Clinicians
2024
Dr. Kelly Miller
Kelly A. Miller is an Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Education at the University of Central Florida where she conducts the SoAl (Soprano/Alto) Chorus, SoAl Ensemble, TeBa (Tenor/Bass) Chorus, and the UCF Community Choir. While at UCF, she has taught introduction to music education, secondary choral methods I and II, music learning theory and assessment, beginning conducting, choral conducting, music and students with exceptionalities, and graduate classes in music education, while coordinating and supervising student teachers through their junior and senior clinical internships. Prior to her appointment at UCF, Miller taught at Western Illinois University as Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education, where she conducted the Concert Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensemble. She conducted the Women’s Glee Club at Michigan State University for three years and taught choral music at the high school level for thirteen years in Michigan, Florida, and Nebraska. While in Orlando, Dr. Miller founded the choral/vocal program at Timber Creek High School, served as District 8 Chair for the Florida Vocal Association, and received her National Board Certification in secondary choral music. Before directing choirs, Miller was a concert band director for grades five through twelve, instructing marching and jazz bands, music theory, and elementary general music in Nebraska.
In addition to her choral directing and teaching, she has maintained a private voice studio and is in demand to lead choral workshops on the choral/instrumental director as voice teacher, assessment, choosing choral repertoire and running effective rehearsals, leadership, creating artistry, student and teacher resiliency, student ownership, communication, and team building. Dr. Miller frequently serves as a clinician and festival adjudicator. She has been invited to conduct regional and state honor choirs and present conference sessions in Portugal, Ireland, North Carolina, Hawaii, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Florida, and Michigan. Dr. Miller has performed at state, divisional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and at the Nebraska Music Educators Association Convention. The Florida American Choral Director Association awarded her the Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Service Award for Dedicated Service, Leadership, and Consistent Examples of Excellence in Choral Music in Florida, the highest award given to a choral director in the state of Florida, and
the Florida Music Educator Association named her the 2022 Collegiate Music Educator of the Year. She is a Past-President of the Florida American Choral Directors Association, and she is a currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Music Director and a member of the professional women’s ensemble, mirabai.
Miller holds the D.M.A. degree in choral conducting from Michigan State University, the M.M. degree in music education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the B.A. degree in music education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Dr. Jennifer Sengin, Ph.D
Jennifer Sengin joins the UMKC Conservatory faculty as Visiting Assistant Professor of Choral Studies where she leads the graduate choral conducting program and conducts the flagship ensemble, Conservatory Singers, and the Choral Union. In addition to ensembles, Dr. Sengin teaches graduate choral conducting and choral literature.
She most recently served as the Associate Director of Choral Activities at Georgia State University (GSU) where she conducted the Treble Choir, Choral Union, and taught graduate choral literature, graduate and undergraduate conducting, and undergraduate choral methods. Dr. Sengin is very passionate about recruiting. While at GSU, the choral program grew from three choirs to five choirs including the creation of two additional choral ensembles.
Under her direction, the GSU Treble Choir (formerly Women’s Chorus) won first place in The American Prize and Dr. Sengin received 2nd place in conducting. The Treble Choir has been invited to perform at a National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference (2023) and twice at the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference (2020 and 2023). While at GSU, Dr. Sengin received two university-wide awards –the 2022-2023 Non-Tenure Track Faculty Achievement Award and the 2021-2022 GSU Instructional Effectiveness Award. Dr. Sengin recently participated as a Conducting Fellow with ACDA’s International Conductor Exchange Program to Germany where she led workshops at the Hochshule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover as well as the Hochshule für Musik, Universität der Künste Berlin.
An active guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and presenter, Dr. Sengin has conducted honor choirs throughout the country and recently conducted the 2023 Texas All-State Treble Choir. Dr. Sengin has presented sessions and served as a panelist at national, regional, and state conferences. She frequently provides presentations on recruiting and retaining singers, score study, rehearsal strategies, movement in the choral rehearsal, repertoire selection, and building community in the choral ensemble. Dr. Sengin currently serves on the National Board of the National Collegiate Choral Organization and was recently elected President-Elect of the Georgia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association where she previously served in the roll of Repertoire and Resource Chair for Youth and Student Activities. She currently serves as the Director of Musical Arts at Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and sings in the award-winning professional ensemble, mirabai, under the direction of Sandra Snow.
Past Clinicians
Dr. Emily Williams Burch
Emily Williams Burch began teaching in 2007, including directing community choirs, teaching in public schools, training in professional development settings, and as a professor at the university level. Currently a Professor of Music at the Savannah College of Art and Design, previously, Burch was the Coordinator of Music Education at the University of South Carolina, Aiken. Dr. Burch is also the Founder/Artistic Director of RISE Chorales (LLC) and RISE Outreach (a 501(c)(3)). Both RISE organizations provide community choirs and music programs to the city of Savannah, GA. Dr. Burch serves as chair for the ACDA National Standing Committee for Advocacy and Collaboration and as a published author, co-wrote “The Business of Choir” in 2022. Catch Dr. Burch on her podcast “Music (ed) Matters” or co-hosting “The Illuminate Podcast” wherever you listen to podcasts or follow her adventures running and pacing marathons at @elevatedrunningandpacing.
Ms. Allyssa Jones
Allyssa Jones (M.M. Music Education, Northern Illinois University) is an award-winning musician and educator whose career spans nearly 30 years in the classroom and on stage. Her artistic credits include five solo recordings, a host of theatre productions as a composer and music director. Her conducting credits include decades as a high school and church choir director, as well as appearances with the Boston Children’s Chorus.
A prolific presenter, adjudicator and clinician, Ms. Jones currently leads sessions nationally on culturally responsive teaching and has presented sessions on vocal jazz, music and literacy, and creative leadership.
Ms. Jones’ served as Program Director for Performing Arts for Boston Public Schools and has held positions with the Institute for Composer Diversity and the NAfME Council for Innovations. She is the Founder of Rising TIde Music Press, and is a member of several professional organizations, including BMI and the African American Jazz Caucus.
Dr. Morgan Jolley, Ph.D
Morgan Jolley earned her Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of South Florida in 2020.
She previously served as Assistant Professor in Music Education at Ithaca College in the Vocal/General area and Interim Director of Choral Studies at the University of South Florida where she conducted the choral ensembles and led the choral music education courses while pursuing her doctorate. Dr. Jolley began her teaching career at the middle school level, and was then tasked with opening a new high school, whose choirs performed on national stages such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and received top ratings at adjudicated choral festivals. Morgan has experience in teaching from the elementary to the university level and beyond with community choirs. She is an active choral clinician, adjudicator, and provides professional development to music educators both nationally and internationally.
She has an MME from Florida State University and a B.S. in Music Education from the University of South Florida. Her research interest is in vocal health and pedagogy across genres, music cognition, curriculum development, the democratization of music education with informal and popular music education in addition to traditional western canon, and student leadership.