Jesénia Jackson (NED) March 18, 2023
Jesénia Jackson is a composer, songwriter, & producer. She has served as an orchestrator, scored several indie films, composed for fashion shows, & served as a Music Director for theatre. Jesénia has just recently served as the assistant to the orchestrator on the Off Broadway musical (TREVOR). Her works have premiered in national and international venues. In 2019, Jesénia’s concert piece, STAGES (I Movement) was performed by The PHACE Ensemble in Vienna, Austria. Her most recent work includes AJ’s Story (October 2022), and Sonny’s Blues (New York International Film Festival).

As a singer-songwriter, Jesénia released her first EP, Introducing Jesénia Jackson, in June 2022. She currently serves as the Women In Music Washington, D.C. Chapter Chair, member of the New York Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) & Alliance for Women Film Composers (AWFC) and piano & vocal instructor at The International School of Music. Jesenia currently works out of her home studio in Maryland. Her most recent awards include being nominated for the DC Wammies for Best Advocacy Award.

Jesénia holds a Master of Music degree in Screen Scoring from New York University (2020) and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Spelman College (2018).

Dr. Leigh Muñoz (MWD) April 14, 2023
Leigh Muñoz is Assistant Professor of Bassoon at UMKC Conservatory and on the faculty for the Bassoon Intensive at Interlochen Arts Camp. Prior to her appointment at UMKC, she has held bassoon teaching positions at Middle Tennessee State University, University of Missouri, Washburn University and Missouri State University. Leigh is second bassoon of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) and a regular substitute bassoonist and contrabassoonist with the Kansas City Symphony, Lyric Opera, and Kansas City Ballet. Leigh has performed as concerto soloist with the University of Missouri Wind Ensemble and Orchestra, University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra, Ottawa University Symphony Orchestra and Ohio University Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Maria Castillo (SED) April 1, 2023
As an orchestral musician Mrs. Castillo was the Associate Principal of the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra until 2015, and has performed with a great deal of orchestras in México, Venezuela and the United States such as, the Caracas Municipal Symphony, the Venezuelan Symphony, the Venezuela National Philharmonic, the Miami City Ballet, the New World Symphony, the Sphinx Symphony, the Mazatlán Sinfonietta, the “Sinaloa de las Artes” Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Acadiana Symphony and the Lake Charles Symphony.

Dr. Ann Hicks (NCD) April 1, 2023
Ann M. Hicks teaches music education at Ball State University. Prior to obtaining her current teaching position, she taught instrumental music for grades 5-12 in Iowa, as well as taught at the university level at Ball State University and The Ohio State University. Dr. Hicks holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Iowa State University, a Master of Music Education and Clarinet Performance degree from Ball State University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from The Ohio State University. At Ball State, she teaches undergraduate music education courses in woodwind techniques, introduction to music education, and supervises students’ field experiences.

Claudia Hayden (SWD) April 15, 2023
Claudia Hayden is an American flautist, producer, composer, and national recording artist, whose original jazz and funk rhythms have been heard internationally. Hayden’s new single “Turn Me Up,” released this year, is currently climbing the Billboard Charts marking a spot at #12. This single follows her 2021 chart topping hit “Central Park West.” Renowned for her impeccable tone, full-range technical expertise and creativity, this musician bridges classical genres to a world sound. A trailblazer, educated by pioneering artists, Claudia commands multiple styles with mastery. Her debut album, “Abstract,” was followed by another original CD, “The Spirit Speaks,” a sonically rich blend of Native American flute, jazz, and free improvisation. Centering the mind and the body in these jazz-infused meditative tracks, Claudia’s musicianship reaches new levels in the versatile work inspired by the Native American flutist, R. Carlos Nakai. Working in sound across mediums and industries, Hayden has composed original music for major broadcasting networks such as, HBO, CBS, The Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, VH1, BET, and Court-TV. The Louisiana native learned piano and flute as a child, studying under masters like the acclaimed jazz clarinetist Alvin Batiste and flutist Kent Jordan.

Dr. Linda Margetts (WD) April 21, 2023
Linda Margetts has been an organist on Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah, since 1981 and brings an impressive list of accomplishments to her role as Temple Square organist. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organ performance from Brigham Young University and her PhD in music composition from the University of Utah. She is a Fellow in the American Guild of Organists (F.A.G.O.) As a Temple Square organist, she performs with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Temple Square Chorale, and Bells on Temple Square and, along with her fellow organists, presents daily 30-minute organ recitals in the Tabernacle and Conference Center. She also teaches music theory in the 16-weekTabernacle Choir training school. Dr. Margetts has been a member of the music faculty at Utah State University and is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Music at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. She has lectured at the Church Music Workshop at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, for over 30 years. Some of her positions in the American Guild of Organists include Dean of the Salt Lake Chapter and Education Chairman for the Western Region. Linda Margetts and her husband, Bert, are the parents of six children and grandparents of 26.

Dr. Dina Bennett (MWD) March 25, 2022
Dina M. Bennett is the Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the American Jazz Museum where she is responsible for overseeing the permanent collection and institutional archives of the museum, including all loans and temporary exhibits. Prior to this position, Bennett spent three years as the Curatorial Director of the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee, the first national institution dedicated to educating, preserving, and celebrating more than fifty music genres and sub-genres that were created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans. She oversaw the museum’s curatorial department and served as the primary curator for the permanent exhibition.

As an ethnomusicologist, Bennett specializes in African American music-culture and has honed her expertise in telling the story of African American music and its various genres through her curatorial work in music museums. She has previously served as the Associate Director of the Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas; Director of Education at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center; and Manager of Collections and Exhibitions at the American Jazz Museum.

Dr. Bennett earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Washburn University, a master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology with a minor in African American & African Diaspora Studies from Indiana University. Dr. Bennett has over 30 years’ experience in the music field and is an accomplished pianist. She currently serves on the advisory team of scholars for “A History of African American Music,” an interactive timeline produced as a resource for Carnegie Hall’s 2009 festival “Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy.”

Lauren Generette (NCD) April 1, 2022
Lauren Generette is completing her second stint as Manager of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra after also having been COYO’s founding manager. In January of 2022 she assumes the title Director of Instrumental Pathways Programs for The Cleveland Orchestra. She has served as a member of the Youth Orchestra Division board for the League of American Orchestras and led the Youth Orchestra’s 2015 tour to China and the 2019 tour to Europe. A native of Cleveland, Ms. Generette became a public school music teacher in Atlanta following her graduation from Howard University. She later obtained an MBA in Arts Administration and was a Fellow in the Music Program at the National Endowment for the Arts.

Dr. Brooke Stevens (NED) March 19, 2022
Sergeant First Class Brooke Stevens is an active musician, composer, and arranger, currently serving in the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps as a trumpeter and bugler since 2012. She regularly performs for military ceremonies and functions in the national capital region, notably in three presidential inaugurations and many foreign head of state arrival ceremonies. In addition to her performing duties, she also heads the unit’s Production Staff, where she has created numerous arrangements and original compositions. Her music has been performed at the White House, U.S. Capitol, and at international military tattoos. Stevens holds a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance from the University of Northern Iowa, Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from Indiana University, and Doctor of Music in Brass Pedagogy and Literature from Indiana University. Her primary teachers include Edmund Cord, Joey Tartell, and Dr. Randy Grabowski.

Jennifer Theilacker (SED) March 26, 2022
Ms. Jennifer A. Theilacker has been actively teaching and performing for over twenty years. She is currently the assistant band director at Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, Georgia. Prior to moving to Georgia, she was directing instrumental music at KIPP: NYC at KIPP Star Harlem Middle School and teaching beginning jazz band at Jazz at Lincoln Center and at the Harlem School of the Arts. She is a past adjudicator for NYSSMA and was named the Associate conductor for the Manhattan Wind Ensemble.

Jennifer has taught instrumental music in Brooklyn, New York, at Philippa Schuyler Intermediate School (I.S. 383) for the Gifted and Talented, and at M.S. 180 Dr. Daniel Hale Williams in the Bronx. Jennifer is the past Associate Director of Music Programs at the Boys and Girls Harbor in Harlem. From 2001-2009, Jennifer was the director of the 5th and 6th grade bands in the Lampeter-Strasburg School District. Additionally, Jennifer taught band and general music at the prestigious Tatnall School in Wilmington, DE.

