The National Association for Music Education (NAfME)’s biennial conference is the largest and most important gathering in the field, an essential forum for NAfME’s nearly 57,000 members who study and advocate for music education and teach millions of students around the country.
This year the Frost School of Music’s Music Education program will have a significant presence at the conference, held Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 in Long Beach, California. Five doctoral students (out of seven), 10 alumni teaching at universities and colleges across the country and new faculty member Robin Heinsen will give 10 research presentations and present 13 research posters at the conference.
The Frost School representation is a testament to the music education program’s focus on individual student interests and its strong history of research, said Stephen Zdzinski, the music education professor, graduate program director and interim chair who is leading the delegation to NAfME this year.
The Frost School presence at NAfME is especially notable given the relatively small size of its music education program compared to those at big state schools such as Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. But that more intimate community allows the Frost School’s music education program—which usually has about 40 undergraduate, four to five master’s and seven to eight doctoral students—to give lots of attention to each person.
“We’re a boutique, not a factory,” Zdzinski said. “We cater to people’s interests and needs. The more varied the topics, the better.”
“We have high-level qualitative research going on, as well as high-level quantitative research. All of our students do both and learn both.”
For instance, this year doctoral student Rey Sunglao will present on the history of music education in the Philippines, along with posters on culturally responsive education and support for anxiety among double bass students. Posters by fellow doctoral students include Stacy Swanson’s poster analyzing the interdependence of music education and the music industry and Cristina Morales’ posters on secondary music educators navigating school transitions and trends in music education enrollment.
Research posters, although they may sound like something from a middle school science fair, are dense text and/or graphic presentations of complex topics on posters which range in size from three by four feet to four by five feet. They are a key step for graduate students as they work towards giving live presentations to their peers.
The Frost School alumni presenting talks or posters include Giulia Ripani, Ph.D ’25, now an assistant professor at Columbia University’s prestigious Teachers College, presenting her research on music teachers’ well-being and turnover and co-presenting on aspects of music teacher preparation. The other nine participating alumni teach around the country, including at George Mason University, Towson University, the University of Colorado, Trinity University and the University of New Mexico.
Music education professors at the Frost School have a long history of leadership at NAfME and other organizations and publications in the field. Zdzinski has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Music Education and other scholarly journals. Associate professor Corin Overland has been on the editorial board and was chair and academic editor of the Music Educators Journal. Former professor Carlos Abril, who passed away in June, sat on multiple committees for NAfME and chaired its last conference, and was deeply involved in the International Society for Music Education for decades.
Abril, a Frost School alumnus, returned to teach after connecting with Zdzinski at a NAfME conference. The music education program’s long history and connections in the field will be invaluable as Zdzinski searches for a successor to Abril next week, as well as seeking out new doctoral students and helping current students find jobs. Zdzinski will also host a dinner for the Frost School students and alumni attending.
“The fact that [Frost School faculty] have been prominent researchers helps,” Zdzinski said. “We use our connections and personal friendships to help our students get where they need to go. I go to all our students’ presentations, and look at who’s there and talk to anyone who might hire them.”
