Faculty

Midwestern Universities have frequently prepared department faculty, especially, the University of Cincinatti (Abril, Jordan, Powell, Zdzinski), University of Kansas (Boyle, Asmus, Coffman), State University of Iowa/University of Iowa (Collins, Kjelson, Fizpatrick),  and Indiana University (Powell, Zdzinski).  Lee Kjelson and James Fitzpatrick had been doctoral students with Neal Glenn at Iowa prior to coming to Miami.

Faculty typically came to Miami with previous teaching experience in higher education. The influence of the State University of Iowa/University of Iowa is worth noting: Neal Glenn and Don D. Coffman were Music Education chairs there before coming to Miami. 

"May K. Brigel was for many years in charge of the educational work of the Columbia Phonograph Co., and has had wide experience in organizing and training of normal classes. Mr. Will Earhart, director of public school music in Pittsburgh, has to say of her: 'Mrs. May K. Brigel is an excellent pianist with the highest music ideals. She is highly trained in musical pedagogy and is a keen student of educational theory and methods. She has a brilliant mind, a pleasing personality, excellent command of English and the quick psychological discernment which enables her to understand her pupils and minister to their needs.'" (UM Bulletin, 1926, p. 13)

"Taught at the University of Pittsburg, instructor of Public Schoolmusic there. Lectured and travelled for five years, covering all the Eastern states, except New England, lecturing on Music Appreciation, covering all the State Universities, and State Normal Schools. Is now Director of Public School Music Department, and teaches Music Appreciation, and Music History. Has been with the University since 1926.(Ibis Yearbook, Vol. 5, 1931, p. 23)

Professor Brigel broadcast a series of music appreciation lectures on radio station WIOD in 1931 (Ibis Yearbook Vol. 5, 1931, p.29). Her degrees were from Pittsburgh Conservatory of Music and Oberlin Conservatory of Music (IBIS v4, 1930, p. 13)

Representative publication:

• May K. Brigel (1921), "The Phonograph in the Classroom," The Virginia Teacher: Vol. 2: Iss. 8 https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/va-teacher/vol2/iss8/8

“Three Choruses Being Planned: - Frances Hovey Bergh Will Direct Men’s, Women’s, Mixed Chorus.” This headline from the Miami Herald (October 7, 1931) marked her start at the University and the article further reported that “It is her plan to be able to present several light operettas during the winter.” By 1936 the Miami Hurricane noted, “The development of Public School Music from a very small department to an important one is due to the able leadership of Frances Hovey Bergh. From a beginning of five or six students in music appreciation classes it has grown now to forty-five members in one class alone. Instead of just a few courses this department now finds it necessary to have various courses, which it adequately offers, in order to cover the present increased requirements for training those who are going into music education in the public schools” (October 8, 1936, p. 2). And the 1943 Ibis Yearbook referred to her as a “teacher of music education in all of its phases, choral leader, and advisor to the music sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota.” (p. 16).

She retired in 1962, and her 30-year career spanned the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War eras, providing stability amidst many changes. University commencement programs regularly listed her as choir director for Baccalaureate Services. Professor Bergh was also chair of the Music Literature Department and wrote the program notes for the early years of the UM Symphony Orchestra. Active in the UM Women's Guild, Mortar Board, the Opera Guild, the Music Educators National Conference and an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha, she found time to serve as organist and choir director at the South Miami Methodist Church, Bryan Memorial Methodist Church. and Coral Gables Congregational Church.

Bergh completed most of her undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota but received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Chicago Musical College. Her Master of Music degree was awarded by the American Conservatory of Music. She completed additional graduate work at the University of Southern California. Columbia University, Harvard University and the University of Vienna. Her teaching career began as the music supervisor of the public schools of Glencoe, Minnesota, followed by an appointment to the faculty of the University of Minnesota Northwest School of Agriculture from 1912-1914.