Jennifer is currently studying at the American Band College of Central Washington University for her Masters in Music Education. During her time at ABC, she has had the opportunity to play under the batons of composers Jan Van der Roost and Johan de Meij, and conductors Frank Wickes, Paula Crider, Anthony Maeillo, Michael Bankhead, and Lowell Graham.
Jennifer’s professional affiliations include The National Band Association, Women Band Directors International (WBDI) (New York State Representative), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Association of Black Women Band Directors (ABWBD), Minority Band Directors National Association (MBDNA),Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA).

Lindsey Cox (SWD) April 9, 2022
Lindsey Cox is an Oklahoma City based musician and artist. She is the manager and frontwoman of the orchestral dream punk band, stepmom. She is the box office manager and talent booker for Factory Obscura, an immersive art company in Oklahoma City. In 2019, she produced and performed in The March of The Sun King, an immersive performance piece featuring musicians, dancers, and aerialists that re-imagined The Beatles’ Abbey Road. In addition, she has produced several collaborative projects and concert series for Factory Obscura and other venues throughout the city. She recently produced her first stop motion music video for stepmom that has been featured in national and international film festivals. Lindsey holds Bachelor’s Degrees in both Forensic Science and Psychology from The University of Central Oklahoma, but decided to follow her heart into the arts instead.

Katie Levine (WD) April 23, 2022
Katie Levine is a composer, pianist, and teacher. She has performed as a part of various jazz ensembles, classical chamber ensembles, and musical theatre productions. Katie is active in the local music community and is President of the Seattle Music Teachers Association. She holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz Piano Performance from Cornish College of the Arts.

Anna Edwards (WD Virtual Convention) April 18, 2021
Conductor ANNA EDWARDS’ musical career progression as a violinist, educator, and symphony conductor has inspired her mission to encourage and promote musical diversity at the highest level from professional, educational, and collaborative music organizations across the country. She is a passionate advocate of music from underrepresented composers on the concert stage. Currently, Edwards balances her time between conducting in the Pacific Northwest, serving as a guest conductor/clinician across the country, and developing young musicians through instruction and collaboration with professionals in concert settings. The 2021-22 season marks the ninth season for Edwards as Music Director of the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, seventh season as Music Director of the Saratoga Orchestra, and fourth season as Music Director of the Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute.

As a recognized leader for the promotion of musical diversity in symphonic orchestral music, Dave Beck, of Seattle Classical KING FM wrote, “The Seattle Collaborative Orchestra under Dr. Anna Edwards’ excellent musicianship, inspired vision, and creative leadership, is doing everything a modern orchestra should be doing to insure the future of the art of symphonic music. The spirit of collaboration among these professional, gifted amateur and excellent student musicians fosters innovation, diversity, and new possibilities in the life of the 21st century symphony orchestra. SCO is showing the way forward like no other orchestra in our region.”

Edwards continues to follow her commitment to program innovative music, which balances traditional classical music with music by women, people of color, and Northwest artists. Commissioned premieres include works by Victoria Bond, Tim Huling, Angelique Poteat, Sarah Bassingthwaighte, Leanna Primiani, Julian Garvue, Brendan McMullen, David Lien, and Andy Clausen. Anna additionally offers lectures concerning music, gender, and leadership to up-and-coming musicians and community leaders in public schools, community businesses, Colleges, and Universities.

Edwards’ dedication to quality musical performance started with her early career as a professional violinist, performing with prestigious ensembles such as the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Northwest Sinfonietta, Auburn Symphony, and multiple Seattle area chamber ensembles. As she has turned her career towards conducting, Edwards has attended numerous festivals and workshops, with mentors such as Ludovic Morlot, Michael Jinbo, Diane Wittry, Neil Thomson, and Gustav Meier. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Washington, and holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Masters in Violin Performance.

In 2013, 2014, and 2018, Edwards received 2nd place and then two – 1st place honors (respectively) for conducting in The American Prize, a national competition for conductors and musical ensembles. Seattle Collaborative Orchestra received two – 2nd place and then 1st place honors for The American Prize orchestra performance division. In SCO’s performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Orchestra, American Prize described Edwards’ conducting as “strong and committed” and “…always ‘in the moment,’ showing clarity of beat, intensity and focus.…the conductor’s face is alive to each musical gesture and the nuance.”

Emily Koh (SED Virtual Convention) March 20, 2021
Emily Koh (b.1986) is a Singaporean composer+ based in Atlanta, Georgia whose music reimagines everyday experiences by sonically expounding tiny oft-forgotten details, and explores binary states such as extremities/boundaries and activity/stagnation. She especially enjoys collaborating with creatives of other specializations.

Described as “the future of composing” (The Straits Times, Singapore), Emily is the recipient of awards such as the Copland House Residency Award, Young Artist Award (National Arts Council, Singapore), Yoshiro Irino Memorial Prize (Asian Composers League), ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, Prix D’Ete (Peabody), and the Macagnoni Prize for Innovative Research (University of Georgia). Her work is supported with commissions, grants and fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, National Arts Council (Singapore), Opera America, New Music USA, MacDowell, the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, American Composers’ Orchestra, Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy, the Paul Abisheganaden Grant for Artistic Excellence (National University of Singapore) and others. Described as “beautifully eerie” (New York Times), and “subtley spicy” (Baltimore Sun), Emily’s music has been performed around the world, and is published by Babel Scores (Europe) and Poco Piu Publishing (worldwide).

Emily is currently Associate Professor of Music Composition at the University of Georgia, USA.

Dr. Carolyn Barber (MWD Virtual Convention) March 20, 2021
Carolyn A. Barber is the Ron and Carol Cope Professor of Music and Director of Bands in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music. She earned a B.M. in horn performance at Northwestern University, an M.M. in horn performance from Yale University, and returned to Northwestern to earn her D.M. in conducting as a student of John P. Paynter and Victor Yampolsky.

Dr. Barber began her career as a lecturer and assistant to the dean of the Northwestern University School of Music. Her duties included teaching advanced conducting and directing the university’s 118-piece Concert Band. Prior to her appointment at UNL, Dr. Barber also served as the director of bands at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Apart from her conducting and teaching at UW-L, Dr. Barber also served for five years as the principal horn of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.

As director of bands at UNL, her teaching assignment is now a hybrid of traditional academic classes and performance-based courses. This combination provides a rich atmosphere for the cross-pollination of ideas, techniques, and creative problem solving. Dr. Barber’s chief area of research is conducting practice and pedagogy, with emphasis on group dynamics (flocking and influence), and the development of ensembleship through improvisation, artistic thinking, and a broad, multidisciplinary array of rehearsal techniques. She has demonstrated and elaborated upon her work at venues including the Midwest Clinic, conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, American String Teachers Association, and the National Association for Music Education, state music educators conventions, district training workshops, and masterclass/rehearsal clinics nationwide.

Dr. Barber has received numerous awards for musical and academic achievement, including the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Distinguished Teaching Award, a Hixson-Lied Professorship, multiple National Band Association Citations of Excellence, and a United States Navy Good Conduct Medal – an unusual distinction for someone who has never had the honor to serve in the military. Most recently she was named the 2019 Martha Daniel Newell Scholar at Georgia College where she spent a semester developing a course and engaging in research focusing on the creative process. Her writing has been published in the Journal of Band Research, and she is a regular contributor to the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band reference series. In addition to her scholarly activities, Dr. Barber maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor throughout the United States and Canada. She is a member of Phi Beta Mu Honorary Bandmasters Fraternity, state chair and a member of the College Band Directors.

