Western Kentucky University

Patrick O’Rourke, bass faculty

General Statistics

  • US News Ranking: #31 (tie) in Regional Universities South
  • US News Overall Score (out of 100): 59
  • In-State Tuition & Fees 2016-17: $9,912
  • Out-of-State Tuition & Fees 2016-17: $24,792
  • Room & Board 2016-17: $7,713
  • Total Enrollment: 20,063
  • Acceptance Rate (from 2015): 93%
  • Student – Faculty Ratio: 18:1
  • 4 year graduation rate: 27%
  • % of undergrads receiving Financial aid: 61%
  • Average Financial Aid: $5,176

Double Bass Statistics

  • Average number of undergraduate bass students: 4
  • Studio Class, Orchestral Repertoire Class, Bass Ensembles

What Alumni Are Doing

  • 3 recent graduates have successfully started new public school string programs in rural areas in the region.
  • One graduate started a private lesson academy at a local church, where he later became the music minister.

Perspectives from the Bass Faculty

Q: What are some of your favorite experiences teaching at your school?

A: With our focus on teaching, it’s been very rewarding to watch our graduates head out into the community and share the joy of music with local students. The first string programs that we started back in 2004 are producing students who are now playing in the university orchestra. Those university students are in turn graduating and going out to teach even more students out in the community. This may seem unspectacular but it didn’t exist a short time ago– so it’s been wonderful to watch string education develop in this area, with our students as the leaders.

Our department focuses mostly on teacher education and pedagogy: our graduates have a very high placement rate in private and public school orchestra jobs. We also teach private bass studio development, including recruitment, retention, selection of materials, scope and sequence, audition preparation, and assessment of the private students.
Orchestral string playing hasn’t been able to develop a real foothold in Western KY until very recently– so our graduates have a real wealth of opportunities when it comes to starting and developing programs in this area.

About The Bass Faculty

Patrick O’Rourke is adjunct professor of double bass at Western Kentucky University. He holds a BME (2002) from the University of Louisville and an MAE (2012) from WKU.

Patrick’s bass-playing career began in the fall of 1992 when he bought a bass from the man who would become his first teacher: Dave Allen of Bowling Green, KY. After graduating from Warren Central High School, he attended the University of Louisville, where he studied jazz with Tyrone Wheeler and classical music with David Anderson, Jim Bates, and Sidney King.

After graduating from UofL, Patrick performed in the Louisville area while teaching in the Jefferson County Public Schools and teaching privately in the UofL Preparatory Department.

While in Graduate School at WKU, Patrick studied double bass, conducting, and string development with Dr. Bill Scott. Patrick succeeded Dr. Scott as Professor of Double Bass at WKU in 2016.

In 2007 Patrick was hired by the Bowling Green Independent Schools to develop a string program. Since then the program has grown from 36 students to 422 students in grades 4-12. The Bowling Green High School orchestra has twice been invited to perform at the KMEA Conference (2012 and 2016) and has consistently received distinguished ratings from adjudicators. In 2010 Patrick was named KMEA 3rd District Teacher of the year, and in 2012 he was named Orchestra Director of the year by the KY Chapter of ASTA. Patrick currently serves as the Orchestra Division Chair for the Kentucky Music Educator’s Association.

Patrick currently performs locally in Bowling Green, where he lives with his wife Destiny and their two children Jesse (age 5) and Carmen (age 4). In his spare time he enjoys biking, chainsaw maintenence, and writing about himself in the third person.

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