Nick Ricco, Jr. (BM Ed. ’77) named to the board of directors of the National Association of Alumni Bands.

Jamey Kelley, along with UNT alumni Kelsey Nussbaum (MMEd '18, Ph.D. '21), published in Music Educators Journal with the article, “Equity in Music Education: Dismantling Racism through Supportive Feedback in the Music Classroom."

Elizabeth Petersen will be joining our faculty this year as a visiting lecturer of music education where she will teach courses in music education and direct the University of North Texas String Project. A Washington native, Dr. Petersen has taught elementary and secondary orchestra and general music for school districts near Seattle and Vancouver, WA, where she also ran a private cello studio and was active as a freelance cellist. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from The Ohio State University, a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of Washington. She has been a clinician and adjudicator at festivals and clinics across the country and has given presentations at national and state music education conferences on topics of interest to string teachers and the greater music education profession. Her research interests include musical practice, student engagement, and string pedagogy.

University of North Texas PhD student Thomas Rinn has been appointed as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Music Education at Texas State University, San Marcos.

The Journal of Research in Music Education has published Sassy and Strong: Intersections of Race, Attractional Orientation, and Gender Expression Within Music Education, by UNT Professor of Music Education, Don Taylor and colleague Rashaad Calaham. The narrative examines the experiences of a successful Black gay choral teacher in Texas.

Chair of the Division of Music Education, Sean Powell, published by Oxford University Press. The Ideology of Competition in School Music is available through Oxford University Press website.

UNT Assistant Professor of Music Education, Erika J. Knapp, along with colleagues, published Moving beyond data collection: Fostering community engagement in community music schools in the International Journal of Music Education.

Michael Crawford becomes Lecturer in Music Education along with additional teaching duties in the Percussion Area starting Fall 2023. In May 2021, Michael graduated from @UNT with his PhD in Music Education. 

For 16 consecutive years, the NAMM Foundation has awarded the @UNT hometown school district of Denton ISD “Best Communities for Music Education.”