Dr. Emily Freeman Brown (NED Virtual Convention) March 13, 2021
Emily Freeman Brown is Music Director and Conductor of the Bowling Green Philharmonia and Opera Theater at Bowling Green State University in Ohio where in 2016, she was made Professor of Creative Arts Excellence. Brown has led eight CDs on Albany Records with the Bowling Green Philharmonia. In 2018, the 100th Anniversary year of the BG Philharmonia, the orchestra performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Detroit’s Orchestra Hall. The BG Philharmonia has performed under her baton at the Ohio Music Educators Association in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Dr. Brown is the author of the book Dictionary for the Modern Conductor (Rowman & Littlefield).

The first woman to receive a doctorate in orchestral conducting at the Eastman School of Music, Ms. Brown has appeared as conductor with orchestras in the United States, Europe, Asia and South America including the Rochester Philharmonic, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse and Toledo Symphonies, the Dayton Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Eastman Virtuosi, Skaneateles Music Festival, Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Orchestra and Göttinger Symphonie Orchester (Germany), ​​the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony of Chile and the Bartók Ensemble, both in Santiago, the Sibiu State Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania), the Macedonia National Symphony Orchestra, the National Soloists Orchestra in Astana, and Conservatory Symphony Orchestra of Almaty (Kazakhstan), the American Festival of the Arts (Houston), Interlochen and Chautauqua summer music institutes and the all-state orchestras in Texas, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, Washington and Minnesota. Dr. Brown was in residence at the Boston University, School of Music conducting a performance of Hadyn’s Creation in Symphony Hall in 2018. In 2010 she was in residence at the University of North Texas, conducting the School’s Symphony Orchestra and leading classes in orchestral conducting. She taught a summer conducting course at the Free University of Berlin for nine years in addition to conducting master classes at the Conservatory of Music in Riga, Latvia, Santiago, Chile and many others. For the fall of 2021 Dr. Brown is teaching graduate conducting at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Ms. Brown has recorded for Naxos, Linn and Opus One Records, including eight disks on Albany Records with the Bowling Green Philharmonia under the title The Voice of the Composer; New Music from Bowling Green that have been widely heard and featured in an internationally syndicated radio program under the same name. In addition to her book Dr. Brown has published articles in the BACH journal and the Journal of the Conductors Guild. She served as President of the Conductors Guild and continues as a member of the advisory board.

Ms. Brown studied conducting and cello at the Royal College of Music in London, England where she was twice winner of the Sir Adrian Boult Conducting Prize. Her major teachers have included Leonard Slatkin, Herbert Blomstedt, Franco Ferrara, David Effron and James Dixon.

Natalie Steele (SWD Virtual Convention) March 27, 2021
Natalie Steele, Chief Executive Officer of Crossmen Productions, oversees the DCI finalist drum corps Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps, WGI finalist Crossmen Winds, and the most diverse program in the city, San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble. Ms. Steele and the Crossmen team pride themselves with actively working to build a strong culture of resiliency, respect and responsibility through all programs. As a former Crossmen alumna, Ms. Steele brings a unique and experienced perspective to the organization. Ms. Steele received her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Houston, her bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Colorado State University, and her master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is a proud brother of Kappa Kappa Psi, hailing from the Beta Sigma chapter at the University of Houston. Go Coogs! She has worked within the non-profit industry since 2006, serving in various leadership positions in youth development, marketing and membership with YMCAs in Texas and California. Consistent with her broad-based experience in the nonprofit industry, Steele currently focuses on development, communications and strategy at Crossmen Productions. Steele, born in California and raised in Austin, Texas, currently lives in San Antonio, Texas with her partner of 8 years, their dog Monte, and two cats, Lily and Bones. When she is not busy with the Crossmen, she is passionate for the arts, music, the Spurs and San Antonio culture and spends (probably too much) time outside with her furry little family.

Andrea Liguore (NCD Virtual Convention) May 10, 2021
Andrea Liguore is a solo practitioner who opened her firm to serve the needs of musicians and entertainers in the Northeast Ohio area. Her practice is focused on music, entertainment, and business law, and she is experienced in contract drafting, negotiation, business formation, and copyright registration. She believes all artists should have resources available to them to protect their works and their business to build a successful career.

Terri Lyne Carrington (National Convention) July 15, 2021
Multiple Grammy Award–winning drummer, producer, and educator Terri Lyne Carrington has recorded and toured with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, John Scofield, Diana Krall, Yellowjackets, Cassandra Wilson, and countless other jazz luminaries.

Carrington made history as the first woman to win a Grammy Award in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category for Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue, a reimagining of the Duke Ellington classic.

Her collaborations with Esperanza Spalding and Geri Allen, as well as her female-driven Mosaic Project recordings, have received critical acclaim. She is Zildjian Chair in Performance at Berklee College of Music and received an honorary doctorate from the college in 2003 as well as a bachelor’s degree in 1983. She also serves as artistic director for the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival and Berklee’s Summer Sessions: Women’s Performance Program, and is co-artistic director of the Carr Center in Detroit, Michigan.

MWD & NED Virtual Conventions – Audrey Hausing- Music Therapist

Audrey has been providing person centered, trauma-informed, holistic music therapy for two decades. She earned a Bachelor’s and a Master’s of music therapy at Temple University and is a board-certified music therapist. She facilitates music experiences within a therapeutic relationship to support children, adolescents, and adults as they explore their strengths, needs, and goals. Audrey has worked with people experiencing a variety of struggles with a focus on mental illness, substance use disorders, neurological impairments. She has been privileged to bear witness to their courage, strength, and hope as they work towards increased wellness and wholeness.  Audrey plays guitar, bass guitar, violin, piano, drums, and sings.

SED & NCD Virtual Conventions – Dr. Courtenay Harter

Associate Professor Courtenay Harter currently teaches music theory, oboe & English horn, and coaches chamber music at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. Most recently, Dr. Harter has been the point person in the development of an interdisciplinary major in Music & Psychology, and teaches courses in the curriculum, including “Psychology of Music.” Her previous teaching appointments include Georgia State University, Oberlin College′s Conservatory of Music, and the University of Connecticut.

Of her many research interests, Dr. Harter is particularly attracted to the pedagogy of music theory; her dissertation study, entitled “Phrase Structure in Prokofiev′s Piano Sonatas,” uses familiar terminology to describe formal procedures within the context of neoclassic characteristics. She continues to study the compositional procedures of Serge Prokofiev through manuscript studies and sketchbook analyses with the Prokofiev Archive in London, England. Her more recent research in pedagogy includes instrument-specific excerpts for theoretical studies and new empirical methodologies and pedagogies to complement the Music & Psychology major.

Dr. Harter has presented papers at national and regional meetings of the Society for Music Theory and the College Music Society, as well as international conferences of Music Since 1900 and the Music Analysis Conference. Her most recent presentations have been at the International College Music Society (Stockholm & Helsinki) and the Society of Music Perception and Cognition. Her more recent publications include “Bridging Common Practice and the Twentieth Century: Cadences in Prokofiev′s Piano Sonatas” (in the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy) and “Theory through Ferling and Excerpts: A Winning Combination” (in The Double Reed: Journal of the International Double Reed Society). Her current research projects include an anthology of instrument-specific excerpts for theoretical studies, as well as sketchbook studies with the Serge Prokofiev Archive in London, England, and empirical studies of music theory & musicianship pedagogical techniques.

Dr. Harter is a faculty consultant for the Advanced Placement Music Theory Exam and also published teaching materials and resources through the College Board (in the 2007 AP® Teacher′s Guide in Music Theory and in the “Teachers′ Resource Catalog,” on the AP® Central website). She has also been on the test development committee for the CLEP Humanities Exam. Dr. Harter is also the Assistant Editor for the Society of Music Theory newsletter, and serves as a board member for the Southern Chapter of the College Music Society.

Dr. Harter bridges the gap between the analysis and the performance of music for her students as an active performer: in addition to being a core member of the Jackson (TN) Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Harter regularly performs solo and chamber music recitals, maintains a private oboe studio, and pursues other freelance opportunities in the mid-south region. In February 2006, Dr. Harter performed the Eastern United States premiere of Night Song, with the composer, Craig Phillips, on organ.

