Annie is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Iowa researching the nexus between creative musicianship, cultural inclusiveness and the skill set required by the current music industry. She is currently writing the dissertation, “String Teachers Who Overcome the Barriers to Nontraditional Courses and Ensembles”.
Her study, “String Teacher Perspectives on Non-traditional Ensembles and Classes”, will appear in Volume 14 of the String Research Journal. It was a concurrent mixed methods design that sought to identify what nontraditional courses and ensembles are being offered by string educators, what skills are being taught in them, and what courses they would like to offer, Annie presented this with her co-author, Dr. Adam Harry, at the SMTE Online Conference on September 25, 2021.
Her research project, “Director Perspectives on Barriers to Racial Equity in the Orchestra Classroom” was a qualitative interview design that explores the barriers that students face in attaining access to instrumental string music classes and a comparison of the racial demographics within these string programs to the racial demographics of associated public school buildings. This study served as the rationale for a grant she receive to design the class, “Hear My Voice”, a secondary general music course that focused on hip-hop and songwriting.
Annie’s master’s thesis formed the basis for the funding of the Free-Strings Method by the Iowa Arts Council and the IBMA Foundation. You can find the online curriculum at www.free-strings.com. Annie regularly presents and collaborates on clinics, workshops, and panels is available to present her research and experience in these areas upon request.
