Hunter March, professor of music education in the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, has been appointed associate dean for arts education in the College of Fine Arts, effective Sept. 1.
Statewide and national leadership in arts education research and teaching, with an emphasis on teacher training, is one of four core objectives in the College of Fine Arts’ mission and strategic plan. The newly created deanship and this appointment reflect the college’s commitment to making fine arts education and teacher training a daily priority.
March has been teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in music education in the Butler School of Music for 31 years, and has been the graduate adviser in the music school for 17 years. He is also author of three music textbooks published by Silver Burdett Ginn, which have been adopted in Texas and are widely used throughout the United States. He has held leadership roles as an officer of the Music Educators National Conference and the Texas Music Educators Association. March has presented workshops for public schools throughout the United States at national, state and regional conferences, and for the Department of Defense Overseas Dependent Schools. He been chair of the Society for General Music and vice president of the Texas Music Educators Association.
“Professor March is eminently well-qualified to fill this deanship,” said Douglas Dempster, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “Arts education is a vital part of the college’s public service to the State of Texas. Arguably, it’s the most urgent commitment we can make to perpetuating the art forms and disciplines to which the College of Fine Arts is dedicated.”
March was inspired by the education reform movement of the 1960s and began his career as an award-winning middle school teacher in the schools of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. While teaching in the Ann Arbor public schools, his choirs performed for the Music Educators National Conference and with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony and the University of Michigan choirs. He was recognized as the statewide Music Teacher of the Year and has more recently received The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Fine Arts Teaching Excellence Award.
“I am excited about Dean Dempster’s commitment to fine arts education studies and share his vision for The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Fine Arts becoming a leading national center in fine arts teacher education,” said March. “I’m honored and thrilled to accept this new position and greatly look forward to working with our talented education faculty as we journey toward realizing this magnificent mandate together.”
