Dr. Adrian Davis Appointed Assistant Professor of Music Education
The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities School of Music is thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Adrian Davis as an Assistant Professor of Music Education. Davis is currently a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Music where he also directs the Gospel Choir, a popular and quickly growing ensemble that includes students majoring in disciplines from across the University of Minnesota. He is also currently serving as the President of the Minnesota Music Educators Association, an organization that supports Music Education and Music Educators across the state. Additionally, Davis is the music and arts programs facilitator to Minneapolis Public Schools.
“Dr. Davis is a passionate educator and advocate for equity and inclusiveness in music,” says Patrick Warfield, Director of the School of Music. “His dissertation on the underrepresentation of African American faculty at predominantly White institutions, completed right here at the U, has already made an impact on the field, and as a member of our faculty he will help us do even better as we harness the power of music to manifest the change we all seek in the world.”
Bio
Dr. Adrian Davis is the director of the University of Minnesota Gospel Choir and postdoctoral professor of music education at the University of Minnesota. He is also the music program facilitator for Minneapolis Public Schools. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Memphis and his Master of Music from the University of Saint Thomas. He earned his Ph.D. in music education at the University of Minnesota,Twin Cities. Dr. Davis has been featured as a conductor, clinician, and research presenter throughout the United States, including at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2017, the Big Ten Academic Alliance Music Education Conference at the University of Iowa in 2019, the Desert Skies Music Research Symposium at Arizona State University in 2021, and the NAfME Music Research and Teacher Education Conference in 2021. He was nominated for Grammy Music Educator of the Year in 2014, 2016, and 2018. In 2017, he was nominated finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Dr. Davis is the current President of the Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA) and an active member of theNational Association for Music Education (NAfME). He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the Minority Band Directors National Association (MBDNA). Dr. Davis is an active musician, producer, and songwriter. He owns Divers Music, a music production company which he founded in 2008.
Photo Credits: Eric Miller/University of Minnesota
