Pianist, arranger, author, and educator, Christopher Azzara has made important contributions to advancing the understanding of creativity and improvisation in the music learning process. An innovator in music teaching and learning, Dr. Azzara is Professor of MusicTeaching & Learning and Affiliate Faculty of Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music. Teaching and performing internationally, he is the author of numerous articles, arrangements, and books, including Developing Musicianship Through Improvisation and Jump Right In: The Instrumental Series (GIA). His arrangements for instrumental and vocal ensembles include A la nanita nana for choir and chamber orchestra or piano (Oxford), and Concert Selections for Winds and Percussion (GIA).

His research and publications are concerned with meaningful relationships among listening, creating, improvising, reading, composing, and analyzing music in vocal and instrumental settings. Dr. Azzara's work appears in journals such as the Journal of Research in Music Education, the Bulletin of the Council for Research in MusicEducation, the Music Educators Journal, Early Childhood Connections, and in The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning (MENC/Oxford), and Oxford Handbooks Online.

He performs as a soloist and in various ensembles, including the Chris Azzara Trio, and has played on and produced many studio and educational recordings. In Rochester, he performs with freelance musicians, members of the Eastman School of Music Faculty, and members of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. An active teacher and clinician, he has presented and performed extensively throughout the United States, and in Canada, the Caribbean, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, China, Japan, and Australia. He has presented clinics and workshops in a variety of settings, including TEDxRochester, thePittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, and leading music schools in this country and abroad.

Christopher Azzara is a native of Virginia and attended public schools in Fairfax County.After receiving the Bachelor of Music degree from George Mason University, he taught instrumental music in the Fairfax County Public Schools and performed as a pianist in the Washington D.C. area. He later received a Master of Music and a Ph.D. in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. Prior to joining the Eastman faculty, Dr. Azzara was a professor at The Hartt School of Music, Dance, and Theatre of the University of Hartford, CT.

Jennifer Bailey is an elementary music specialist for Farmington Public Schools  with twenty-five years of experience teaching.  Jennifer holds a B.M. in flute performance from Michigan State University, teacher certification from the University of Houston, and a M.M. Ed. from Temple University.  She was named Music Educator of the Year by the Michigan Music Education Association  and Arts Educator of the Year by Michigan Youth Arts in 2018.

Jennifer is a GIML professional development faculty member in the areas of Early Childhood and Elementary General Music.  She also served as president for the Mid-Atlantic and Michigan chapters as well as GIML past-present.   Jennifer’s website, Singtokids.com, hosts her blog, where she discusses a variety of music education topics.  She is the author of Sing To Kids Songbooks and a co-author of the Jump Right In Elementary Music Series.  Jennifer is a frequent presenter at clinics for state and regional music education conferences.

Dr. Suzanne L. Burton is Professor of Music at the University of Delaware where she is Associate Dean for the Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her scholarly interests include music teacher preparation and professional learning, music acquisition, music literacy, and technology in early childhood music. 

Dr. Burton’s research may be found in scholarly journals and book chapters published by Ashgate, GIA, Oxford University Press, and Rowman & Littlefield Education. Noted for her editorial work, she is co-editor of and contributor to Creative Music Making at your Fingertips: A Mobile Technology Guide for Music Educators; Learning from Young Children: Research in Early Childhood Music; Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Instrumental Music; and Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Elementary General Music. She is sole editor of and contributor to Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Middle School General Music and co-author of Ready, Set, Improvise!: The Nuts and Bolts Approach to Music Improvisation. 

Dr. Burton serves on the International Journal of Music in Early Childhood editorial board and is chair of the International Society for Music Education Early Childhood Music Education Commission. She holds the A.A. (piano pedagogy) and B.M. (music education) from Spring Arbor University, and the M.M. and Ph.D. (music education) from Michigan State University.

Jennifer Fisher earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy from Western Illinois University & a Master of Arts in Piano Pedagogy from Eastern Michigan University.  She went on to earn level 1 certifications from the Gordon Institute of Music Learning (GIML) in piano & elementary general music as well as level 1 & 2 certifications in early childhood music.  She currently teaches functional piano classes for music majors/minors & group piano pedagogy at Eastern Michigan University & serves on the faculty of EMU’s Community Music Academy.  At Concordia University-Ann Arbor her assignments are applied lessons, beginning piano & keyboard skills classes.  Summers often find her serving as a GIML faculty member.  Finally, Jennifer also has a modest personal studio with students aged 4-74!

Richard F. Grunow is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Music Teaching and Learning at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. A leading innovator in beginning instrumental music instruction, Dr. Grunow is an active lecturer and clinician, having presented in forty-two of the United States, and in Canada, Austria, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Japan, and the French West Indies. His research and teaching focus on applications of Music Learning Theory to instrumental music instruction, instrumental and choral score reading, measurement and evaluation, and music literacy.

Professor Grunow is author of numerous articles and co-author of the MLR Instrumental Score Reading Program, MLR Instrumental Score Reading Test, Choral Score Reading Program, Creativity in Improvisation, and Developing Musicianship through Improvisation. He is principal author of Jump Right In: The Instrumental Series, a comprehensive beginning instrumental curriculum for recorder, woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion. The Third Edition of Jump Right In: The Instrumental Series for Recorder was released in Fall 2020. The series features over 350 recordings of folk songs and classical melodies comprising a variety of tonalities and meters from a broad range of cultures. Performances are by artist faculty and students at the Eastman School of Music and members of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Rhythm & Brass. 

A Wisconsin native, Dr. Grunow received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville where he is a Distinguished Alumnus and recipient of the Arts and Letters Hall of Fame Award. From 1967-74, he taught instrumental music in Beloit, Wisconsin Public Schools. He received a Master of Music and a PhD in Music Education from The University of Michigan, served as Director of the Instrumental Laboratory School, and was on the faculty in the Music Education Department prior to his appointment at Eastman in 1979. 

Jill Reese is Associate Professor of Music Education at The State University of New York at Fredonia. She teaches courses including early childhood music pedagogy, elementary and secondary general music methods, and research methods. She presents and publishes research on topics including early childhood music development, ukulele, technology, improvisation, and professional development of preservice and practicing teachers. Her book “Navigating Music Learning Theory: A Guide for General Music Teachers” is available through GIA Publications. She is the founder of Fredonia Ukulele and a YouTube channel that provides play-along videos for ukulele (https://www.youtube.com/user/DrJillReese). She presents various ukulele workshops nationally for teachers, schools, and community groups. She was awarded the Fredonia College Council Award for Community Engagement for facilitating community ukulele and early childhood music experiences through community-university partnerships. She has completed professional development levels in Orff-Schulwerk (Level I) and Music Learning Theory (Level I and II) and is on faculty with the Gordon Institute for Music Learning. She earned degrees in Music Education from Temple University (Ph.D.), University of Michigan (M.M), and Michigan State University (B.M.) and taught vocal/general music in the public schools of Michigan, and early childhood music in Michigan and Pennsylvania.