The National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) honored Frost School of Music’s alum, Kelly Parkes Ph.D. ’06, as one of the chosen 2017 Lowell Mason Fellows. This distinction is one of music education’s most important honors, and it is designed to recognize the accomplishments of music educators, music education advocates, political leaders, industry professionals, and others who have contributed to music education in their unique way. The prestigious award is named for educator, musician, and composer of more than 1,600 hymn tunes, Lowell Mason, who is considered to be the father of public school music education in the United States. He has been credited with introducing music instruction to American public schools in the 19th century, and with establishing teacher training in music education.
Kelly A. Parkes is Associate Professor of Music and Music Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College. She received her Ph.D. in Education from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Dr. Parkes has been an associate professor at Virginia Tech, VA, where she was the program leader for graduate music education studies in the School of Education. Dr. Parkes’ primary research interests are in music and music education assessment; measuring aspects within the applied studio, teaching readiness, professional dispositions, and reflective practices in pre-service teachers, in addition to teaching effectiveness and teaching quality. Her current research investigates the usability, reliability and validity of Model Cornerstone Assessments, used by K-12 teachers in a national study, to measure student learning of the new National Core Arts Standards in music.
National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association serves millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 60,000 members, the organization is the national voice of music education in the United States.
To read more about NAfME’s Lowell Mason Fellow Honor, please click here.
