Dr. Becky Halliday, Associate Professor, teaches courses in teacher preparation and music education. Prior to this appointment, she taught elementary general music in Georgia and Mississippi for 17 years, and has led workshops and clinics throughout the Southeast. Dr. Halliday currently teaches Pre-K – 6th grade elementary general music in Randolph, AL, as well as a free musicianship class for K-5 students through the UM Community School of Music. 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 to her teaching responsibilities, she has presented research findings at regional, national, and international conferences in the areas of teacher preparation, sociology, arts integration, and music with special learners. In addition, she has served as a clinician for elementary music workshops and honor choirs throughout the Southeast. She served on the Editorial Board of the Music Educators Journal and has publications in state and national journals. 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 unpacking the 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 on the Board of Directors of OAKE and the Council of General Music Education for NAfME. 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 the Orff-Schulwerk Approach through the University of Kentucky and the Kodály Concept through the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute.