Representative publications:

• Bergh, Frances Hovey. 1946. Course of Study in Music Appreciation 101 [at the University of Miami]. Coral Gables, Fla.: Parker Art Co.
• Bergh, Frances Hovey. 1946. Course of Study in Music Appreciation 102 [at the University of Miami]. Coral Gables, Fla.: Parker Art Co.
• Bergh, Frances Hovey. 1947. Course of Study, Music Literature 201 [at the University of Miami]. Coral Gables, Fla.: Parker Art Co.

Bassoonist Thomas C. Collins  earned his bachelor's degree (double majoring in music education and chemistry) from the State University of Iowa in 1935 and a masters' in composition in 1936.  He may have known Himie Voxman (BS in Cemical Engineering, 1933, master's degree with a focus in pscyhology of music, 1934). Collins came to the University of Miami in 1946 as an instructor of woodwinds, with 11 years of public school teaching in Iowa. While teaching at Miami, he earned his PhD from the State University of Iowa in 1950 and Voxman (then director of the school) served on his dissertation committee. His dissertation was A Survey and Evaluation of the Class Wind Instrument Programs in some Representative Music Teacher Training Institutions, with some Suggestions for an Ideal Course of Study,

Collins was subsequently named chairman of the department of woodwinds in 1951. In 1956 he was appointed chairman of the department of music education.

There were no graduate degrees in music at Miami prior to his arrival, but his leadership led to master of music degrees in performance and in music education in 1956. Master’s theses from 1956 to 1960 did not have signature pages, but one can reasonably assume that Collins oversaw them, given his role as the lone music professor on the university-wide graduate college council. Collins became chair of the school's of graduate studies program in 1964. By the time of his death in 1968, he had supervised 29 theses.

Professor Collins also led in establishing the PhD in Music Education, which was announced in 1967. The first music education dissertation appeared in 1970.

From 1960-66, Dr. Collins was one of 12 Journal of Research in Music Education Editorial Associates, reviewing scholarly manuscripts for publication with other scholars like James Carlsen, Max Kaplan, Sally Monsour, Frances Andrews, E. Thayer Gaston, and Roger Phelps.

He also served on the MENC Executive Research Council from 1960-66.

Representative publications:

Collins, T C. (1968). A Survey of Music Education Materials and the Compilation of an Annotated Bibliography. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 14(Fall, 1968), pp. 30-35.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/40316977

Diamond, R. M. and Collins, T. C. (1967). The use of 8mm loop films to teach the identification of clarinet fingering embouchure, and hand position errors. Journal of research in Music Education, 15(3), 224-228. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3343864

Collins, T. C. (1950). A survey and evaluation of the class wind instrument programs in some representative music teacher training institutions, with some suggestions for an ideal course of study. Music Educators Journal, 38(6), p.42. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3387629

Harriett Nordholm joined professors Bergh and Collins in 1957 as an associate professor with a specialization in elementary general music. Born in Redwing, Minnesota, she completed her BM at MacPhail College of Music in Minneapolis in 1934 and taught in Redwing from 1934-36, followed by other Minnesota positions in Windom, 1936-40, Montevideo, 1940-41, and Austin, 1941-51. She earned her MM at Northwestern University in 1950 and then shifted her career to positions in higher education at Michigan State University (assistant professor of music education, 1951-56), Boston University (associate professor of music education, 1956-57) before arriving in Miami, where she remained until her retirement in 1974. 

Professor Nordholm held significant leadership positions in MENC:

• Minnesota Music Educators Association president (1949-51)
• MENC North Central Division 2nd vice-president (1951- 52)
• MENC North Central Division President (1954-56)
• MENC Executive board (1954-56)

The Minnesota Music Educators Association established a Hall of Fame in 1986, naming Harriet Nordholm as one of the first inductees. She authored and co-authored numerous texts for elementary school general music and music teaching.

Representative publications:

• Nordholm, & Thompson, C. O. (1949). Keys to Teaching Elementary School Music. Schmitt.
• Nordholm, & Bakewell, R. V. (1953). Keys to Teaching Junior High School Music. P. A. Schmitt.
• Cooper, Freeburg, R. E., Imig, W., Nordholm, H., Rhea, R., Serposs, E. H., Plinkiewisch, H., & Hill, H. (1959). Music in our Life. Silver Burdett Co.
• Nordholm. (1966). Singing in the Elementary Schools. Prentice-Hall.
• Birchard Opera Series (1966), (24 opera synopses with study guides), Summy-Birchard. 
• Nordholm, & John, R. W. (1970). Learning Music : Musicianship for the Elementary Classroom Teachers. Prentice-Hall.
• Nordholm. (1981). Learning Music: Musicianship for the Elementary Classroom Teachers. Prentice-Hall.

