A Historical View of Women

"Throughout American history women have taught music in their homes and communities, but women's experiences are missing from the historical narrative," (Howe, p. 1)

Notably missing from Howe's narrative are Black, Brown, and Indigenous women.

This presentation will attempt to include BIPOC women who made an impact on American Music Education, though not mentioned in Howe's paper.

Women founded music schools, wrote hymns, translated texts, and published songbooks in the late 19th and early 20th century

Julia Ettie Crane

Found-ed
the Crane School of Music in 1886.....

Julia Ettie Crane

• Expanded the music program at Potsdam Normal School.
• Believed in teacher education that included music education.
• The Crane School of Music was the first institution to train music supervisors.

Mary Stanley Shindler

Published many popular songbooks

translated Praktischer Lehrgang which would become the basis for Mason's National Music Course

Anna B. Warner

Composer of Hymns and Childrens songs, most notably "Jesus Loves Me"

Frances Jane Crosby

Blind from a very young age, "Aunt Fanny" wrote over 8,000 hymns (texts and some music) and 1,000 secular poems

Harriet Gibbs Marshall

Founded the Washing-ton Conservat-ory of Music and School of Expression in 1903......

Harriet Gibbs Marshall

• First African-American student to graduate from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
• Established a National music center for the study and preservation of African-American music.

Frances Elliot Clark

Established Music Supervisors' National Conference 1907, later became MENC (now NAfME)

Worked with RCA and promoted the use of recordings in public schools

Zitkála-Šá

Writer, Musician, Educator, Translat-or, and Political Activist

Zitkála-Šá (Red Bird)

• Born on the Yankton Reservation in South Dakota
• Educated at White's Manual Labor Institute where she would later teach music
• Studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston
• Taught music at the Carlisle Industrial School in Pennsylvania
• Co-founded the National Council of American Indians with her husband
• Wrote extensively: articles outlining the effects of assimilation education of Indigenous Americans, stories, legends and poems of Sioux, Lakota, and Ute, and writings promoting womens' rights

Zitkála-Šá (Red Bird)

• Co-founded the National Council of American Indians with her husband
• Wrote extensively: articles outlining the effects of assimilation education of Indigenous Americans, stories, legends and poems of Sioux, Lakota, and Ute, and writings promoting womens' rights

Birdie Alexander

A founding member of MSNC (MENC),
Music Supervisor in Texas who formed the Texas State Teacher's Association

Alice Carey Inskeep

Founding member of MSNC (MENC)

Music supervisor in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Taught at Iowa State Normal School, Coe College, and summer Institutes.

Elsie Shawe

Supervisor of music in the public schools of St. Paul, MN

Involved with the music program at St. Mary's Catholic Church in St. Paul for over 60 years.
Founder of St. Paul's Schubert Club
Active in the NEA Department of Music and MSNC

Nora Holt

First African-American student to earn a masters degree in the United States.


Co-founder of a national association for African-American musicians.

Nora Holt

• Taught music in Los Angeles for several years while attending the University of Southern California
• Produced and directed "Nora Holt's Musical Showcase", a radio show running from 1953-1964
• Prolific composer and singer
• Highly influential figure in the Harlem Renaissance

Mabelle Glenn

MSNC President
Published books on music appreciation, psychology, and edited a textbook series published by Ginn

Lilla Belle Pitts

MSNC President
Wrote extensively on the importance of patriotic music, appreciation of folk music, and promoted strong relationships between musicology and music education.

Marguerite Vivian Hood

MENC President
First woman chairperson of the editorial board of the Music Educators Journal

Undine Smith Moore

"The Dean of Black Women Composers"

Music Supervisor in the public schools of Goldsboro, North Carolina

Undine Smith Moore

• Co-founded the Black Music Center at Virginia State College
• Taught piano and theory at multiple colleges and universities
• Awarded an honorary doctorate by Indian University
• prolific composer, particularly of spiritual arrangements but also of art song and instrumental music

Zenobia Powell Perry

Studied Education at the Tuskegee Institute under William Dawson
Taught First Grade for many years and later taught at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Mentee of Eleanor Roosevelt, who helped to fund Powell's graduate studies

Zenobia Powell Perry

• Composer-in-residence and faculty member at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio
• Prolific composer and activist
• Cultural Arts Award for outstanding contributions in the field of Music Education, National Afro-American Museum, Wilberforce, Ohio.

Margaret Bonds

Opened the Allied Arts Academy in Chicago, 1937

Margaret Bonds

• Composed operas, solo vocal works, choral works, and instrumental pieces
• Worked tirelessly to advance the opportunities of Black musicians and composers
• Active in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement

Women in MENC/NAfME Leadership in the late 20th/early 21st century

Dorothy Straub 92-94

Carolynn Lindeman 96-98

June Hinckley 98-00

Lynn Brinckmeyer '06-'08

Barbara Geer '08-'10

Nancy Ditmer
'12-'14
Denese Odegaard '16-'18
Kathleen Sanz '18-'20

Nancy Ditmer
'12-'14


Denese Odegaard '16-'18


Kathleen Sanz '18-'20

Of Note

• Women continue to be the majority in terms of representation in the music education field as a whole, yet are underrepresented in leadership positions.
• A higher concentration of women than men are employees of the Silver Burdett music textbook series, yet women in music are significantly underrepresented in the pages of the series books.

Of Note

• As of 2021, both MENC/NAfME membership and leadership continues it's trend of being overwhelmingly white and not representative of the racial diversity present in our U.S. schools and institutions.

Untitled Slide