Dean Betty Anne Younker is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Patrick Schmidt as Chair of Music Education and Associate Professor (tenured) at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University.
Long regarded for its highly acclaimed music education program, the Faculty welcomes the addition of Dr. Schmidt to chair the department with his international expertise and experience.
He comes to Western from Florida International University where he is Associate Professor of Music Education and Associate Director of the School of Music.
Before his appointment in Florida, Dr. Schmidt served as Associate Professor at the Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, U.S. While at Westminster, Dr. Schmidt founded and taught for five years at the Westminster Academy, the laboratory school of the music education department established through a partnership with the Princeton Public Schools.
Dr. Schmidt received his PhD. in Urban Education with a focus on Social Theory and Policy from Temple University. He holds two master’s degrees from Westminster Choir College, in vocal pedagogy and music education. His Bachelor of Music in Education and Performance was earned at the University of Rio de Janeiro.
Dr. Schmidt’s work has been presented and published nationally and internationally. In 2012, he co-edited with his wife, Cathy Benedict a special issue of the education journal Theory into Practice as well as the National Society for the Study of Education, the latter of which was published in June 2012 by Teachers College Press.
He also edited the summer 2013 issue of Arts Education Policy Review which focuses on “Cosmopolitanism and Policy: A Pedagogical Framework for Global Issues in Music Education.” Dr. Schmidt is co-editing the Oxford Handbook on Social Justice and Music Education, with Dr. Benedict, Gary Spruce and Paul Woodford, also at Western. Dr. Schmidt is currently working on a single-authored book on Policy and Music Education for Oxford University Press.
Dr. Benedict will also join the Don Wright Faculty of Music. She has an EdD and Master of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University; Master of Music Education with an emphasis on Kodaly, Holy Names College; Level III Orff Certification; Choral Music Experience [Conducting], Doreen Rao, Ill.
Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Benedict will begin at Western in July 2015.
Dr. Schmidt:
Dr. Benedict:
