Professor
Music Education
Contact Information
Cogswell Hall 208
Courses
General/Choral Methods
Pre-Student Teaching I and II
Student Teaching Observation
Degrees
EdD, University of Illinois
MME, University of Illinois
BM, Millikin University
Biography
Laura Fergusonis an associate professor of music education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. A native of Illinois, she earned a BM in music education from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and the MME and EdD from the University of Illinois.
Ferguson is a specialist in general music with particular research interests in children's expressive movements to music, the use of vernacular musics in classrooms, and practical applications of technology use. Before coming to IUP, she taught elementary general music, beginning strings, elementary and middle school band, and high school extracurricular choral ensembles at schools in Central Illinois. Ferguson's interest in jazz, technology, and all things that are general music continues to play an important role in her teaching, both at IUP and in workshops across the country. Her innovative use of technology in the classroom was recognized by a faculty teaching award during her first year at IUP and continues to be a vital aspect of her teaching.
She is a frequent clinician for the International Association of Jazz Educators, where she presents at international conferences, as well as serving as a faculty member of IAJE's Teacher Training Institute. Ferguson is in frequent demand for MENC national and regional conferences, having presented workshops and guest lectures in Minnesota, Florida, Kansas, Delaware, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, and Nevada.
Ferguson frequently writes on the use of technology and vernacular music in the classroom, the reflective process of teaching, and applications of research in general music classrooms. Her articles have been published in Music Educators Journal, General Music Today, Journal for Historical Research in Music Education, Mountain Lake Reader, and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education.
Here at IUP, Ferguson teaches methods courses for music majors and elementary education majors, teaches graduate classes for master students in music education, and supervises thesis work and student teaching. A former Down-Beat award winner for "Best Collegiate Vocal Jazz Recording," she continues to perform regularly in the immediate area with Ferguson and Friends jazz combo. When not teaching, she enjoys gardening, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Links
Late to the Party (album)