Upon Ted Crager’s retirement in 1990, Dean William Hipp remarked that "Dr. Crager is literally the father the first music engineering degree in all of higher education. His experience in radio, television, and recording, along with an intense interestest in audio, prompted him to develplop and establish a four-year curriculum designed to train musicians to become audio engineers. He also was instrumental in the implementation of other unusual interdisciplinary degree probrams at the University of Miami including Music Merchandising, Studio Music and Jazz, Musical Theater, Music Therapy, and Studio Writing and Production” (Score magazine, 1990 p. 3).

Crager came to Miami in 1965 as an assistant professor of music education but two years later became Associate Dean under William Lee (1967-1982), was then Interim Dean (1982-83), and finished his career as Associate Dean under William Hipp (1983-1990). /p>

Prior to coming to Miami, Crager was a music professor at Texas Woman's University (1963-65), director of its music education program and supervisor of student teachers of music. He had also been professor and director of the department of music at West Texas State (1958-63). Other positions included instructor of music at Teachers College, Columbia University, director of bands at Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas, and coordinator of music for the Lubbock public schools. 

He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from Texas Technological College. He completed his Master of Arts degree and received a professional diploma as Specialist in Music Education from Columbia University. He also received his Doctor of Education degree from Columbia. His dissertation was Suggestions for Group Action in Improving Music Education in the Lubbock Public Schools (1955).

Lee Kjelson was director of choral activities in the school of music from 1967 until his retirement in 1993 and was a founding member of American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). During those 26 years he directed the university's Chamber Singers and Miami's Civic Chorale. His choirs sang at ACDA conventions, went on 21 international tours, performed at Carnegie Hall, and sang with the American Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Among many honors, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Miami, Music Educator of the Year by the American Music Conference, multiple awards from ASCAP, and induction into the Florida Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. He chaired the music education department from 1968-1974 and from 1980-83.

He earned his PhD at the State University of Iowa in 1957, and his dissertation was guided by Neal Glenn (who joined him at Miami in 1968): The Development of Two Instructional Films For The Teaching of General Music in the Junior High School.

In addition to his over 135 choral compositions/arrangements, some representative publications include:

• Choate, R. A., Kjelson, L., Troth, E. W. (1970). New Dimensions in Music (a six-volume series of songbooks for elementary children). American Book Company.
• Kjelson. L. R. (1976). Comprehensive Musicianship through Choral Performance.
• Kjelson, L. & McCray, J. (1985). The Conductor's Manual of Choral Music Literature./li>
• McCray, J. & Kjelson (1985). The Singer's Manual of Choral Music Literature.

Neal Edwin Glenn’s appointment as professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the fall of 1968 must have happened quickly. The unexpected passing of Thomas Collins in August of 1968 undoubtedly left the music school scrambling to fill that vacancy. One can imagine that Lee Kjelson, who had arrived at Miami in 1967, may have contacted Glenn, who was his former dissertation advisor at the State University of Iowa. Glenn undoubtedly had known Thomas Collins, because they had served as Editorial Associates for the Journal of Research in Music Education. And one could further speculate that Himie Voxman, director of the school of music at Iowa and one of Collin’s dissertation committee members back in 1950, agreed to allow Glenn to leave for Miami, with the understanding that he finish overseeing dissertations in progress (through spring 1969). He chaired the music education department from 1974-1980, following Kjelson.

