UW-Madison Music Education

09/04/2026

08/30/2026

Join us for the 2026 Music Education Rally on Friday, September 4th, from 5:30-7:30 PM in the Lee/Kauffman Room of Hamel Music Center. This year's rally will feature a keynote presentation by Music Education @ UW-Madison alum and Central High School band director, Ian Melrose. Please RSVP by scanning the QR code or visiting: https://tinyurl.com/Rally26-RSVP.

University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison College of Letters & Science
UW-Madison / Dept of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music

08/26/2026

At the Graduate Reception, we welcomed many of our new and returning graduate students. This included our three Ph.D. students: Carrie Backman, Evan Metcalf, and Rachel Brown. They are pictured here with Dr. Jesse Rathgeber, Associate Professor and Chair of Music Education.

University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison College of Letters & Science
UW-Madison / Dept of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music

07/22/2026

UW-Madison Music Education faculty members Drs. Amy Lewis, Jesse Rathgeber, Teri Dobbs (emeritus), and Burton Hable (coming to UW-Madison this fall) will be presenting at the International Society for Music Education World Conference in Montreal, Canada. If you will be in attendance, please visit these sessions. If you are interested in the topics and will not be in attendance, please reach out for more information. Congrats to all presenters!

ISME
University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison College of Letters & Science
UW-Madison / Dept of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music

06/25/2026

The UW-Madison Music Education area hosted an “Interested in Being a Music Teacher?” session for Junior Session campers at the Sumer Music Clinic. We had a wonderful turnout of campers, current students, and recent graduates. It was so meaningful to have this time together.

05/12/2026

Congratulations to all who took part in this year's Mead Witter School of Music Graduation ceremonies. Ella Briggs, B.M. (Music Education) provided an engaging and illuminating undergraduate speech.

This is our largest graduating class in recent memory, and we look forward to seeing/hearing the amazing things these music educators do.

University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison College of Letters & Science
UW-Madison / Dept of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music

05/07/2026

Be sure to save the date for the 5th Biennial Disability Studies and Music Education Symposium, which takes place April 8-10, 2027. Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, accessible in person, online, and at satellite locations around the world.

Theme: Disability as Embodying Creativity

Read the call: https://tinyurl.com/DSandME-27-Call
Submit a proposal: https://tinyurl.com/DSandME-27-Submit

University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison College of Letters & Science
UW-Madison / Dept of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music

04/30/2026

Students enrolled in MUSIC/CURRIC 300: Principles of Music Education, pictured here with Dr. Rathgeber, held their final class of the semester. What a wonderful experience with these almost 40 students (first- and second-year students). Lots of inquiry, music, laughter, and community throughout the semester. If you see one of these students, ask them about the ultra-short plays/musicals they created and performed in class as a means of reflecting.

University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison College of Letters & Science
UW-Madison / Dept of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music

04/30/2026

Students enrolled in MUSIC 911: Thinking with Social Theory in Music Education, pictured here with Dr. Jesse Rathgeber, shared their theory toolkits in class today and celebrated their learning. So much fun playing with and working theory to (re)consider issues related to music learning and teaching.

We'll be offering this new course again under its permanent course number (MUSIC 944) in Spring of 2028.

University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison College of Letters & Science
UW-Madison / Dept of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music

04/28/2026

Students in MUSIC/CURRIC 300: Principles of Music Education used song rewriting as a means of reflecting on what they learned and experienced this semester. Students worked in teams to develop lyrics (see comments for lyrics) that represent their shared visions of and commitments to music learning and teaching.

Play along with us via these songslides: https://tinyurl.com/DontStopReflectin-Songslides

University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison College of Letters & Science
UW-Madison / Dept of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music