Wvmea clinicians 2016 Brian Baldauff

Rachel Whitcomb is Associate Professor of Music Education at Duquesne University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education on the topics of early childhood and elementary general music, creativity, and music for students with special needs. Dr. Whitcomb’s professional interests have included improvisation in elementary general music and the role of music in preschools. She has recently conducted studies focusing on the nature and extent to which improvisation is occurring in elementary general music classrooms. She has also studied preschool teachers’ perceptions of the role of music in early childhood instruction. Her work has been published in Journal of Research in Music Education, Music Educators Journal, Research and Issues in Music Education, Teaching Music, The Orff Echo, The Kodály Envoy, and General Music Today. She is a frequent presenter at international, national, regional, state, and local professional development conferences for music educators and early childhood teachers.

Lindsey Williams joined the music education faculty at West Virginia University in fall 2015. At WVU, Dr. Williams teaches courses in music education and conducting, coordinates the Access program for the College of Creative Arts and facilitates outreach activities throughout the state. Prior to his appointment at WVU, he was a member of the music education faculty at UMKC. Dr. Williams' public school teaching includes elementary, junior high, and high school instrumental and choral music. He is an active performer, conductor and clinician for music educators and musicians from junior high to senior adults throughout the United States and Southeast Asia. Williams earned his music education degrees from Florida State University and University of Kansas. In 2012, Williams was named a Fulbright Scholar and worked with music education students and researchers in Thailand. A respected researcher, his interests include musicians' focus of attention, musical complexity, life-long learning and music teacher training.