Merryl Nelson
Adjunct Instructor of Music
Department(s):
Contact Info:
Email: Merryl.Nelson@gcccd.edu
Phone: 619-660-4000 - ext. 3009
Office Hours: Office hours by appointment.
Course(s):
MUS 110 Great Music Listening
Course Links:
Course Calendar
Course Notes:
Mon and Wed 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Room B-301
Prerequisite: None
A fresh look at music history...
MUS 132 Beginning Piano
Course Notes:
Mon and Wed 1:00-2:15 p.m.
Prerequisite: None
Piano...the key to musical enjoyment.
Merryl's Bio
Merryl Nelson has directed choirs of all ages for thirty-eight years in public and private schools as well as churches. She was choral director at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon for nineteen years (1993-2012), where she built a thriving program consisting of 190 students in five choirs. Throughout her tenure, the Granite Hills Honor Choir and Chamber Chorale consistently won superior ratings at local, regional, and national festivals and toured throughout the United States and Europe. Merryl also served as chair of the Performing Arts Department and was an active member of the Visual and Performing Arts Strategic Plan Committee for Grossmont Union High School District. In the fall of 2010, Merryl joined the faculty of Cuyamaca College where she conducted the choir for four years, taught Music Theory, Ear Training, Sight Singing, Introduction to Music, and now teaches Great Music Listening. Merryl holds the Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance from the University of Redlands and the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from San Diego State University. She has taken additional course work at the Eastman School of Music, Butler University, University of California San Diego, Fresno State University, and Grossmont College.
In addition to teaching, Merryl has been an active member of American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), California Music Educators Association (CMEA) and Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA). She served as Far South Representative for California ACDA from 2000-2004, 2012-2014 and as President for CMEA Southern Border Section from 2007-2009. In 2003, Merryl was honored by CMEA-Southern Border Section as Choral Educator of the Year and in 2010 she was honored with the State CMEA Choral Educator of the Year Award. She is currently serving as California ACDA Choral Representative for CMEA, and Coordinator for the CMEA/ACDA/SCVA Choral Leadership Academy.