Education
B.F.A., Carnegie Mellon University – Oboe Performance
M.M., Northwestern University – Music Theory and Oboe Performance
Ph.D., University of Connecticut – Music Theory and Music History

SED & NCD Virtual Conventions – Jennifer Ryder

Jennifer Ryder attended South Carolina State University, where she received a B. S. in Music Education: Instrumental. She was initiated into the Epsilon Chi Chapter at South Carolina State University (SCSU) in Spring 1999, and is a Life Member. During her time as an undergrad she served in several leadership roles including band club treasurer and assistant treasurer for the chapter. She was a clarinetist and a member of the Marching 101 and SCSU Symphonic Band.
She has a Masters of Education in Education Leadership from The Citadel and an Educational Specialist from Walden University. Upon graduation, she was a band director in Charleston County School District and Clarendon 2 School District in South Carolina. Jennifer currently is a Middle School Band Director for Clayton County Public Schools in the Atlanta, GA Metro Area with over eighteen years’ experience.
Jennifer is also an active-charter member of TBSAA. She is a member of the Atlanta Alumni Association of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma (AAA), where she is the current corresponding secretary and past treasurer. She has served on AAA’s Undergraduate, Fundraiser, & Golden Baton Scholarship Initiative Committees. Jennifer is also a member of the National Association for Music Education, Sigma Alpha Iota Fraternity, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Jennifer enjoys spending time traveling, attending live concerts, and spending time with her husband Larry, who is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, their son Jai, and her extended family and friends.

SED & NCD Virtual Conventions – Beth Bronk

Professor Beth Bronk is in her fourteenth year as Director of Bands at Texas Lutheran University, where she teaches conducting, instrumental music education courses, and directs the TLU Bands. She earned her Bachelor of Music, Performance Certificate, and teaching certification at the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from the University of North Texas, and is writing her doctoral dissertation on “Band Director Expertise in Intonation Instruction” to complete her studies at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Before joining the faculty at Texas Lutheran University, she completed eighteen years of public school teaching and administration, fifteen of those in New Braunfels ISD, where serving as the director of the Mighty Unicorn Band was her pride and joy. Her service to the profession includes twelve years as President for Region 12 of the Texas Music Educators Association, four years as the Vice-President for Professional Relations on the National Council of Tau Beta Sigma, where she coordinated the National Intercollegiate Band, and Youth Day Coordinator for the 2018 International Trumpet Guild Conference. Her in-service presentations focus on continuing professional growth and education for band directors at all levels of experience, especially in the areas of pedagogy, ensemble development, and intonation instruction, with a focus on pre-service teachers.
In the 14 years she has been at TLU, she has conducted the TLU bands in more than 250 performances, presented more than 60 times at state, national, and international conferences, given more than 125 band clinics, and adjudicated more than 130 performances. In 2015, Prof. Bronk was awarded TLU’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Service and Leadership. In 2018, she was awarded the Baenziger Professorship in Music. In 2019, she was awarded the Harold D. Bier Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2020, she was nominated by her university for the Minnie Stevens Piper Award for Teaching Excellence. She will serve as vice-chair of the faculty association in 20-21, and chair in 21-22. Ms. Bronk is an active clinician, adjudicator, and performer, and is honored to be with you today.

Christine Sirard (NED): March 15, 2019

Christine Sirard has been the Assistant Director of the UMass Marching Band, serving as Color Guard Director and Visual Coordinator, since 2015. She previously worked as Color Guard Instructor for the UMMB from 1990-1995.

As a UMass student, Chris joined the UMMB in 1988, was color guard captain in 1989, and graduated in 1990 with a degree in Communications.

Chris taught the Color Guard at the University of South Carolina where she earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education, with a concentration in Early Childhood Music Development. She has taught early childhood music in California and Minnesota, and elementary general music classes in Virginia and Massachusetts. She moved back to Amherst in 2013 and happily resumed working with the UMass Guard. She lives in Amherst with her family, and teaches early childhood music classes in the area.

Dr. Stacey DiPaolo (SWD): March 30, 2019 

Stacey DiPaolo is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and joined the faculty in 2010. In addition, she is Principal Clarinet of the Lawton Philharmonic (OK), has regularly performed with the Tulsa Symphony, and maintains an active performance schedule as a soloist and chamber musician. Stacey DiPaolo held the position of Principal Clarinet of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic during the 2009-2010 season and previously served on the faculties of Penn State University-Berks campus and Oklahoma City University. As a professional freelance musician in the New York area from 1999-2009, she played concert stages ranging from Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Metropolitan Opera House, New York’s City Center, the New York State Theater, to Broadway.

Her orchestral performances include productions such as Garrison Keillor’s radio show A Prairie Home Companion, and Casey at the Bat, a production of Robert Kapilow’s famed “What Makes it Great?” series. Her Broadway performances include The Sound of Music, and Baz Luhrmann’s production of La Boheme. Her many collaborations include performances under the batons of acclaimed conductors Gerard Schwarz, Skitch Henderson, Robert Shaw, and Constantine Kitsopoulos, and renowned wind band conductors Donald Hunsberger, H. Robert Reynolds, Harry Begian, and Frederick Fennell.

Dr. DiPaolo has frequently been featured as soloist and chamber musician, and appears as guest recitalist and master class clinician at festivals, conferences, and universities across the country. In her chamber music performances, she has collaborated with such artists as Gilbert Kalish, Stephen Taylor, William Purvis, and members of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and Oklahoma City Philharmonic. She also organizes Chamber Music Weatherford, a chamber music concert series that features the faculty of Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

DiPaolo has spent summers at the Chautauqua Institution, Heidelberg Schlossfestspiele (Germany), and toured Japan twice with the Eastman Wind Ensemble. An enthusiastic and devoted teacher, Dr. DiPaolo is a faculty member of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan, in addition to her university studio.

Stacey DiPaolo holds a doctorate degree from SUNY Stony Brook, and received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music, including the esteemed Performer’s Certificate. Additionally, she is a graduate-with-distinction of the Interlochen Arts Academy. Her primary mentors include Jon Manasse, Dan Gilbert, and Deborah Chodacki.

Genevieve Geisler (NCD): March 30, 2019

Genevieve Geisler is Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps, where she has been a driving force in the growth of the Bluecoats organization over the past thirteen years. She is a founding member and current chair of Drum Corps International’s IN STEP: Women in DCI program committee. Geisler holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Michigan and lives in Canton, Ohio with her husband and two children.

Amanda Miller Sutfin (MWD): April 6, 2019

Mrs. Sutfin is currently a band director in Colorado Springs District 11, teaching band in grades 4 through 8. She is also a woodwind technician for the William J. Palmer Terrors Marching Band. Previously she taught in the Pocahontas School District in Pocahontas, Arkansas, where she was the assistant band director. Amanda currently plays clarinet with the Little London Winds (Colorado Springs, Colorado). Amanda is a native of Arkansas where she graduated from Corning High School. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Arkansas State University and is currently working on her Masters in Education from Liberty University. As an undergraduate, she was a member of Theta Theta (Henderson State University) and Gamma Xi (Arkansas State University) chapters of Tau Beta Sigma and served as chapter historian, vice-president, and president.

Melanie Britton (WD): April 6, 2019

Melanie Britton has spent the last 28 years doing what she loves…teaching youth to love music! A graduate of Arizona State University, her career began in 1992 in the Florence Unified School District teaching elementary, junior high and high school band and choir. After 4 years building those programs to Superior levels, she was recruited to take over the music program at Washington High School and spent 6 years teaching Superior with Distinction marching bands, concert bands and jazz bands. In 2002, Ms. Britton was hired as the inaugural Director of Bands and Choirs at Sandra Day O’Connor High School. Her 16 years at O’Connor High School brought many rewards of international recognition and yearly awards of Superior with Distinction for her marching bands, concert bands, jazz bands and choirs. She is recognized for her innovative marching band show designs, and is the first female band director to have led her band to winning the ABODA Divison I State Marching Band Championships in 2014.

Melanie has served in many leadership roles over the years, including the Arizona Band &Orchestra Directors Association Vice President in charge of Jazz Activities, North Central Region Band Chair and the Arizona Representative for Women Band Directors International. She was awarded the ABODA O.M. Hartsell “Excellence in Teaching Music” Award, AMEA “Program of Distinction” Award, School Band & Orchestra Magazine’s “Top 50 Directors Who Make a Difference in America”, and the Deer Valley Unified School District “Teacher of the Year”.

Diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease and sound-induced Vestibular Migraines, Melanie has been an advocate for hearing protection in the music education industry. To spread awareness of dangerous decibels in the classroom and waning funding for the Fine Arts, she adopted music advocacy and hearing protection as her platform competing in pageants, winning the titles of Mrs. Arizona, Ms. North American and Ms. World International. She is a Spokesperson for Etymotic Research and has done presentations around the country raising awareness of the dangers of unprotected ears as musicians and the importance of educating youth to protect their hearing. In 2018, Melanie retired as a full time music educator due to the damage caused from years of unprotected ears and has made it her goal to educate others how to prevent this so they can “Hear for a Lifetime”.

Kirsten Lies-Warfield (SED): April 13, 2019

Kirsten Lies-Warfield hails from Fargo, North Dakota. She did her undergraduate work at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She holds a Master of Music degree in trombone performance from Indiana University where she was a student of M. Dee Stewart. Subsequent doctoral studies in brass pedagogy at IU were suspended when she was offered a position in the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” She joined the group in April, 1999, becoming the first woman trombonist in the unit’s history. Ms. Warfield has also been principal trombone of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Prince George’s Philharmonic and is currently second trombone with the Arlington Philharmonic. She is a regular member of the contemporary music group, Great Noise Ensemble, and the ethno-funk band, Black Masala. She has played with the Monarch Brass, Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Chopteeth Afrofunk, Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes, McLean Orchestra and Pan-American Symphony Orchestra. She is an educator, teaching low brass students at Episcopal High School and through Full Blown Trombone, LLC. Ms. Warfield also is an active composer performer, writing works to suit her needs and tastes to perform for local and national audiences. Ms. Warfield is currently serving on the board of advisors for the International Trombone Association and is an assistant advisor for the IWBC solo competitions.

Jocelyn Hagen (National Convention)

Jocelyn Hagen composes music that has been described as “simply magical” (Fanfare Magazine) and “dramatic and deeply moving” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis/St. Paul). Her first forays into composition were via songwriting, and this is very evident in her work. The majority of her compositional output is for the voice: solo, chamber and choral. Her dance opera collaboration with choreographer Penelope Freeh, titled Test Pilot, received the 2017 American Prize in the musical theater/opera division as well as a Sage Award for “Outstanding Design.” The panel declared the work “a tour de force of originality.” Her melodic music is rhythmically driven, texturally complex, and has recently become more experimental in nature. In 2013 she released an EP entitled MASHUP, in which she performs Debussy’s “Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum” while singing Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team.” Jocelyn is also one half of the band Nation, an a cappella duo with composer/performer Timothy C. Takach, and together they perform and clinic choirs from all over the world.

Her commissions include Conspirare, The Minnesota Orchestra, the American Choral Directors Associations of Minnesota, Georgia, Connecticut and Texas, the North Dakota Music Teacher’s Association, Cantus, the Boston Brass, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and The Houston Chamber Choir, among many others. She is currently an artist-in-residence at North Dakota State University and regularly composes for their ensembles. For ten years she was a composer-in-residence for the professional choir she also sang in: The Singers, under the direction of Matthew Culloton. Her music has been performed all over the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City. Her work is independently published through JH Music, as well as Graphite Publishing, G. Schirmer, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Fred Bock Music Publishing, and Boosey and Hawkes.

Dr. Annie Stevens (NED): ​ Friday, March 9, 2018

Dr. Annie is the Assistant Professor of Percussion in the School of Performing Arts at Virginia Tech University. She is an educator, as well as a dynamic performer as half of a professional performance act called Escape Ten Percussion Duo, in which they were recently show cased at the 2016 Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). Learn more about her from her professional website and watch some of her performance videos with Escape Ten: Dr. Annie Stevens.

Catherine Coonis (MWD):  Friday, April 6, 2018

Cathy Coonis is a music educator located in Springfield, Missouri. She is the band director at a local private school called New Covenant Academy and has over 35 years of experience as a musician and educator. She plays saxophone, but is also a singer in a couple of different groups. She was strongly recommended by one of her former band students, Shalyn Guthery, who as we know is one of our newly appointed TBS CVAs. Here is a link to her bio to learn more about her: Cathy Coonis.

Dr. Polly Middleton (NCD): Saturday, April 7, 2018

Dr. Polly Middleton is an Assistant Director of Bands at Illinois State University. She is the Director of the “Big Red Marching Machine” there at ISU, but she’s been making moves and her mark on various band programs at a rapid rate. Previously, she was the athletics band director at Arkansas State University and before that, on the band staff at Virginia Tech University. She was the Women In Music Speaker for the Zeta Alpha Chapter this fall for the Focus On Five Campaign and came with a recommendation from NCD Counselor, Carrie Webster who attended that event. Here is an article about her move to Illinois State University: Dr. Polly Middleton.

Lisa Butts (WD): Sunday, April 8, 2018

Lisa Butts recently retired from Hanford West High School with over 30 years of experience as a band director. She has been heavily involved with leadership in the California Band Directors Association (CBDA) and the California Alliance for Jazz (CAJ). She was the top recommendation from one of her colleagues, Kimbi Sigle, the 32 National President of TBS and a recently appointed member of the Tau Beta Sigma Board of Trustees. According to Kimbi, she is an amazing trumpet player, who also conducted the Sequoia Winds at the College of the Sequoias.

Anne Hendrickson (WD): Sunday, April 8, 2018

Anne Hendrickson is the band director at Manchester GATE Elementary School. Prior to Manchester, Anne was the concert and jazz band, guitar, and piano teacher at Central Middle School in Riverside for 21 years. She was awarded Central Middle School, Riverside Unified School District and Riverside County music educator of the year in 2000. Anne earned her degree in music education in 1984 from Fresno State. Her major instrument was the clarinet, but she also doubled as a saxophonist as a member of the Jazz Band “A” under the direction of Dr. Lawrence Sutherland. In addition to being a music educator, Ms. Hendrickson has had a career as a performing musician. She lived and performed on board several cruise ships as a woodwind performer, backing up entertainers such as Rita Moreno, Phyllis Diller, Jerry Lewis, Jack Jones, Michel LeGrand, Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Stan Getz, and Zoot Sims. She also lived and worked in New York City for several years where she performed in jazz bands, Broadway pit orchestras and on national Broadway show tours.

Tonya Mitchell (SED):  Friday, April 13, 2018

Tonya Mitchell is the Assistant Director of Bands and Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at the University of South Carolina where she assists with the Carolina Band, directs the women’s basketball band, and conducts the University Bands. Professor Mitchell is an alumni brother of Kappa Kappa Psi from Indiana University (Alpha Zeta Chapter) and was previously at Valdosta State University, where she serves as the chapter sponsor for the Zeta Tau Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma. She is extremely excited about the chance to speak to our students and after that convention, she will take flight to Kansas to defend her research and become Dr. Tonya Mitchell. Here is her bio from the University of South Carolina: Tonya Mitchell.

Dr. Constance Kelley (SWD): Saturday, April 14, 2018

Dr. Constance Kelley is an Associate Professor of Music at Angelo State University where her duties include teaching Applied Flute, Music Theory, Aural Skills, Elementary Music Methods and she directs the Flute Choir. She also serves as the sponsor for the Delta Tau Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma. I had the chance to hear her speak to a group of SWD students back in 2015 during my time as the Southwest District Counselor and really enjoyed how she engaged the students. She is very excited about this opportunity to speak to our students and seemed very honored to be asked. She’s spunky! Here is her Angelo State bio: Dr. Constance Kelley.

Northeast District Convention Heidi Sarver

Heidi I. Sarver is a Professor of Music and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Delaware. She was appointed to the faculty of the Department of Music in 1995. Professor Sarver is Director of the 300+ member Fightin’ Blue Hen Marching Band, co-conductor of the Symphonic Band and instructor of the Marching Band Techniques course She is also the supervisor for student teachers pursuing an undergraduate degree in music education. Professor Sarver attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where she received a Bachelors Degree in Music Education and a Master of Music Degree in Trumpet Performance. Her teachers include George N. Parks, Walter M. Chesnut, Malcolm W. Rowell and Seymour Rosenfeld.

