The Music Education Faculty hosts or leads many music experiences for FSU students across campus, as well as individuals in the Tallahassee community and beyond. Many of these experiences provide additional practicum opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students. Additionally, our faculty have held or currently hold numerous service positions within state, regional, national, and international professional organizations, providing models of leadership and mentorship for our students.
Community
We offer two opportunities for adults interested in piano instruction. Adults with little or no piano experience can join the University Musical Associates and participate in our Adult Group Piano Class. In a friendly, relaxed setting, this class offers participants an opportunity to learn basic piano skills or build on their existing abilities. For those already playing at an advanced level, the piano pedagogy program offers individual lessons during selected semesters. For more information, please contact Dr. Diana Dumlavwalla.
The Campus Band is open to all FSU students with an interest and experience in wind and percussion instruments. For more information, please contact Dr. Patrick Dunnigan.
For over 25 years, the Capital Children’s Choir community outreach program serving children in Kindergarten through eighth grade has focused on teaching children good singing techniques and music in a non-competitive atmosphere. For more information, please click here or contact Dr. Suzanne Rita Byrnes.
We take an innovative approach to piano study by supplementing the traditional private lesson format with engaging group activities. Young beginner students from the community participate in a full year of lessons. For more information, please contact Dr. Diana Dumlavwalla.
Under the direction of Dr. Suzanne Rita Byrnes, the Florida State University College of Music offers Levels I and II of the Orff-Schulwerk Teacher Education Course during a two-week summer class. Designed for preservice and in-service music educators, participants can register for undergraduate credit, graduate credit, in-service hours, or continuing education units. Click here for more information
Sinfonia offers non-major musicians from throughout our campus the opportunity to play in an orchestra. Graduate String Music Education students conduct and assist this ensemble.
Since 1942, the FSU Summer Music Camps have hosted student musicians from every state, as well as from around the globe and across every continent, to be part of our comprehensive summer music experience. Dr. Steve Kelly (Director) and Dr. Mark Belfast (Associate Director) currently run the camps. Click here for more information.
The Tallahassee Community Chorus, conducted by Dr. Michael Hanawalt, is a large SATB ensemble of around 200 singers that specializes in the performance of major works written for a large chorus and orchestra. The chorus is open to all students and the general public. Click here for more information.
Founded in 1997, the 75-member Tallahassee Winds is comprised of advanced-level wind and percussion players of various ages and diverse backgrounds and serves as the area’s symphonic community band. The season begins in August and runs through May with weekly rehearsals and four (4) formal concerts each season. Membership in the Tallahassee Winds is available by audition as seats become available. For more information, please contact Dr. Patrick Dunnigan, Dr. David Plack, or Dr. Devan Moore.
The Tallahassee Senior Singers is a community outreach choral ensemble in partnership with the City of Tallahassee’s Senior Services. Designed for senior citizens, the choir is open to all older adults who enjoy singing and want to have fun; no audition is necessary. The ensemble performs at various venues, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult day cares around the local area. For more information, please click here or contact Dr. Kimberly VanWeelden.
The Tallahassee Senior Singers is a community outreach choral ensemble in partnership with the City of Tallahassee’s Senior Services. Designed for senior citizens, the choir is open to all older adults who enjoy singing and want to have fun; no audition is necessary. The ensemble performs at various venues, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult day cares around the local area. For more information, please click here or contact Dr. Kimberly VanWeelden.
FSU has hosted this long-standing music festival for over four decades, providing a rewarding musical experience for exceptional high school band students and their directors. For more information, please click here or contact Dr. Patrick Dunnigan or Dr. Rodney Dorsey.
Leadership in Professional Societies, Festivals & Clinics
- Florida Music Educators Association
- Steve Kelly – President (2019-2022)
- Florida Bandmasters Association
- Florida College Music Educators Association
- Kimberly VanWeelden – President (2003-2005)
- Florida Department of Education
- William Fredrickson – Discipline Coordinator, Statewide Course Numbering System (2006-2025)
- Florida Music Teachers National Association
- Florida NAfME Collegiate
- Mark Belfast – Advisor (20??)
