Elizabeth Hankins

Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Hankins is a distinguished music educator, conductor, and innovator who earned her Ph.D. in Music Education from Case Western Reserve University in 2017. A visionary leader in string education, she has spent over three decades transforming orchestral programs and inspiring the next generation of musicians.

Dr. Hankins dedicated 36 years to the Lakewood City Schools, where she orchestrated an extraordinary legacy of growth. When she began her tenure in 1990, the high school housed a single orchestra; by her retirement, she had expanded the program into a thriving ecosystem of six distinct ensembles. Her comprehensive teaching career spanned from foundational beginning strings and middle school orchestras to directing elite high school ensembles. At Lakewood High School, she directed the Chamber, Symphony, Camerata, Philharmonia, and String Orchestras, alongside the Four Seasons String Quartet. Blending tradition with groundbreaking innovation, Dr. Hankins also co-founded and directed "The Lakewood Project," a pioneering electric rock orchestra that redefined the boundaries of high school string performance. Beyond the podium, she enriched her students' musicality by teaching comprehensive music theory and class piano.

Her profound impact on music education has earned her some of the highest accolades in the country. A finalist for the prestigious Grammy Music Educator of the Year award in 2017, Dr. Hankins was also twice honored with the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award (2013, 2015), an elite distinction presented to just 50 teachers nationwide. Her accolades further include being named the American String Teacher of the Year for the State of Ohio (2002–2003) and receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award from both the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Baldwin Wallace University in 2013—the institutions where she earned her B.Mus. Ed and M.A. Ed, respectively.

On the national stage, Dr. Hankins is a prominent voice in professional leadership and pedagogy. She serves as the Orchestra Affairs Chair for the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) and is a recent member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Orchestra Council. A sought-after guest clinician, she frequently presents her insights at OMEA and national conventions, shaping orchestral education across the country.