Glenn brought considerable experience to Miami:

• MENC JRME editorial board (1953-1960)
• MENC Music Executive Research Council (1954-60 and 1962-68)
• Iowa Music Educators Association president (1964-65)
• MENC North Central Executive board (1965-66)

Representative publications:

• Glenn, N. E. (1948). The Development and Organization of Materials and Methods for Student Teachers of Instrumental Music. (Doctoral Dissertation, Northwestern University)
• Glenn, N. E. & Turrentine, Ed. M. (1968). Introduction to Advanced Study in Music Education. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown.
• Glenn, N.E, Wilson, G. H. & McBride, W. B. (1970). Secondary School Music Philosophy, Theory and Practice. Prentice-Hall, Inc.

James Fitzpatrick joined the School of Music faculty in 1969 after completing his doctorate at the University of Iowa. Neal Glenn had co-chaired his dissertation, The Development and Evaluation of a Curriculum in Music Listening Skills on the Seventh Grade Level. Dr. Fitzpatrick received his B.S. from Lowell State College and his M.A. from the University of Connecticut. Prior to coming to Miami, he taught in the Massachusetts and New York public school systems and was a member of the faculties of the University of Connecticut and Illinois State University. At Miami he was an associate professor in the music education and music theory/composition departments. A freelance accordionist, he died unexpectedly on August 11, 1978 at age 45 of heart failure aboard the Leonardo Da Vinci cruise ship, where he had been performing with the ship's orchestra during the summer.

John Kinyon brought extensive experience in band directing, composing, and commercial music publishing to his position as a music education professor at Miami in 1969. Born in Elmira, New York, Kinyon graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 1940, working his way through school by playing trumpet in dance bands. After graduating with a music education degree, he taught band in West Virginia schools before being inducted into the U. S. Army in 1942. Upon leaving the service in 1946 Kinyon settled in Gorham, New York, where he taught instrumental music from 1946 to 1951. During this period he earned his MM at Ithaca College. At Gorham, he began to write the arrangements and original pieces for developing bands. In 1951, he moved to Pittsford, New York, where he spent ten years as director of the music department, continuing to write music for young bands. Because there were so few composers writing music at this level, he adopted several pseudonyms, including Leroy Jackson, Charles Barrett, and Robert Powers.

From 1961-68, Kinyon was educational director of Warner Brothers Music in New York City. In 1968, Kinyon composed a series of pieces for the Alfred Music Company and served as a consultant at the company, then joined the faculty at Miami, designing and supervising the program in instrumental music education and coordinating instrumental music instruction at West Laboratory Elementary School near the university campus. His “mini-score” works for band with Alfred Music were highly successful, and he began to use more pseudonyms: James MacBeth, Clark Tyler, Dale Lauder, and Cora Gable (note the resemblance to the cities of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Coral Gables, Florida, the home of the University of Miami).  He retired from the university in 1982.

The winter 1979 issue of Score magazine announced that “Dr. Brian Busch has been appointed associate professor of music education to fill the position left vacant last year by the death of Dr. James Fitzpatrick. Dr. Busch holds MM and DMA degrees from the University of Oregon and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Oregon State University. He has had extensive teaching experience at the junior and senior high school levels and has served on the faculties of Pacific University, University of Southwestern Louisiana, and Corpus Christi State University.”

He was appointed Assistant Dean for Recruitment and Admissions in 1982. A choral specialist, Brian and his wife Lee founded BriLee music in 1996 after he had left the university.

Representative publications:

• Busch, B. R. (1972). The Polychoral Style: A Translation and Revised Edition of Paul Winter's 'Der Mehrchoerige Stil' with Practical Suggestions for Twentieth Century Performances of Polychoral Works (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Oregon)
• Busch, B. (1970). Choral practices and conductors in Germany. The Choral Journal, 10(5), 10-12. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23543047
• Busch, B. (1979). Twelve-tone activities for the general music class. Music Educators Journal, 65(7), 42-46. https://doi.org/10.2307/3395631
• Busch, B. R. (1984). The Complete Choral Conductor: Gesture and Method. Schirmer Books.
• Busch, B. (1986). Music and Athletics: Fundamentals in Cooperation. NASSP Bulletin, 70(487), 101-103.

