Dr. Becky Halliday

Dr. Becky Halliday is a professor of music at the University of Montevallo, where she teaches courses in music education and teacher preparation. Prior to her appointment at UM, she taught elementary general music in Georgia and Mississippi. Dr. Halliday is currently serving as a volunteer in Bibb County, teaching Pre-K – 6^th grade elementary general music at Randolph Elementary School. She has been the recipient of notable awards, including the Distinguished Teacher Award for the University of Montevallo College of Fine Arts and the Lacey Powell Outstanding Music Educator Award for the Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA).

In addition, Dr. Halliday has led elementary music workshops related to the Kodály Concept, the Orff Schulwerk Approach, curriculum and instruction, arts integration, and basic conducting. Her presentations have been featured in state and national conferences and workshops. She has also served as clinician for children’s choirs in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, including the AMEA Elementary Honor Choir. As a scholar, she has publications in state and national journals and has presented at conferences across the country including the NAfME Research Symposium, the Mountain Lake Colloquium, and the American Educational Research Association Conference. Her work on the committee to revise the 2006 Alabama Course of Studies for Fine Arts has since led her to conduct presentations across the state to assist teachers in understanding and applying the 2017 state standards.

Dr. Halliday is the founding director of the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute (UMKI), a teacher training course that is endorsed by the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE), and a co-Director of the University of Montevallo Young Musicians’ Camp. In addition, she has served in leadership positions with the Sweet Home Alabama Kodály Educators (SHAKE) chapter of OAKE and the Higher Education Division of AMEA. Currently, she serves as Southern Division Representative for NAfME’s Council of General Music Education. She earned her Ph.D. in Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi and both her MMEd and BMUS from The University of Georgia. She holds certifications in both the Orff-Schulwerk Approach through the University of Kentucky and the Kodály Concept through the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute.