Meet Our Orff Summer Institute Faculty

Ellen Koziel – Basic, Level I

Ellen Koziel is currently an instructor at Rhodes College where she directs the Women's Chorus. She also serves as Assistant Minster of Music at Church of the Holy Communion in Memphis. An experienced Orff-Schulwerk music teacher, Dr. Koziel served as a mentor teacher for Shelby County Schools and was a member of the development team and peer reviewer for the Tennessee Fine Arts Teacher Evaluation Portfolio. Ellen received her National Board Certification in 2005 and was given the Rotary Award for Teacher Excellence in 2007. She has taught Level I, Level II and recorder at the University of Memphis training course as well as recorder for the Gwinnett County course near Atlanta. She was the first General Music Chairperson for the Tennessee Music Education Association where she proposed, developed and chaired the first Tennessee Treble Choir event. While president of the West Tennessee General Music Education Association in 1993, she spearheaded the establishment of the West Tennessee Festival Chorus.

Dena Byers – Level II

Dena Byers teaches K-5 music with the Durham Public Schools, in Durham, North Carolina and also serves as the Lead Elementary Music Teacher for the district. She assists in the coordination of district events and professional development for her colleagues. Dena is also the Artistic Director of the Durham Children's Choir. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut and her Master's degree from the University of Minnesota. A National Board Certified teacher since 2005, Dena has presented at several AOSA Professional Development Conferences as well as for Orff chapters across the country. She served as a Region IV Representative on the AOSA National Board of Trustees from 2006-2009. She has taught Level I basic pedagogy in Orff Schulwerk courses at Southern Methodist University in Texas, Samford University in Alabama, Baker University in Kansas, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, she has conducted All-State Honor Choirs in Mississippi and Tennessee as well as several all-county honors choruses in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Florida and was the recipient of the 2010 Jackson Parkhurst award as an outstanding North Carolina Music Educator.

Michael Chandler - Basic, Level III

Originally from McKenzie, TN, Michael Chandler is an Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Education at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. Michael taught music and movement to elementary school children in Texas public schools for 16 years, most of them in the Lewisville Independent School District, where he was named Teacher of the Year at two campuses. In 2005, 2007, and 2013 his student ensembles were selected to perform at the TMEA Clinic and Convention in San Antonio. Michael has presented conference sessions and workshops in 38 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Australia. He has taught in AOSA-approved Orff Schulwerk teacher education courses at Southern Methodist University, the University of Central Arkansas, the Hartt School, Oregon State University, the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), the University of Memphis, Austin Peay State University, and Education Through Music in New York City. He is a past-president of the North Texas Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA) and served as a Regional Representative on the AOSA National Board of Trustees. Michael was a collaborative pianist with the Children's Chorus of Greater Dallas (CCGD) for 10 years and the organist and pianist at Round Grove United Church (UCC) in Lewisville for 17 years. He is the author of Everyday Recorder, Recorder Everyday!, an Orff Schulwerk approach to integrating recorder into the general music classroom. His publications have also been featured in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, The Orff Echo, and Southwestern Musician. Michael earned the Bachelor of Music degree in music education from Union University in Jackson, TN; the Master of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville; the Master of Arts degree in music education from the University of St. Thomas in MN; and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in music education from the University of North Texas.

Ashley Brown Woodside, Movement, Levels I, II, III

Ashley Brown Woodside is dedicated to exploring the interplay of creative dance instruction and music education. She is an accomplished dancer and saxophone player with a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Syracuse University and a Master’s in Liberal Studies from Manhattanville College. She completed her Orff Schulwerk Levels at the San Francisco International Orff Course. Ashley has been an approved Teacher Educator in Movement Levels I - III, instructing at summer Orff levels courses since 2013. Her articles on elemental movement have been published in The Orff Echo. In addition to presenting workshops to school systems and chapters nationally and abroad, Ashley leads a Montessori Lower Elementary generaleducation class, teaches 3-12-year-old children Music & Movement, and provides private woodwind instruction at The Tidewater School in Maryland.

Allen Moody - Recorder, Levels I, II, and III

Allen Moody is the Orff Music specialist at Idlewild Elementary where he teaches music to kindergarten through fifth grade students. Under his direction, the Idlewild Recorder Ensemble has performed at the 2014 AOSA National Conference in Nashville, TN and at the TNMEA state conference. Allen is an active member in the Memphis Chapter of AOSA and is a past president. He received his Master’s of Music in Music Education from the University of Memphis in December 2018. Allen completed his Orff certification in 2012 at the University of Memphis. His recorder instructors have included Ellen Koziel and Carol King. He serves on the Executive Board for Summer at the Scheidt, through the University of Memphis, pioneering their inaugural Elementary Music Camp this summer.

BethAnn Hepburn

BethAnn Hepburn, M.A. Music Education, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. BethAnn teaches general music and choir for Streetsboro City Schools. She is a frequent presenter for AOSA chapters and state conferences and has presented internationally in China, Singapore, Scotland, Spain, and Malaysia. BethAnn is the music mentor for the Ohio Department of Education Fine Arts Cohort for new teachers and serves as the Ohio Music Education Association’s Professional Development Chair for General Music. She is a former National Board Member for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association and serves on the AOSA Digital Mentorship committee. BethAnn is co-author of Purposeful Pathways: Possibilities for the Elementary Music Classroom Books 1 -4. BethAnn is a Ph. D. candidate in Music Education at Kent State University.

Masterclass - TBA