- Florida Orchestra Association
- Florida State Music Teachers Association
- Diana Dumlavwalla – President (2021-2023)
- Florida Vocal Association
- Journals
- Florida Music Director
- Gregory Springer – Editor-in-Chief (2019-2023)
- Mark Belfast – Editor-in-Chief (20??-20??)
- Steve Kelly – Editor-in-Chief (2010-2017)
- Research Perspectives in Music Education
- Gregory Springer – Editor (2025-present)
- Steve Kelly, Editorial Review Board (1998-2023)
- Florida Music Director
- American Choral Directors Association
- American String Teachers Association
- College Band Directors National Association
- Desert Skies Symposium
- Steve Kelly – Advisory Board Member (2006-2024)
- Mark Belfast – Advisory Board Member (20??)
- Journals
- Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education
- Contributions to Music Education
- Gregory Springer – Editorial Review Board (2016-2020)
- Choral Journal
- Instrumentalist
- Journal of Band Research
- Steve Kelly – Editorial Review Board (2009-present)
- Journal of General Music Education
- Journal of Music Teacher Education
- William Fredrickson – Editor (2004-2010)
- Journal of Piano Research
- Diana Dumlavwalla – Editorial Board Member (2024-present)
- Journal of Research in Music Education
- Gregory Springer – Editorial Review Board (2022-2028)
- William Fredrickson – Editorial Review Board (2018-2024)
- Steve Kelly – Editorial Review Board (2004-2014)
- Music Educators Journal
- Music Teachers National Association e-Journal
- Diana Dumlavwalla – Editorial Board Member (2021-2025)
- Update: Applications of Research in Music Education
- Gregory Springer – Editorial Review Board (2018-2022)
- Kimberly VanWeelden – Editorial Review Board (2010-2016)
- William Fredrickson – Editorial Review Board (1996-2002)
- The Midwest Clinic
- Rodney Dorsey – President (2022-present)
- Rodney Dorsey – Board of Director (1997-present)
- Music for All
- Rodney Dorsey – Board of Directors (2019)
- Music Teachers National Association
- Diana Dumlavwalla –Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3) National Steering Committee Member (2022 to present)
- William Fredrickson – Member, MTNA Task Force on Extra-Musical Components of Pedagogy Training (1996)
- National Association for Music Education
- Steve Kelly – Member, Music Teacher Professional Advisory Committee (2024-2026)
- Steve Kelly – Co-Chair, Collegiate Advisory Council (2023-2025)
- National Association of School of Music
- William Fredrickson – Member, NASM Working Group on P-12 Music Teacher Preparation
- National Collegiate Choral Organization
- Michael Hanawalt – National Board Member (2020-present)
- Society for Music Teacher Education
- William Fredrickson – Member-At-Large Representative to the Executive Committee of SMTE (2002-2004)
- William Fredrickson – Southwestern Division Representative to the Executive Committee of SMTE (2000-2002)
- Society for Research in Music Education
- Steve Kelly, Executive Board (2023-2028)
- Gregory Springer – Chair, Music Perception and Cognition SRIG (2022-2024)
- Gregory Springer – Chair, Affective Response SRIG (2018-2020)
- Kimberly VanWeelden – Chair, Children with Exceptionalities SRIG (2012-2014)
- Kimberly VanWeelden – Southern Division Chair, Music Teacher Education SRIG (2008-2012)
- William Fredrickson – Chair, Music Teacher Education SRIG (2012-2014)
- William Fredrickson – Chair, Affective Response SRIG (1994-1996)
- International Society for Music Education
- Mark Belfast – Chair, Commission on Special Music Education & Music Therapy (2024-2026)
- Kimberly VanWeelden – Chair, Commission on Special Music Education & Music Therapy (2020-2022)
- William Fredrickson – Member, Research Commission Regional Advisory Group (USA) (2002-2004)
- Journals
- Canadian Music Educator
- Diana Dumlavwalla – Editorial Board Member (2021 to present)
- International Journal of Music Education
- International Journal of Research in Choral Singing
- International Journal of Community Music
- David Knapp – Editorial Review Board (2019-Present)
- Journal of Popular Music Education
- David Knapp – Editor (2025-Present)
- Canadian Music Educator
Graduate Placement | Career Paths | Student Professional Organizations
Summers Only Master’s Program | Camps, Festivals, and Outreach
Statement of Philosophy | Affiliated Professional Organizations