Music at NJIT
Students who are interested in continuing their musical development can follow their passion throughout their time at NJIT.
Theatre Arts & Technology Program
In addition to providing solid theatre training, we offer a Music Initiative at NJIT for students from both campuses that are interested in joining a string, wind, or jazz ensemble headed by three conductors with international credits. Students with prior music training are invited to join.
Join Our Music Ensembles by going to the rehearsals in CKB 116!
Jazz Ensemble
Tuesdays 6-9pm
Wind Ensemble
Wednesdays 3-6pm
String Ensemble
Tuesdays 2:30-5:30pm
Email Rodney Reyes at reyes@njit.edu for more info about joining Music Ensembles!
Our '24-'25 Concert Series
All concerts are free and open to the public.
They take place in the Atrium in the Campus Center on the NJIT Campus
Spring Concerts
Jazz Concert
May 9, 12pm
Wind and String Concert
May 9, 4pm
Interested Musicians for Ensembles: music@njit.edu
Concert Information on Theatre Arts and Technology homepage: theatre.njit.edu
About the Music Initiative
In response to the enthusiasm expressed by hundreds of NJIT students and community members, the String, Wind, and Jazz ensembles were formed as part of the Music Initiative at NJIT. Since its inception, the Music Initiative has received enthusiastic support from the NJIT administration, especially the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Academic Support and Student Services, the Office of the Dean of Students, and the Humanities Department’s Theatre Arts and Technology Program. The NJIT Student Senate and the Graduate Students Association have also been strong supporters, and philanthropic support has come from grants provided by the Bergen Foundation and the Rauch Family Foundation.
This is the rehearsal schedule for each ensemble:
- Jazz Ensemble meets Tuesday evenings: 7:00 until 9:00 pm
- Wind Ensemble meets Wednesday evenings: 4:00 until 6:00 pm
- String Ensemble meets Thursday evenings: 4:00 until 6:00 pm
The Music Initiative also sponsors guest performances throughout the academic year that are free to NJIT and surrounding communities
Our Conductors
Wind Ensemble
Sarah "Carino" Carino-Koza received a Bachelors of Music degree in music education and piano performance at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, and earned her Masters of Arts Degree in music education and instrumental conducting from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, NY. While at Westminster, she studied piano with Phyllis Lehrer and conducting with James Jordan and Joseph Flummerfelt. While at Teachers College, she studied aesthetics philosophy with Randall Everett Allsup, music education pedagogy with Hal Ables, and conducting with Dino Anagnost.
Since 2003, Carino has served as Director of Bands at Spotswood High School where she directs and conducts the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Pep Band, Jazz Band, Brass Choir, and Percussion Ensemble. Over the more than 20 years of which Carino has been director, the bands have competed nationally and earned numerous 1st place and Superior accolades.
Additionally, she teaches Honors and Advanced Placement Music Theory and serves as an Exam Reader for the College Board's annual AP Exam Reading, among a niche community of collegiate and high school theory educators.
Carino continues to serve as a formal mentor teacher for dozens of undergraduate music education students across the tri-state area, providing guidance in pedagogy, conducting, group social dynamics, ensemble rehearsal technique. She performs regularly as an accompanist collaborative pianist, and can be spotted occasionally on French Horn with the Central Jersey Wind Ensemble.
String Ensemble
Sandra Dackow holds three degrees from the Eastman School of Music and currently serves as Director of the William Paterson University Symphony Orchestra in New Jersey. An Aspen Conducting fellow, she was awarded the Silver medal in the 2001 Vakhtang Jordania/New
Millennium Conducting Competition in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Dr. Dackow has published over 120 works for student orchestras and is an author of Alfred’s Orchestra Expressions, Tempo Press’s The Expressive Orchestra, Expressive Sightreading, and a co-author of the MENC Complete String Guide. She has appeared as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout the US and abroad, including summers at Interlochen, and other music camps. in the US, Ireland and Australia. Dr. Dackow has served as Music Director of the Ridgewood Symphony, NJ, The Hershey Symphony, PA, and their affiliated youth orchestras. She is a former President of the International Conductors Guild, an organization serving conductors in more than 30 countries. In 2009 she was elected a Lowell Mason Fellow by MENC: The Association for Music Education, (now NAfME) as well as awarded the Bruno Walter Best Conductor Prize by the Master Academy International Competition in Switzerland.
Jazz Band
David Rimelis’ music has been performed by orchestras internationally, including the Boston Pops, National Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Saint Louis Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Western Australia Symphony, Minnesota Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra the New York pops and the New Jersey pops. He has been featured artist with the Colorado Symphony, Eugene Oregon Symphony, Waco Texas Symphony, Concordia Orchestra, Plainfield New Jersey Symphony and many others.
He holds a position as artist-in-residence for the New Jersey State Council on The Arts. He is also Director of Music Education for the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children in Newark, New Jersey. He has served as composer-in-residence for the Concordia Orchestra in New York City from 1990 - 2002. In 2007 Dave was commissioned by the Louisiana Philharmonic to compose a piece dedicated to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In 2010 Dave was commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony to compose an anthem and recently took third place in Fiddler Magazine's international fiddle tune contest.
His music is also featured in films and television programs. As a guitarist and violinist, Rimelis has toured the United States, South America, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Middle East. He is the founder and leader of the band “Life,” which performs original world jazz. The son of country western singer “Idaho Ed,” Rimelis was raised on American folk and popular music; he has won prizes in a number of regional fiddle contests.