J. David Bolye came to Miami from Pennsylvania State University, starting there the same year (1968) as Neal Glenn did at Miami, whom Boyle would eventually succeed in 1981. He received degrees from the University of Arkansas (BSE 1956) and University of Kansas (MME 1960, PhD 1968). Before his time at Miami, Boyle taught music in the public schools of Cassville, Missouri (1956–59) and Lawrence, Kansas (1960–63), and was on the music faculties at Moorhead State College in Moorhead, Minnesota (1967–68), and Pennsylvania State University (1968–81). At the University of Miami, he was chair of the Department of Music Education and Music Therapy (1983–95) and then Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in Music until his retirement (1995–2000). 

Boyle’s research interests include the writing of instructional objectives and evaluation of competencies, program evaluation, (particularly of arts programs and comprehensive musicianship), and the psychology of music. He guided 26 dissertations and 4 theses.

His service to the profession includes the the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Music Education and hosting the ISME Reseach Commission seminar in Miami in 1994.

He is perhaps best known for two co-authored texts (with Rudolf E. Radocy) Foundations of Musical Behavior (5 editions)  and Measurement and Evaluation of Musical Experiences. 

Other representative publications:

• Boyle, J. D. (1968). The Effect of Prescribed Rhythmical Movements on the Ability to Sight Read Music (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Kansas)
• Boyle, J. D. (1970). The effect of prescribed rhythmical movements on the ability to read music at sight. Journal of Research in Music Education, 18(4), 307-318. https://doi.org/10.2307/3344498.
• Boyle, J. D., Hosterman, G. L., & Ramsey, D. S. (1981). Factors influencing pop music preferences of young people. Journal of Research in Music Education, 29(1), 47-55. https://doi.org/10.2307/3344679
• Boyle, J. D. (1992). Evaluation of musical ability, in Richard Colwell (Ed.) Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning (pp. 247-265), Oxford University Press.
• Fortney, P. M., Boyle, J. D., & DeCarbo, N. J. (1993). A study of middle school band students' instrument choices. Journal of Research in Music Education, 41(1), 28-39. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345477
• Boyle, J. D., Fiese, R. K., & Zavac, N. (2004). A Handbook for Preparing Graduate Papers in Music. Halcyon Press Ltd.

A native of Youngstown, PA, Nicholas DeCarbo earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Youngstown State University, taught in Pennsylvania public schools and served as music director/ conductor of the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra for ten years before earning his Ph.D. in music education from Kent State University in 1981 and joining the music school at Miami in 1982. Here he taught conducting and courses in instrumental methods and served as Associate Dean of Administration from 1990-2011, succeeding Ted Crager. A 2005 recipient of the Phillip and Patricia Frost Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship, DeCarbo was a FMEA Reseach Chair and editor of Research Perspectives in Music.  Among his numerous contributions to the Frost School was establishing and guiding the Honor Band Festival for 29 years. DeCarbo and his wife Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo were honored in 2013 by their inductions into the Florida Music Education Association Hall of Fame.

Representative publications:

• Decarbo, N. J. (1981). The Effects of Conducting Experience and Programed Materials on Error Detection Scores of College Conducting Students (Doctoral Dissertation, Kent State University).
• DeCarbo, N. J. (1982). The effects of conducting experience and programmed materials on error-detection scores of college conducting students. Journal of Research in Music Education, 30(3), 187-200. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345085
• DeCarbo, N. (1984). The effect of years of teaching experience and major performance instrument on error detection scores of instrumental music teachers. Contributions to Music Education, (11), 28-32. 
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/24127284
• Fortney, P. M., Boyle, J. D., & DeCarbo, N. J. (1993). A Study of Middle School Band Students’ Instrument Choices. Journal of Research in Music Education, 41(1), 28-32. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345477
• Fiese, R. K., & DeCarbo, N. J. (1995). Urban Music Education: The Teachers' Perspective: Music Educators Journal, 81(6), 27-31. https://doi.org/10.2307/3398779

When Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo completed her doctorate from Kent State University in 1981, the music education profession had not yet embraced early childhood as an important research area. Jordan decided that to continue her research, she needed a lab. She was introduced to Lorna Lutz Heyge's Kindermusik curriculum in 1987, a perfect match for her interests. Dean Bill Hipp offered to run the program through the School of Music, and the program’s growth eventually led to involvement with the Children's Trust (a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of all children and families in Miami-Dade County.) She ultimately received six grants from the Children's Trust. Her original Kindermusik class, which grew into the successful UM MusicTime program, touched the lives of thousands of area youngsters.