Active as a national and international adjudicator, clinician and guest conductor, Professor Sarver is best known for her work with the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy. Her contributions to DMA have spanned over 30 years and include that of eduactional director and lead clinician. In the past she has also served as an adjudicator and production assistant for the Sugar and Orange Bowls through Heritage Festivals and Bowl Games of America. In 2005 Ms. Sarver was the Assistant Director for the Bands of America Honor Band’s inaugural performance in the Tournament of Roses Parade and again in their second appearence in 2009.

She is an avid show designer and has written for many high schools in New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Arizona, as well as being the former primary show designer for the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band, recipient of the Louis C. Sudler Trophy in 1998. Her show designs are also available for purchase through Marching Show Concepts.

In the past Professor Sarver has performed with the Reading Buccaneers Senior Drum and Bugle Corps as a soprano soloist, music instructor and drum major. Prior to her appointment at the University of Delaware, she was a high school band director in New York, and the Assistant Director of Bands at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a member of DMEA, MENC, CBDNA, and the National Band Association.

Southwest District Convention Dr. ChihChen Sophia Lee

Dr. ChihChen Sophia Lee, Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC), is the Director of Music Therapy at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, Oklahoma. Part of her duties have included teaching music therapy core courses, applied piano lessons, and Class Piano (III & IV beginning F14, and V beginning F16) and Introduction to Music Technology, supervising student music therapists’ clinical experiences, as well as providing music therapy services via the SWOSU Music Therapy Clinic.

Professionally active at the local, regional, national, and international levels, Dr. Lee has published, co-authored, and presented numerous papers as well as the Continuing Education for Music Therapists (CMTE) courses in peer-reviewed professional journals, books and other professional publications, and conferences in music therapy and expressive arts therapy.  She has also been invited to provide professional consultations, workshops and in-service presentations for healthcare professionals and educators regionally and internationally, including serving on the Standards of Clinical Practice Committee and Academic Program Approval Committee of American Music Therapy Association (Southwestern Region Representative), as the keynote clinical trainer for projects sponsored by the United Nation International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and as visiting professor at international institutions such as the University of Taipei (formerly known Taipei Municipal University of Education), National Sun Yat Sun University of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Central Conservatory of Music of Beijing, China. Currently, Dr. Lee is the Immediate Past President of the Southwestern Region of the American Music Therapy Association.

A graduate of University of Minnesota (Ph.D., M.A.) and Ohio University (B.M.), Dr. Lee’s research interests evolve from Music Therapy Distance Education, human psychophysiological reactions and processes to music stimuli, international/multiculturalism in music therapy, and ethnomusicology.  She also studied piano primarily with Alexander Braginsky, Richard Syracuse, Ming-Hsin Hsu, and Fu-Mei Liu.  Clinically , Dr. Lee has worked at the long-term care facilities, hospice care services, Intermediate Care Facilities for adult with intellectual disabilities, midway houses/shelters for women, adolescents, and children experiencing domestic violence and substance abuse, educational institutions serving children/adolescents receiving early intervention, special education, and Alternative Education.

Western District Convention Lisa Chaufty

The Librarian

As a child, Lisa spent many happy hours in the public library in the rural town of Glocester, Rhode Island, dreaming of becoming a librarian when she grew up. She landed her first library position fifteen years ago at the J. Willard Marriott Library on the University of Utah campus. Lisa quickly moved up through various library departments, receiving an excellent foundation in what it takes to make an academic library great. In her last years at the Marriott Library, she lead and managed the University of Utah’s institutional repository, USpace. Lisa joined the School of Music in June 2013 as the new Director of the McKay Music Library. She brings her interests and expertise in music, music history, early music, music libraries, academic libraries, digital libraries, digital preservation, metadata, data curation, languages, and the arts to her current position of leadership.

The Musician

Lisa began her musical studies as a flutist in Rhode Island and discovered early music and the recorder while an undergraduate at Wellesley College. Her training in Medieval/Renaissance Studies and Musicology inform her work as a performer and teacher of early music. Lisa has been praised for her “remarkably vibrant” playing, performing as a soloist and with groups such as the Choir of the Cathedral of the Madeleine and Utopia Early Music. She has also played in and co-organized several Sundays@7 Baroque concerts since 2009. Lisa plays primarily early music; however, she has traveled into the realm of new music, premiering Miguel Chuaqui’s Arioso for Recorder and LiveElectronics in 2012, and performing it at several festivals; most recently in June 2014 at the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival. In the past few years, Lisa has returned to her first instrument (in its ancestral form), and performs on the traverso as well as the recorder. Lisa is the co-director of heArt Music, an early music group that performs several concerts a season for underserved populations.

Lisa has performed with and helped to guide the Early Music Ensemble since 2004 and is looking forward to leading it into the future.

Southeast District Convention Beth Cummings

Beth Cummings is a graduate of USF, certified in Music K-12, holds a masters degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Her current position is the Director of Fine Arts for Polk County Public Schools and she is also the Immediate Past-President of the Florida Music Educator’s Association. She served as project administrator for the RTTT Performing Fine Arts Assessment Project, was co-chair for the state music writing team for the NGSSS and on the state course description writing team.

Midwest District Convention Dr. Natalie Royston

Natalie Royston is the Music Education Coordinator at Iowa State University. She teaches courses in Music Education and coordinates practicum placements and student teachers. Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Royston served for three years with the Iowa State University bands, most recently as Associate Director of Bands, Director of the Cyclone Marching Band (ISUCF’V’MB), director of the women’s basketball Pep Band, and conductor of the Concert Band. Previously, she served for six years as Associate Director of Bands at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas and taught in the public schools of Ohio for six years where her ensembles received consistent superior ratings at district and state events.

Dr. Royston received a Bachelor of Music Education degree and Master of Music degrees in Trombone Performance and Wind Conducting from Ohio University and a PhD in Music Education from the University of North Texas. Her biography is published in several recent editions of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. She has held memberships in Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Lambda, Tau Beta Sigma, Mu Phi Epsilon, Music Educators National Conference, the College Band Directors National Association, and the Iowa, Ohio, and Texas Music Educators’ Association.

Dr. Royston is an active clinician and researcher. She has presented at conferences and research symposiums across the country and is published in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, The Southwestern Musician, and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education.

North Central District Convention Erin K. Spring

Ms. Spring has been a practicing, board-certified music therapist in central Ohio since 2007.  Erin holds a bachelor and master degree’s in music therapy from Ohio University where she studied under Ms. Anita Louise Steele and Mrs. Kamile Geist.  Ms. Spring interned as a music therapist at Cleveland Music School Settlement and in the Cleveland Clinic Palliative Medicine Unit and is currently the owner of Central Ohio Music Therapy, LLC in Circleville, Ohio.  In fall 2012, Erin began work as an adjunct professor of music therapy at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Erin is a neurologically trained music therapist serving a variety of populations including the terminally ill, individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, geriatric adults, patients receiving obstetric and general hospital care and children experiencing grief. Her thesis research focused on collaboration, exploring the collaborative terminology and the teaching models used to train upcoming professionals in collaborative work. She also directs the music therapy program, supervises practicum students and provides individual and group music therapy sessions to children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities at the Ohio University Music Therapy Clinic in Athens. Ms. Spring is a member of the American Music Therapy Association and the Association of Ohio Music Therapists, and is director of music therapy for Music of the Heart, a non-profit organization supporting music education, performance and therapy.Erin studied voice with Dr. Patricia Pease, Mrs. Stephanie Mouat and Mrs. Lorna Frank and performs around her community as a soloist and with various ensembles.  Erin is also the director of the Circleville Presbyterian Handbell Choir and the Roundtown Ringers Community Handbell Choir. She is also an Ohio Music Education Association marching band adjudicator in the field commander caption.  Erin enjoys advocating for music therapy through regular presentations to local organizations, agencies and businesses.

