Becky Marsh

Becky Marsh is a Ph.D. candidate in music education at Michigan State University, choral conducting cognate. After earning her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), Becky served as a choral music educator in North Carolina. While there, the choral ensembles grew in both size and spirit, performing locally for the community and nationally as a part of the National Youth Choir. She initiated two student-led contemporary a cappella groups as well as a Choral Leadership Council designed to give students ownership and voice in their program.​

Becky served as the Musical Director of Lexington Youth Theatre for three seasons, during which she had the opportunity to work with K-12 students of various backgrounds and to prepare and conduct pit orchestras of varying sizes and instrumentations. She also holds a Master of Music in Music Education and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Theory from UNCG, where she taught beginning guitar, supervised student teachers, and assisted in introductory music education, vocal pedagogy, and choral methods courses.

An active presenter and guest clinician, Becky is a member of the National Association for Music Education, Society for Music Teacher Education, American Choral Director’s Association, Association for Popular Music Education, and the College Music Society. She has taught ukulele, music for elementary education majors, and introductory music education courses during her time at Michigan State, supervised student teachers, and has served as assistant conductor for the Women’s Chamber Ensemble. Additionally, Becky sings and tours as a member of mirabai, a professional women’s ensemble directed by Dr. Sandra Snow.

Becky is a conducting student of Drs. Sandra Snow, David Rayl, and Jonathan Reed. Her research interests include music teacher identity and socialization, students’ acquisition of musicianship skills, and creative musicianship in the ensemble setting. Becky hopes to inspire future music educators to envision and enact a culture of school music education that is inviting to all students, functions as an integral part of the school community, and promotes lifelong engagement with music.

Currently, Becky is completing her dissertation, which examines the intersections of identity and initial field-observation experiences of preservice music teachers. In the fall of 2018, Becky will begin her appointment as Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.