A former president of the Florida Collegiate Music Educators Association, she is a recipient of a Lifetime Membership Award from the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, the 1999 Phillip and Patricia Frost Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship, and was inducted with her husband Nicholas DeCarbo into the Florida Music Education Association Hall of Fame in 2013.

She chaired the department from 1995 until her retirement in 2011.

Representative publications:

• DeCarbo, J. A. (1981). The Effect of Same/Different Discrimination Techniques, Readiness Training, Pattern Treatment, and Sex on Aural Discrimination Ability and Singing Ability of Tonal Patterns with Kindergarten Children (Doctoral Dissertation, Kent State University)
• Jordan-DeCarbo, J. (1982). Same/different discrimination techniques, readiness training, pattern treatment, and sex on aural discrimination and singing of tonal patterns by kindergartners. Journal of Research in Music Education, 30(4), 237-246. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345297
• Jordan-DeCarbo, J. (1997). A sound-to-symbol approach to learning music. Music Educators Journal, 84(2), 34-34. https://doi.org/10.2307/3399067
• Jordan-DeCarbo, J. & Nelson, J. A. (2002). Music and early childhood education" in Richard Colwell and Carol Richardson (Eds.) The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning: A Project of the Music Educators National Conference. (2002). Oxford University Press.

Richard Fiese was appointed associate professor of music education at Miami in 1995, returning to his alma mater (MM, 1986, PhD 1989, with Nicholas DeCarbo guiding his dissertation). His dissertation was An Examination of the Relationship among Conductors' Rankings of the Relative Musical Quality of Three Unfamiliar Wind Band Scores. His duties included teaching graduate courses in music education, such as psychology of music and seminar in music education, and undergraduate courses in instrumental conducting. He also supervised associate teachers in the wind, percussion, and string programs at the Henry L. West Laboratory School, and instruction in the string and brass techniques courses. Fiese came to the University of Miami from the University of Houston, where he was assistant professor of music education. He left Miami in 2000 to be Associate Professor at the University of Houston School of Music (now the Moore’s School of Music) before becoming Dean at Howard Payne University in 2014. Dr. Fiese has served the music education profession as Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Vice-president and College Division Chair, TMEA Research Chair, Florida Music Educators Association Research Chair, Florida Collegiate Music Educators Association President, and National Chair of the MENC’s General Research Special Research Interest Group (SRIG).

Representative publications:

• Fiese, R. K. (1987). College and university wind band repertoire, 1980-1985. Journal of Band Research, 23(1), 17.
• Fiese, R. K. (1990). The effects of nonmusical cues on the rankings of music scores by undergraduate conducting students based on judgements of quality. Journal of Band Research, 25(2), 13.
• Fiese, R. K. (1991). The relationship among conductors' rankings of three unfamiliar wind band scores. Journal of Research in Music Education, 39(3), 239-247.  https://doi.org/10.2307/3344723
• Fiese, R. K. (1993). An examination of public secondary school band directors' qualitative judgments. Journal of Band Research, 28(2), 27.
• Fiese, R. K., & DeCarbo, N. J. (1995). Urban Music Education: The Teachers' Perspective: Music Educators Journal, 81(6), 27-31. https://doi.org/10.2307/3398779
• Boyle, J. D., Fiese, R. K., & Zavac, N. (2004). A Handbook for Preparing Graduate Papers in Music. Halcyon Press Ltd.

Edward Asmus was appointed professor of music education and Associate Dean of Graduate studies at Miami in 2000, succeeding J. David Boyle. He received a Bachelor of Music in music education from Ohio State University in 1971, a Master of Music in music education from the University of Kansas in 1975 and a Doctor of Philosophy in music education from the University of Kansas in 1979. His dissertation was The Operational Characteristics of Adjectives as Descriptors of Musical Affect. Don D. Coffman was a junior undergraduate majoring in music education and had Ed Asmus as Teaching Assistant instructor for the Acoustics of Music course. 

