Researcher - Educator - Flutist
Repertoire, Representation, & Requirement: Programming Patterns in High School Band Music Performance Assessments (2021-2025)
This study examined repertoire selection in Florida, Missouri, and Texas (2021–2025) and potential relationships with music performance assessment structures and the identities of high school band directors. Results show persistent overrepresentation of White men and limited programming of marginalized composers, suggesting systemic influences and the need for structural reform.
Presentation: National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Conference - Long Beach, CA (October 2026)
Research Assistants
Matthew Huang - Leah Kang - Riona Eunjae Kim - Josephine Mascarenhas - Madeline Nguyen - Konner Scott
Research Team
Dr. Steven Morrison
Dr. Mark Montemayor
Xincheng Lu
The Relationship of Conductor-Ensemble Congruity with Recognition Memory for Instrumental Music
We examined the relationship between congruence of conductor (visual) and ensemble (audio) components of music performance and retention of musical information. Across two studies (N = 150), we tested recognition memory for music excerpts presented with matched/mismatched conductor video, predicting incongruent audio/video information will result in diminished memory accuracy.
Poster: National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Conference - Long Beach, CA (October 2026)
Poster: Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC) Conference - Evanston, Illinois (July 2026)
Teaching Multilingual Learners in Music Ensembles
Music educators are often charged with teaching multilingual learners in choral and instrumental music settings, yet very few resources exist to support instruction in ensemble environments. In this session, participants will explore the related, but limited, research on multilingual instruction in music, as well as the broader language learning literature, which includes applications from language arts, math, science, and other content areas. At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will have learned specific, practical strategies to be used in any music classroom, but with ensembles in particular.
Clinic: The Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) Annual Conference - Baltimore, MD (February 2026)
Clinic: The Illinois Music Education Association( (ILMEA) Annual Conference - Peoria, Illinois (January 2026) - Conference Center
Clinic: The Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) Annual Conference - Peoria, Illinois (January 2026) - Embassy Suites
The Repertoire Selection Process of High School Band Directors
How and why do high school band directors select repertoire? Krantz and Kunreuther’s (2023) Process-Oriented Schema for Constructed choice, a context-dependent model of decision-making, may carry explanatory potential for the programming process. A recent collective instrumental case study of three Maryland directors used semi-structured interviews, a values-ranking activity, and an analysis of program content to uncover the circumstantial factors, values, and biases that influence director choice. Findings aligned with the potential theoretical model, which will be further examined through future projects to confirm and extend applicability across varied contexts. The model could inform instructional approaches in collegiate music education programs and contribute to structural adjustments within state music educator associations.
Poster: The Illinois Music Education Association Annual Conference - Peoria, Illinois (January 2026)
Presentation: Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Music Education Conference - East Lansing, MI (September 2026)
Research Team
The Initial Teaching Experiences of Preservice Music Educators
The purpose of this multiple-case self-study was to replicate and expand upon a previous study in order to uncover information about the lived experiences of undergraduate students during their music pre-student teaching sequence. This research was led by Dr. Dana Arbaugh Varona and completed by six undergraduate co-researchers and participants.
Poster: The Symposium for Music Teacher Education (SMTE) - Minneapolis, MN (September 2017)
Dr. Dana Arbaugh Varona
Alexandra Gilbert Rudy, Alexis Kalivretenos, Brian Starace (left to right)
Other Projects
Presentation: “Engaging and motivating the music student through need fulfillment” at The Anne Arundel County Public Schools Music In-Service Day - Edgewater, MD (August 2023)
Presentation: “Disengaged and unmotivated: The ensemble student post COVID-19” at The Maryland Music Educators Association Fall In-Service Conference - Ijamsville, MD (October 2022)
Presentation: “High school instrumental post-pandemic instruction and assessment” with Mrs. Theresa Bange at The Anne Arundel County Public Schools Music In-Service Day - Annapolis, MD (August 2021)