Erin has the honor of serving on the Ohio Department of Aging – Music & Memory Committee.  Recently, Ms. Spring presented at the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.  Among her other presentations, Erin was a panelist with Dan Cohen, MSW, on the effects of music on memory and discussing the film Alive Inside.  Erin is also on the board of directors for Music of the Heart and the Berger Hospital – Circle of Caring

When she’s not leading music therapy sessions, you will often find her volunteering with her therapy dogs Oscar & Rosie, providing pet therapy services to patients, students and anyone else who’s quality of life is improved when there’s a dog around.

Northeast District Convention Beth Bronk 

Prof. Bronk serves as TLU Director of Bands. She teaches conducting, instrumental music education classes, and conducts the TLU Bands. Ms. Bronk earned the University of Texas Performance Certificate and studied trumpet with Ray Crisara. While at the University of North Texas, she was a trumpet Teaching Fellow and studied conducting with Anshel Brusilov. Ms. Bronk taught instrumental music in Texas public schools for 18 years and most recently held the position of Director of Bands and music administrator for New Braunfels I.S.D. She currently serves as president of the Texas music educators Association Region 12. Ms. Bronk is an active clinician, adjudicator, and performer.

North Central District Convention Dr. Andrea Brown 

Dr. Andrea E. Brown is a member of the conducting faculty at the University of Michigan serving as the assistant director of bands. In this position, she is the conductor of the Campus Bands and director of the Campus Band Chamber Ensembles, associate director of the Michigan Marching and Athletic Bands, director of the Men’s Basketball Band, guest conductor with the Symphony Band and Concert Band, teaches conducting, and a faculty sponsor of a College of Engineering Multidisciplinary Design Project team researching conducting pedagogy technology in support of which she was awarded a 2015 Transforming Learning for Third Century Quick Wins/Discovery grant. Previously Brown was the director of orchestra and assistant director of bands at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta where she also lead research in conducting pedagogy technology and was a member of the Oxford Program faculty. She is a frequent guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in the US, Europe, and Asia.Brown completed a DMA in instrumental conducting at UNC Greensboro where she was a student of John Locke and Kevin Geraldi. She was named 2010 Outstanding Teaching Assistant at UNCG and was both guest conductor and principal horn on UNCG Wind Ensemble’s fireworks! and finish line! CDs released on the Equilibrium label. Brown has also had six rehearsal guides published in the popular GIA Publications series, “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” and has a presented at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the Yamaha Bläserklasse in Schlitz, Germany, the International Computer Music Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the College Band Directors National Association National Conference. She currently is the Assistant Brass Caption Head of the Drum Corps International World Champion Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps of Rockford, Illinois, where she has been on the brass and conducting instructional staff since 2004. Brown has also been a member of the instructional staff for the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band. She has been the recipient of a CBDNA grant for summer conducting, the Sigma Alpha Iota Conducting Scholarship and Doctoral Study Grant, as well as the Chi Omega Graduate Education Grant.While at UNCG, Brown was a member of the AA Brass Quintet, which won the 2001 International Brass Quintet Competition hosted by Fred Mills at the University of Georgia.  As principal horn with the UNCG Wind Ensemble during her doctoral and master studies, she performed at both the 2009 National CBDNA Conference and at the 2000 Southern Division CBDNA Conference. She performed as a guest artist at the 2010 Focus on Piano Literature at UNCG as well as with the horn sections of the Boston Brass All Stars Big Band, North Carolina Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. Brown has studied brass performance and pedagogy with Abigail Pack, J.D. Shaw, Jack Masarie, Freddy Martin, Dottie Bennett, Randy Kohlenberg, Richard Steffen, and Ed Bach.Originally from Milan, Tennessee, she is a graduate of Austin Peay State University where she was named “Outstanding Student in Music.” Brown earned a master of music degree in horn performance and a master of music education degree with a cognate in instrumental conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to her position at Georgia Tech, Brown was the assistant director of bands at Austin Peay State University and taught public school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Dallas, Texas. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Lambda, NAfME, and CBDNA. She was awarded the Rose of Honor as a member of Sigma Alpha Iota Women’s Music Fraternity and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.

Western District Convention Dr. Carlene Brown

Dr. Carlene J. Brown has been a musician, music educator, music therapist, and arts manager for over 25 years. Her early training began in Boston, Massachusetts, where she studied music, taught in the Boston Public School system, earned her certification in music therapy, and worked several summers at Tanglewood, for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Brown earned a master’s degree and doctorate in Systematic Musicology, with a focus on the Psychology of Music, from the University of Washington.Dr. Brown is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Music Department at Seattle Pacific University. She is a Board Certified Music Therapist and director of the SPU Music Therapy Program, the first music therapy program in the state of Washington.Her clinical and research interests are in the use of music for the management of pain. In addition to teaching core courses in music therapy, such as Introduction to Music Therapy, the Psychology of Music, and Music and Medicine, Dr. Brown teaches the first-year curriculum of music theory. She has been honored and recognized twice by the University for her teaching. She is an organist for St. Brendan’s Parish in Bothell, Washington.

Southeast District Convention Jamie M Honea Howell

Jamie M Honea Howell, a native of Albany, Louisiana, received her Bachelor’s of Music Education and Master’s of  Science in Education Degrees from Troy University, Troy, Alabama.  Mrs. Howell is in her 21st year as a Music Educator in Alabama and is finishing her first year as Band Director at Carver Magnet School in Dothan, Alabama.  At Carver her Concert Band recently received Superior Ratings at State Music Performance Assessment; the first time in 4 years.  Prior to Carver, Mrs. Howell spent 13 years at Excel High School in Excel, Alabama where her Bands consistently received Superior Ratings in both Marching, Jazz and Concert Bands.  Under Mrs. Howell’s direction the Excel Band marched in two Governor Inaugural parades and numerous students participated in District and All State Bands.Mrs Howell is a member of the Alabama BandMasters Board of Directors currently serving as Vice Chairman of District VIII.  She is President of the Troy University Band Alumni; the largest Alumni Chapter of Troy University.  Mrs Howell is a member of the Southeast Alabama Community Band serving in her 14th year as Principal Flutist.  She is a member of Tau Beta Sigma, Sigma Alpha Iota, Omicron Delta Kappa, Delta Kappa Gamma, Women Band Directors International, AMEA and NAfME.  Mrs. Howell resides in Dothan, Alabama with her husband Jason and her 14 year old son Hunter who plays Alto Sax in the Carver Magnet Band.Midwest District Convention Jaqueline Mattingly  Dr. Jacqueline Mattingly currently serves as a Lecturer of Music at UNL where her duties include teaching Arts: 1945 – Present. Prior to arriving at UNL, Mattingly served as Director of Instrumental Activities at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where she directed the String Ensemble, Concert Band and Pep Band, and taught applied horn . Previous teaching positions also include Lecturer of Music at Western Carolina University and Assistant Professor of Music at Dickinson State University.
Mattingly earned a Doctorate of Music in Horn Performance from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Master of Music in Horn from the University of Calgary, and Bachelor of Music from Brandon University in Canada. She has also studied horn at the Banff Centre of the Fine Arts. Mattingly has served as a horn instructor at the International Music Camp in North Dakota, has taught at UNC Greensboro’s Summer Music Camp, and has given master classes throughout the US and Canada. Her performance venues range from playing professionally with numerous orchestras, chamber ensembles and solo performances. She currently serves as the Nebraska Representative to the International Horn Society.

Southwest District Convention Dr. Debbie Rohwer 

Debbie Rohwer serves as Professor and Chair of the Division of Music Education. She received her Bachelors degree at Northwestern University, her Master’s degree at the Eastman School of Music, and her Ph.D. degree at the Ohio State University. Dr. Rohwer teaches the research and statistics courses, and pedagogy courses at the graduate level. In 1998, Dr. Rohwer founded the Denton New Horizons Senior Adult Beginning Band. She currently serves as conductor, administrator, and arranger for the band. In her research, Dr. Rohwer has concentrated on skill learning of musicians at various experience levels. She has been published in numerous research journals, and serves on state and international research review boards.  Currently, Dr. Rohwer serves as the lead editor for Update: Applications of Research in Music Education and she assists as an Academic Affairs Fellow in the Office for Faculty Success at UNT. In 2016, Dr. Rohwer participated in the Women in Education Leadership program at Harvard University, and she also helps facilitate the Women’s Faculty Network at UNT.