Dr. Asmus taught in the public schools in Kansas City, University of Kansas, State University of New York at Buffalo (1979-1986), and University of Utah (1986-2000). Asmus served on the editorial boards of the profession's most prestigious journals, including the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal of Research in Music Education, and Psychomusicology. He was the editor of the Journal of Music Teacher Education from 1998-2004. He was a consultant to foundations, public trusts, and organizations. He left Miami in 2013 to be the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the School of Music at the University of Georgia.

Representative publications:

• Asmus, E. P. (1985). The development of a multidimensional instrument for the measurement of affective responses to music. Psychology of Music, 13(1), 19-30.
• Asmus Jr, E. P. (1986). Student beliefs about the causes of success and failure in music: A study of achievement motivation. Journal of Research in Music Education, 34(4), 262-278. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345260
• Asmus, E. P. (1986). Achievement motivation characteristics of music education and music therapy students as identified by attribution theory. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music education, 71-85. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40317969
• Asmus, E. P. (1989). Factor analysis: A look at the technique through the data of Rainbow. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 1-29.
• <Asmus, E. P., & Harrison, C. S. (1990). Characteristics of motivation for music and musical aptitude of undergraduate nonmusic majors. Journal of Research in Music Education, 38(4), 258-268. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345223
• Asmus, E. P., & Radocy, R. E. (1992). Quantitative analysis. In Richard Colwell (Ed.) Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning (pp. 141-183), Oxford University Press.

Use this link to view his biography.

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J. Steven Moore brought extensive experience as an music school administrator and as a conductor to Miami with his appointment in as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in 2013.  He was previously Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Central Missouri (2010- 2013).  His other higher education experiences included Colorado State University, (Associate Professor; Assistant Department Chair, 2006-2009; Co-Chair, Graduate Studies; and Director of Bands, 2000-2010) and the University of Kentucky, (Director of Orchestra, 1998-1999;  Assistant Director of Bands, 1982-1986). He retired from Miami in 2013, having substantially strengthened the advising practices for undergraduates and improving retention and graduation rates. He holds degrees from the University of Kentucky (DMA, MME) and the University of South Carolina (BM). 

Representative publications:

• Moore, J. S. (2011). Play it From the Heart: What you Learn from Music about Success in Life. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Education.
• Moore, J. S. (Editor). (2003). Aegean Festival. Boston, MA: E.C. Schirmer Publishing. (critical edition of the original work composed in 1967 by Andreas Makris).

From 1969-2023 the music education and music therapy programs were housed in the Department of Music Education and Music Therapy.  It was common in the early years to see music therapy professors listed as music education professors on signature pages of dissertations and theses. The faculty in these two programs continue to work together for students pursuing the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education with an Emphasis in Music Therapy.

• Charles T. Eagle, Jr. 
• Wally Ford
• Melvyn D. Arnold
• Constance Willeford
• Clive Muncaster
• Frederick C. Tims
• Cathy McKinney
• Myra Jordan
• Alan Reitman
• Shannon K. de l'Etoile
• Teresa L. Lesiuk
• Kimberly Sena Moore
• Yani Trevin Rubio

The music education program has relied on instructors from time to time to teach courses or supervise student teachers.  These individuals have included:

• Howard Doolin
• Lynne Gackle
• Joy Galliford
• James Gasior
• Otto Kraushaar
• Lyndon R. Street
• Sadie Lindenmeyer Told

Visiting faculty have included:

• Robert Hines
• George Heller 
• Stanley Schleuter
• Lois Schleuter

Starting with the 1967-1968 UM Undergraduate Bulletin, faculty names appeared in the degree program descriptions.  These names included music education faculty as well as faculty from other areas, such as music history, music industry, and the performance studios.  During the 1990s they were desginated as Support Faculty.  A few of the names include

• David Alt (Voice)
• Lucas Drew (Strings)
• Fred McCall (Band)
• Alfred Reed (Composition, Music Business)
• Fred Wickstrom (Musicology)
• Maxwell Lepper (Keyboard)