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The College of Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Kelly Parkes who will join our faculty in August 2023. 

“We’re thrilled that—after a comprehensive national and international search—Kelly Parkes has accepted our offer to join the College of Music as associate professor of music education,” says Associate Professor of Music Education David Rickels. “Parkes brings an incredible level of expertise and experience that inform her ideas about course content, research topics and preparing students to be 21st-century music educators. We’re delighted that our students—from bachelor’s to doctoral study—will get the chance to work with her. 

“She also brings an international reputation as a well-regarded and highly published researcher, looking at important and timely issues in our field. She is strongly committed to serving the needs of K-12 teachers and our Colorado community will be stronger for having her be a part of it.”

Originally from Australia, Parkes’ primary research interests are in music and music education assessment; measuring musical learning within K-12 settings and the applied studio; teaching readiness, professional dispositions and reflective practices in pre-service teachers; as well as teaching effectiveness and teaching quality. She served as chair of the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) Society for Research in Music Education (SRME) Assessment Special Research Interest Group. She also co-chaired the national Model Cornerstone Assessment research project in partnership with NAfME and served on its Music Teacher Evaluation Taskforce. 

Parkes appreciates the legacy of Professor of Music Education James Austin, her esteemed predecessor who will retire this year. “I’m very much looking forward to joining the faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music,” she says. “I’m honored to continue in the footsteps of Professor James Austin and work with the outstanding music education faculty in an environment of inclusive excellence.” 

Parkes was elected to the International Trumpet Guild Board of Directors (2015-19) and was awarded the Lowell Mason Fellow award (2018) by the National Association for Music Education for her leadership in music education. She served on the editorial committee for the Journal for Research in Music Education (2014-2020) and currently serves on the review boards of the Music Educators Journal and the Research Studies for Music Education journal; she’s also a member of the NAfME Society for Research in Music Education’s Executive Board. Additionally, Parkes’ co-authored books—“Developing and applying assessments in the music classroom” (2020) and “Applying model cornerstone assessments in K–12 music: A research-supported approach” (2018)—serve as models for classroom music educators and resources for music teacher educators.

“I'm grateful for the opportunity to get to know the City of Boulder and the ���������� Boulder campus,” adds Parkes. “I know I’ll enjoy collaborating with students, staff and faculty across the university.”

Welcome, Kelly Parkes!