Three students will see their articles published in the upcoming Fall 2022 issue of Georgia Music News, a music education magazine.
As part of their final project in a master’s level course in academic writing, Dr. Patrick Freer simply gave students the task “to brainstorm areas of research interest, including ‘I’d like to know more about…’ topics.” Students presented their ideas and found that many of them overlapped, which in turn created writing pairs. After completing their assignment, their articles were submitted to the publication and have been chosen to be published.
This fall, you will see Ansley Cook & Asia Lloyd’s article: No Longer the Few: Leadership Strategies for Female Band Directors, Christopher Massie & TJ Primer’s: Breaking Barriers: Utilizing Informal Learning Practices to Foster a Culturally Responsive Choral Classroom and Glen Perdew & Phu Vu’s: Beyond Performing: Alternative Music Jobs of Three Portfolio Musicians published. Congratulations to all involved!
Click here to read the published articles.
Learn More About the Students
TJ Primer earned a BM in Music Education from Georgia State University in 2019. His vocal performance experience includes over 15 years of church choir singing, two of which he served as a pianist and worship leader at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Mt. Airy, GA. He was paid choral scholar at Druid Hills Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. TJ currently serves as the chorus teacher at Floyd Middle School in Mableton, GA. He relishes every opportunity to teach new students of all ages, seeking to instill a passion for music and vocal performance.
Glen Perdew is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Master of Music degree in Music Education. As a Mercer Scholar at GSU, Mr. Perdew fully developed a teaching unit on songwriting which will be published by the Johnny Mercer Foundation. His research focuses on alternative non-performing careers for portfolio musicians. Mr. Perdew is a general music teacher at Tara Elementary School in Clayton County. He has 18 years of public school teaching experience. Mr. Perdew is also a bandleader, keyboardist and vocalist.
Asia Lloyd is the current band and general music teacher at Columbia Middle School (Dekalb County). She was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga, and began her musical journey as a student in Dekalb County. Ms. Lloyd is a graduate of Florida A&M University, where she served as both principal flutist in the FAMU Wind Symphony and piccolo co-section leader in the Incomparable Marching 100 before obtaining her B.S in Music Education. She is currently pursuing an MM degree in Music Education from Georgia State University.
Ansley Cook is a graduate student in music education at Georgia State University. Ansley has six years of experience teaching middle school band between Gwinnett and Dekalb Counties, and she has been a woodwind clinician in the Atlanta area since 2012. She has also worked with local youth organizations teaching private lessons, musical theater, and coaching soccer. At GSU, her research focus is on the community reconciliation capabilities of school performance ensembles, specifically in communities with high racial tension. Ansley’s upbringing in the Atlanta area combined with a passion for youth activity informs her studies in music education and community building.
Christopher Massie is an Orff certified music teacher and chorus director at Esther Jackson Elementary school in Fulton county. He is also the director of music at The Church at Ponce & Highland in Atlanta. Christopher received both his BMU and MMU from Georgia State University in music education where he focused his research on culturally responsive pedagogy and the national standards. Other professional accomplishments include completion of John Feierabend’s First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege certifications.
Phu Vu is a native of Saigon, Vietnam. He graduated with his BM from Saigon University in 2018. Vietnam, Vu was a music teacher, collaborative pianist, and professional music producer. He worked at various school levels and in Vietnam’s music entertainment industry. Vu entered the United States in 2019 and earned his MM in music education at Georgia State University in 2022. At GSU, Vu created a piano curriculum focused on teaching piano skills through American Popular Music of the early 1900s. Vu performed with GSU Panther Band in 2022’s Rose Parade 2022. Vu teaches music at St. Peter Claver Regional Catholic School in Decatur.