IU Jacobs School of Music - Department of Music Education

Please join us! We are looking for student volunteers who are interested in participating in this spring’s program. The MusiColAbility Project is a community outreach program which fosters collaborative music learning and creative music making between IU students and individuals with disabilities in the Bloomington community.

In addition to our typical offerings, we are also planning a Day of Music Community Event in April. No musical experience is required! You just need a love of music and a desire to collaborate with people with disabilities of all ages.

Join us on Wednesday January 28th at 4:15 to learn more about the program!

If you are interested in volunteering but unable to attend the meeting,
please email Dr. Draper at [email protected].

Please join us on Friday & Saturday, January 16th & 17th at the IMEA conference! It will be held at the Hilton Fort Wayne @ the Grand Wayne Convention Center.

We have several students, faculty, & alumni from the Jacobs School of Music performing:

Trombone faculty:🎶
-Indiana University Trombone Choir: Friday, 1:00 PM in ACPL Theater with Dr. Brittany Lasch

Percussion faculty:🥁🛢️🪘
-All-State Percussion Ensemble Saturday, 3:00PM in Anthony Wayne B with Kevin Bobo

Alumni:❤️🤍❤️🤍
-Inspired to Improvise: Games and Techniques to Get Kids Excited to Improvise: Friday, 4:30 PM in Hilton Hamilton with Adam Dostalik

-One Little Spark! Lessons and Ideas that bring the Elementary Music Classroom to Life: Saturday, 3:00 PM in Calhoun B with Emily Lopez

-Make It Pop! Incorporating Popular Culture into the Elementary Music Classroom: Saturday, 4:00 PM in Calhoun A with Emily Lopez

Register here: https://connect.myiu.org/index.cfm/events:register/home/eventId/24407

Please join us for the annual IMEA Conference on January 16th from 5:30-7:30 pm EST at the Hilton Fort Wayne @ the Grand Wayne Convention Center!

Register here: https://connect.myiu.org/index.cfm/events:register/home/eventId/24407

Congratulations to Alyssa Hunsucker Avenatti on the successful defense of her dissertation!

Congratulations to Dr. Amanda Draper on an outstanding publication in the Journal of Research in Music Education with an article entitled "Representation of Students With Disabilities in High School Music Courses in the United States."

Thank you for your contributions to this field!🎉

Read the full article here:

Representation of Students With Disabilities in High School Music Courses in the United States - Amanda R. Draper, Sarah J. Bartolome, Kenneth Elpus, 2025 Researchers have attempted to determine the proportion of students with disabilities that participate in secondary music within small populations; however, the ...

Wishing a warm congratulations to Sharon Juan on successfully defending her dissertation, “The Relationships Among Music Performance Anxiety, Personality Traits, and Self-regulated Learning in Music Practice of Adolescent Performers in Taiwan.”

Your hard work has surely paid off!! 🥳🥳

Some photos from this evening’s Undergraduate Ceremony! Congratulations to our BME graduates! We look forward to seeing the amazing ways you will change the world for the better!

Hats off to our DM student, Danielle Girard, for receiving the Outstanding Graduate Paper Award in Music Education from the American Educational Research Association with a paper titled "Sustaining Cultures and Families in a Community Strings Program: A Single Case Study on Family Engagement"

Congratulations on your well deserved success Danielle!🥳

Cheers to our alumnus Dr. Ian Cicco, for being awarded the Nina Bell Suggs Endowed Professorship this year for demonstration of strong professional promise to his field, as well as the Junior Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award at the University of Southern Mississippi.

We are all so happy for you Ian! Congratulations🎉

Congratulations to our very own, Dr. Brenda Brenner on receiving the Paul Rolland Lifetime Achievement Award at the American String Teachers Association conference! Thank you for your contributions to the field!🥳🎻

Music educators, students, and advocates—join us for an essential discussion on the future of music education! 🎶📚

📅 Tuesday, April 1
🕕 6 p.m.
📍 SM C141

Join us as Karen Salvador (Michigan State University) presents: "Persisting and Thriving: Navigating Divisive Concepts Laws as a Music Educator."

Since 2021, laws restricting how race, gender, and history are taught have reshaped education. Salvador explores their impact on music education and offers strategies for fostering inclusive, engaging classrooms.

🎶 Presented by the Music Education Department

Learn more: https://events.iu.edu/musiciub/event/1817960-17th-annual-jean-sinor-memorial-lecture-karen