Featured Clinicians

Mallory Thompson is Director of Bands Emeritus at Northwestern University.  During her tenure, as only the third person in the university’s history to hold the director of bands position, Thompson conducted the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, taught undergraduate and graduate conducting, and administered all aspects of the band program.  Thompson led the Symphonic Wind Ensemble in performances at the College Band Directors National Association national conventions in 2001 and 2017. She continues to serve as Artistic Director of the Northshore Concert Band. Thompson received her B.M.E. and M.M. degrees from Northwestern University, where she studied conducting with John P. Paynter and trumpet with Vincent Cichowicz.  Thompson received the D.M.A. from the Eastman School of Music, studying with Donald Hunsberger. She maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, teacher, and lecturer throughout the United States and internationally.

Michael Hopkins is Professor and Chair of Music Education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he teaches courses in string techniques, instrumental methods, research methods, and the psychology of music teaching and learning. Prior to joining the U-M faculty, Hopkins was the conductor of the University of Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the founding director of the Burlington Chamber Orchestra, and director of middle and high school orchestras in Colorado, Michigan, and Vermont. His music is published by Alfred, Grand Mesa, Kendor, and Ludwig Masters. Hopkins is the author of The Art of String Teaching, a string pedagogy resource published by GIA with a YouTube channel (@stringtechnique) containing 100 videos. His research and pedagogical articles are published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, CRME Bulletin, Music Education Research, Journal of Music, Technology and Education, American String Teacher, String Research Journal, the Music Educators’ Journal and The Instrumentalist. He has served on the executive boards of the Vermont and Michigan chapters of ASTA and has served on several national ASTA committees.

Brandon Williams is an associate professor and the director of Choral Activities at Rutgers, where he conducts the Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir and the Rutgers Glee Club. Previously, he conducted the Rutgers Voorhees Choir, which was selected to perform at Carnegie Hall (2019) and Eastern ACDA (2020, 2024). His choral compositions and arrangements are published with Hal Leonard, G. Schirmer, Mark Foster, Colla Voce, Morningstar Publications, and MusicSpoke. Dr. Williams amassed a decade of middle and high school teaching experience in St. Louis, Missouri, where he also served on the voice faculty at Maryville University and as a conductor with the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus and the St. Louis Children’s Choirs. His school ensembles received invitations to perform at the 2010 and 2013 Missouri Music Educators Association conventions, and his middle school ensemble was featured on GIA’s DVD “How to Make a Good Choir Sound Great!” Dr. Williams has won numerous awards, including the 2009 Missouri Choral Directors Association Prelude Award, an Outstanding Teacher Award from the University of Missouri-Columbia Honors College, the 2020–21 Rutgers Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Innovations, the Mason Gross Inclusive Community Faculty Award, and the 2021–22 Rutgers Presidential Fellowship for Teaching Excellence Award.

Larena Code Boyle is an elementary music teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and national recipient of the 2022 OAKE Outstanding Emerging Educator award. She frequently presents at the local and national level, most recently as the keynote speaker for the 2026 OAKE National Conference. Larena holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music education from DePaul University and the University of St. Thomas. She is fully certified in both the Kodály and Orff-Schulwerk approaches and publishes articles on elementary pedagogy and world music. She serves as an active member on various music education committees as an advocate for creating joyful spaces for all students.

Born in Madrid, Spain, Sofía López-Ibor has been teaching music since the age of 19. She attended a school with a strong music program, where singing, playing xylophones, dancing, and reciting poetry provided an early foundation for her future career as a music educator. The year after graduating from high school, she was invited by her school’s music department to begin teaching. She later studied recorder, flute, and Baroque music in Madrid and London and specialized in music pedagogy in Madrid and at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria. In 1996, she joined The San Francisco School, where she continues to find inspiration each day, entering the music room and imagining how it will soon be filled with the sound explorations and rhythms of her students. Beyond The San Francisco School, López-Ibor is a teacher educator who leads hands-on courses around the world in the teaching philosophy of Orff Schulwerk. In 2012, she received the Pro Merito Award from the International Orff Schulwerk Forum in recognition of her leadership and contributions to the field. She is the author of two books in English: Quien Canta Su Mal Espanta, a collection of traditional children’s rhymes, songs, and dances from Latin America, and Blue is the Sea, which explores the integration of music, movement, and the visual arts—one of her favorite areas of teaching and learning.

Melissa’s teaching journey spans a wide age range, from infancy to elementary grades and even college students across Alabama, Texas, Iowa, and Missouri. She is a dedicated mentor to pre-service and new teachers and a fierce advocate for students of all backgrounds and ages, ensuring they feel seen, valued, and celebrated in and outside of the music classroom.

As a dynamic presenter, Melissa leads workshops nationwide, fueled by her belief that music is a source of peace, empowerment, and transformation. You can find more resources and ideas from her on Instagram at MelodiesAndMoves, where she is committed to empowering educators to create supportive, inclusive environments where every learner can thrive.

Brian A. Silvey is Director of Bands, Professor of Music Education, and Interim Director of the School of Music at the University of Missouri. At MU, he teaches undergraduate and graduate music education courses, supervises music education doctoral students, conducts the Wind Ensemble, and provides oversight to the entire band program. Dr. Silvey has presented music education research and teacher preparation clinics at state, national, and international venues. His research interests include conducting expressivity and effectiveness, instrumental conducting pedagogy, intonation strategies, and preservice teacher preparation. He was appointed as a Fulbright Scholar by the United States government to conduct research and teach at the University of Melbourne in Australia during the Spring 2025 semester. In Fall 2025, Dr. Silvey was awarded the rank of Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor, the highest and most prestigious academic rank the University of Missouri System Board of Curators awards. He is an experienced events adjudicator, guest conductor, and guest clinician, having worked with bands across the United States.

Julia Shaw, PhD, is Associate Professor of Music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she teaches courses that focus on choral music pedagogy, qualitative research methods, college music teaching, and inclusive, participatory music practices. Previously, she was Assistant Professor of Music at the Ohio State University. Dr. Shaw’s research focuses on urban educational contexts and socio-cultural issues in music education. Her publications appear in the Journal of Research in Music Education, the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Music Education Research, Arts Education Policy Review, Choral Journal, and Music Educators Journal. She has received the Society for Research in Music Education’s Research Grant twice (2025, 2014) and was honored with the American Educational Research Association’s Outstanding Early Career Paper in Music Education award. She is the author of the book Culturally Responsive Choral Music Education (Routledge, 2019) and co-author of the book Music Education Research: An Introduction (Oxford, 2023). Dr. Shaw has presented research at the International Research in Music Education Conference, the National Association for Music Education Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference, the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, and the Symposium on Music Teacher Education. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal for Research in Music Education and previously served on the editorial committees of the International Journal for Research in Choral Singing and Music Educators Journal.