Northeast District Convention Jessica Craft, Executive Director (Rock to the Future)
North Central District Convention Margi Peterson, Composer
Western District Convention Anne McGinty
Southeast District Convention Connie Frigo
Midwest District Convention Dr. Julia Gaines
Southwest District Convention Janet Knighton

Northeast District Convention, Storrs, CT Dr. Barbara Hopkins
North Central District Convention, Dayton, OH Dr. Heather MacLachlan
Western District Convention, Los Angeles, CA Dr. Carolyn Bremer
Southeast District Convention, Atlanta, GA Deborah Bradley
Midwest District Convention, Columbia, MO Dr. Julia Gaines

Northeast District Convention, Amherst, MA Nikki Stoia
North Central District Convention, Lexington, KY Lori Gooding
Western District Convention, Boise, ID Christi Green
Southeast District Convention, Tallahassee, FL Katarzyna Bugaj, Assistant Professor of String Music Education at Florida State University
Southwest District Convention, Huntsville, TX Beth Bronk, Director of Bands at Texas Lutheran University
Midwest District Convention, Lawrence, KS Jana Fallin
National Convention, Springfield, MA Amy Mills

Northeast District Convention Katherine Rodeffer, Instrumental Music Supervisor, Prince George’s County Public Schools
North Central District Convention Dr. Sarah Smith Waters, Professor of Applied Percussion, Steel Drum Band, Percussion Ensemble, Aural Skills, African Music, American Music and Music History at Ohio Northern University
Western District Convention Judith Cloud, National Composer
Southeast District Convention Robyn Wilkes, Director of Instrumental Studies at the State College of Florida in Bradenton
Southwest District Convention Dr. Jaemi Blair Loeb, Founder, Houston Heights Orchestra, Music Director of HaZamir Houston and Choir Director at Congregation B’rith Shalom
Midwest District Convention Ingrid Stölzel, Internationally Renowned Professional Composer

Northeast District Convention Dr. Christine Ennis Carillo, Music Theory and Trumpet Professor, James Madison University
North Central District Convention Dr. Pamela Nave, Purdue University Associate Professor of Bands
Western District Convention Marcia Stevens, Director of Bands at the Cascade School District, Turner, OR
Southeast District Convention Zandra Bell-McRoy, Doctoral Candidate in Music Education at the University of Georgia
Southwest District Convention Dr. Debra Traficante, Assistant Director of Bands, University of Oklahoma
Midwest District Convention Tin-Shi Tam, Hong Kong, Cownie Professor of Music (University Carillonneur) and Chair of the Keyboard Division

Northeast District Convention, Bangor, ME Dr. Laura Artesani, Assistant Professor in the School of Performing Arts at the University of Maine
North Central District Convention, Deerborn, MI Dr. Kate Fitzpatrick, Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Michigan
Western District Convention,Tucson, AZ Dr. Elizabeth Schauer, Associate Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Arizona
Southeast District Convention, Gainesville, FL Dr. Leslie Odom, Associate Professor of Oboe and Music Theory at the University of Florida
Southwest District Convention,Waco, TX Dr. Jean Boyd, Department Chair of the Baylor University School of Music
Midwest District Convention, Boulder, CO Heidi Brende Leathwood, certified teaching member of the American Society for the Alexander Technique

National Convention, Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix, AZ Jill Sullivan, Professor of Music at Arizona State Jennifer Judkins, Associate Director of Bands at UCLA Wendy Rees, MTV Music Award Winner Anne McGinty, Composer and Arranger Anne Parker, Music Therapist
Southeast District Convention, Columbia, SC Dr. Rebecca Phillips, Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina
Northeast District Convention, Amherst, MA Dr. Laura Rexroth, Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Southwest District Convention, Baton Rouge, LA Professor Jeannie Little, Professor of Trombone at Louisiana State University
Western District Convention, San Luis Obispo, CA Dr. Alyson McLamore, Music History Professor at California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo
Midwest District Convention, Manhattan, KS Dr. Jacqueline Fassler-Kersetter, Professor of French horn and Music Theory at Kansas State University
North Central District Convention Julie Giroux, Composer

Southeast District Convention, Tallahassee, FL Jayne Standley, Professor of Music Education and Music Therapy at Florida State University
Northeast District Convention, Blacksburg, VA Dr. Esti Steinberg, Professor of Musicology, history, and theory at Virginia Tech University
Southwest District Convention, Nacogdoches, TX Suzanne Ray, Assistant Band Director for the Nacogdoches Independent School District
Western District Convention, Boise, ID Ellen Burnell, Music Therapist, Boise, ID
Midwest District Convention, Cedar Falls, IA Dr. Rebecca Burkhardt, University of Northern Iowa, Music Director of the Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra and Musical Director of the UNI Lyric Theatre
North Central District Convention, Indianapolis, IN Janice Schreibman, Music Therapist at Methodist Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, IN

National Convention, Orlando, FL Captain Michelle Rakers, Assistant Director of The President’s Own Marine Band
Northeast District Convention, Clarion, PA Dr. Marian T. Dura
Southeast District Convention, Atlanta, GA Dr. Andrea DeRenzis Strauss, Director of Bands, Georgia Institute of Technology
North Central District Convention, Cincinnati, OH Catherine Keener Booth Director of Bands, Valley View School in Germantown, OH
Midwest District Convention, Kearney, NE Dr. Valerie Cisler Professor of Music and Chair Department of Music and Performing Arts University of Nebraska at Kearney
Western District Convention, Las Vegas, NV Dr. Eugenie Burkett, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Music Professor
Western District Convention, Las Vegas, NV Dr. D. Gause Music Discipline Advisor, Community College of South Nevada
Western District Convention, Las Vegas, NV Anne Parker, Music Therapist, Miraval Resort, Tucson, AZ
Southwest District Convention, Stillwater, OK Lanette Compton is Assistant Professor of Horn Oklahoma State University
Southwest District Convention, Stillwater, OK Dr. Zarina Melik-Stepanova is Assistant Professor of Piano Oklahoma State University

Midwest District Convention Dr. Sonja Giles, Lecturer of Flute, Iowa State University
Southeast District Convention Dr. Linda Dzuris, Music Professor, Clemson University
North Central District Convention Sue Sergi, President & CEO of Clay Center of Performing Arts & Sciences, Charleston, WV
Western District Convention Dr. Joan de Albuquerque, Associate Director of Bands, California State University, Long Beach
Southwest District Convention Dr. Sarah McKoin, Director of Bands, Texas Tech University
Northeast District Convention Johnnella L. Edmonds, Assistant Professor of Music, Virginia State University

2005 National Convention Women In Music Speaker & Performers Diva Jazz

“A spirited new quintet has arrived in the music world. It is a group steeped in the history of jazz but infused with the progressive harmonies of today. Like the Benny Goodman Quartet, Artie Shaw’s Gramercy Five, Bob Crosby and the Bob Cats, Tommy Dorsey and the Clam Bake Seven, and Woody Herman’s Woodchoppers, Five Play is also derived from a larger aggregation. The critically acclaimed jazz orchestra Sherrie Maricle and DIVA has selected five of its “all-stars” to carry small group jazz into the next century.”

Midwest District Convention Denise Grant, Doctoral Student in Conducting, University of Minnesota “Women band Directors and Role Models”
Southeast District Convention Debbie Baker, Vice Chair TBS Board of Trustees
North Central District Convention Carl Dary Dunevant, Director of Bands, Northern Kentucky University
Western District Convention Dr. Kathryn Bumpass, Music History Instructor, Fresno State University
Southwest District Convention June Bearden, SWD Counselor, Middle School Band Director
Northeast District Convention Lynnette Jackson, MS in Music Education from WVU