Julie Scott, Ph.D.

Dr. Julie Scott is professor of practice and co-chair of Music Education at SMU, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in elementary and choral music education. She earned a Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, as well as a Master of Music in Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from SMU.

Prior to teaching at the college level, Scott taught elementary music and choir in Texas schools for 18 years and held the position as elementary music coordinator in Richardson ISD for two years. In addition, she served as director of the 100-voice Lewisville 5^th Grade Honor Choir for seven years. During the years she worked in public schools, four of her elementary groups — two choirs, an Orff ensemble, and a recorder ensemble — were invited to perform for the Texas Music Educators Clinic/Convention.

Scott has taught summer Orff Schulwerk courses to adults at eight universities over the past 30 years and has presented over 200 conference sessions and workshops in 42 states, including at the National Association for Music Education, the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, the Organization of American Kodály Educators, the Texas Music Educators Association and many other state Music Educators Associations, Orff chapters, and school districts throughout the U.S. In addition, she has presented at international music conferences and teaching venues in Australia, Canada, Germany, Scotland, Greece, China, Italy and Thailand. Scott is a past president of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association and founder/director of SMU Music Educators Workshops.

Scott was the 2024 recipient of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. She received the Award of Merit from Mu Phi Epsilon and lifetime Honorary Membership in the American Orff-Schulwerk Association.

Scott’s research interests include singing in Orff Schulwerk, vocal modeling and children’s pitch-matching ability. She authored a chapter titled “Musical Engagement Through Classroom Instruments,” which was published in 2018 in Engaging Musical Practices (Suzanne L. Burton and Alison M. Reynolds, editors). Scott has published articles in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education; the Orff Echo, the Southwestern Musician; Reverberations; and General Music Today.