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Nicole Robinson Serves as Interim Sorenson Chair

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Recently appointed Visiting Associate Professor Nicole R. Robinson joins the School of Music faculty as the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Chair of Elementary Music Education. As the chair holder for the 2013-2014 academic school year, Robinson will promote the teaching of music in area elementary schools, build partnerships between the School of Music and community schools, and research public music education, teacher development, and university-school-community partnerships.

Beginning her career as a music teacher in North Carolina’s public schools, Robinson has built a national reputation for her partnership and outreach projects with various educational boards, professional organizations, and urban school districts. Among her highest accomplishments, Robinson created the nationally-recognized and award-winning Middle School Memphis Professional Development Program with the Memphis City Schools, which was designed to retool, reeducate, and reorient music teachers in large urban districts. This partnership successfully established a P-16 district-university cooperative that enhanced the quality of music education by having a master teacher provide professional development resources and host clinics in each middle school in the district.

Innovative with curriculum, Robinson developed numerous music education programs at the University of Memphis. In addition to a music education professional sequence, she created the licensure and certification programs, the three-summer Master of Music Education degree program, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education, the only such doctoral program in Tennessee.

Robinson has also been commissioned by private, charter, and public schools for integrative arts curriculum development. She coauthored Teaching Elementary Music: Integrating Music with Other Academic Subjects (Kendall Hunt), and is currently writing Exploring Music in Elementary School: Pedagogical Connections, Integrative Approaches, and the Common Core (Cognella Press), which examines general music education through the lens of common core academic standards.

Outside of teaching and research, Robinson continually furthers the study of music education through service to professional affiliations. She has held leadership positions with the National Association for Music, served on the Memphis/Shelby County Music Commission board of directors, collaborated with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science and Partners in the Arts, and has served on the editorial boards of academic and research journals.

Prior to joining the School of Music, Robinson held faculty appointments at Syracuse University, University of Memphis, and Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees in Music Education from North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC), and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Music Education from The Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL). 

Last Updated: 3/22/23