Erin Zaffini
Dr. Erin Zaffini is the Director of Teacher Education for Longy School of Music’s online and on-campus Master of Music Education degrees, online Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies, and Teacher Continuing Education. She is also a faculty member of Carnegie Hall’s Music Educators Workshop and has been a guest workshop clinician for Music ConstructED. As a curriculum specialist in teaching music to students through the lens of Universal Design for Learning and the areas of access, equity, and inclusion in music education, Erin is an active clinician and educational consultant for school districts and fine and performing arts departments around the world. She has served as the Eastern Division Representative for NAfME’s General Music Council and as the Collegiate Coordinator, General Music Chair, and Mentor Program Coordinator for the New Hampshire Music Educators Association. In addition, she sits on the Advisory Committee for the Music Educators Journal. Erin is a proud partner and collaborator with the United Nations through her work at Longy School of Music as well as her role on Zero Project’s international Inclusive Arts Council. Erin is an instructional coach for music educators and administrators and is the project leader for instituting national music educator mentor training within the Society for Music Teacher Education and the National Association for Music Education. She has developed and enacted numerous music educator mentoring and induction programs and is currently the Director of the New Arts Teacher Mentoring Network for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She is the recipient of the Keene State College Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Performance Awards. She has recently published articles in General Music Today, Music Educators Journal, Qualitative Research in Music Education, and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. During her free time, Erin enjoys exploring the great outdoors with her husband (Matt) and two sons (Matty and Aiden), running, biking, and watching nostalgic movies from the 1980s and 1990s.
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eBooks by Erin Zaffini
Posts by Erin Zaffini
Music By the People, For the People of Palestine
Established in 1993, the Edward Said National Conservatory of [...]
Research to Practice: Standards-Based Instruction
Consider what we are intentionally or unintentionally saying we value based on what we cover with our students throughout their time in our classrooms. And, just like that, a conversation about standards-based instruction has entered the chat.
Affirmation and Celebration: the F-flat Grammy Nominees
The Grammys have long been associated with all the [...]
Research to Practice: Self-Care is More Than Finding Your “Why”
I was speaking with a student teacher about experiencing burnout symptoms and why finding their preferred self-care practices is important. In our discussion, I had mentioned that the most commonly stated piece of advice (whether given as real advice or delivered with an eye roll) is to remember your “why.” Our discussion was helpful, but I realized that the field of teaching can be just as rewarding as it is prickly.
Let’s Play! Supporting the Creative Process in Music Class
Change and Growth I'm back. It has been a while. [...]
Three Ways to Build Connection with Students During the First Month of School
What do you do during the first month of [...]