the answer. He doesn't just tell us the answer"

"I liked the extensive look into working with different meters rather than simply working only with melody and singing."

Three Rivers Community College, Music Appreciation Fall 2009

“I really enjoyed his enthusiasm, he is really passionate about music, and makes the class interesting”

“Nolan is extremely knowledgeable, and very enthusiastic.”

“The professor had a lot of enthusiasm/interest in the topic (and lots of musical experience). Course syllabus constantly updated and posted online. Very entertaining/enjoyable”

University of Oregon, Keyboard Skills (theory/aural skills/piano mixture)

MUS 238, Winter 2007
“Nolan does a great job of teaching complex material and abstract concerpts in class. He always constructive criticism and helpful comments. Good job, Nolan!”

MUS 138, Winter 2006
“Nolan is an excellent teacher ad were it not for him I wouldn’t be able to get such a good grasp of concepts. Nolan has a unique gift of relating the class concepts to the ‘pop’ music we all listen to. This is in part invocates thought everytime I hear the pop song, because I know is going on musically. Nolan has a great approach to personalizing my education and the eductation of others by finding the best possible way for me to understand the concepts. I will definitely register for his section next term.”

MUS 137, Fall 2005
“I felt the course was pretty well organized, and even as a pianist, I was stil learning new things each week. I feel it was overall helpful because I was able to apply what I learned in theory directly at the keyboard. The small group setting also helped a lot—everyone was fairly friendly and was easier to work.”

MUS 238, Winter 2007
“Nolan is a solid teacher. Rather than giving me the answer, he pushes me to find it on my own. Nolan wants to make sure that I get the most out of this class and that by summer my keyboard skills will be impeccable.”

MUS 139, Spring 2006
“Nolan is an excellent teacher. He is approachable for questions. He comes prepared always. He always gives constructive criticism and never lets up on holding us to a standard.”

MUS 137, Winter 2005
“This class moved at an ideal pace and Nolan is a fantastic instructor. I learned a lot thanks to Nolan’s patience and willingness to work with me.”

MUS 138, Winter 2006
“The material was a lot more difficult this term but with a bit more work outside of class I did pretty well. Nolan did a great job breaking in new stuff and he continually demonstrated that he’s quite capable of playing and teaching piano.”

MUS 137, Winter 2005
“I enjoyed this class besides the fact that there were so few of us in it. Nolan did a great job of relaying the information to us in a way we could understand it. He was also very patient which helped a lot.”

MUS 128, Fall 2004
“Nolan is an excellent teacher, and is always easy to approach for questions. He even gave me his cell phone number so I could call him if I had any probalems getting to my individual appointments. He always made deadlines clear, and prepared us for exactly what he expected in our assignments. Nolan is the type of teacher that I hope for when I register for classes each term. I look forward to taking classes from him in the future.”

MUS 128, Fall 2004
“Nolan Stolz was a very helpful and encouraging piano instructor. He was sure to keep track of the progress of all students, and was more than willing to give students additional help they needed”

MUS 128, Fall 2004
“Although there have been a few times when I was about to give up my music major because I couldn’t get the piano down, Nolan was always there to urge me to keep going. He not only took the time to make sure I knew all the material covered week by week, he made sure everyone in the class was keeping up. I made sure that next term Nolan is my piano teacher.”

MUS 138, Winter 2006
“Nolan goes to great lengths to bridge the distance between teacher and student. It would be nice if more teachers shared his enthusiasm for connecting with students.”

MUS 139, Spring 2006
“Nolan has been a great teacher this term because he does everything he can to hemp make keyboarding skills a little bit more understandable or easy.”

MUS 137, Fall 2005
“Nolan rocks! He was very helpful. This material is hard for me but I learned it!”

MUS 137, Fall 2005
“Nolan was a great teacher. He’s really good at helping students understand concepts.”

MUS 137, Fall 2005
“Great compatibility w/ students, connects well with everyone!”