Dr. George Nicholson joins our faculty as Lecturer of String Music Education this fall (2023). He teaches courses in conducting, curriculum and assessment, and instrumental methods, and additionally leads the Camerata Chamber Orchestra.
Dr. Nicholson received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami, Florida and his master’s degree from the University of Georgia, Athens. In 2020, he completed his doctoral degree in music education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he was a Florence K. Geffen fellow under Dr. Randall E. Allsup. He credits the nature of his career to a vibrant team of public school music teachers in Ridgewood, New Jersey, who not only provided deeply meaningful creative experiences, but also connected him to rich musical training at the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Program.
Dr. Nicholson had the privilege of teaching orchestra in Cobb County, Georgia at the middle school and high school levels to wonderful, passionate, and thoughtful students. During his time there, the program produced award-winning performances, became actively involved in the local community, and engaged in creative musical projects. Since then, George shifted to music teacher education, holding positions at the University of New Mexico, Teachers College Columbia University, and Ithaca College. Additionally, he has stayed active with K-12 teaching through conducting posts at the Albuquerque Youth Orchestra and Interstate Orchestras of New York, as well as guest conducting and adjudicating festivals and honor orchestras around the country. On the side, George performs on bass with the Queer Urban Orchestra of New York City.
The research interests of Dr. Nicholson center on the relationship of educational philosophies to pedagogical practice. While he examines this through a variety of topics, many projects focus on multi-style string pedagogy and its implementation in public school orchestra classes. His research has been published in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, Arts Education Policy Review, International Journal of Education & the Arts, American String Teacher Journal, and the Oxford Handbook of Music Teacher Education. Dr. Nicholson has presented at both the national and international level at conferences such as American String Teachers Association, Research in Music Education, New Directions in Music Education, International Society for Music Education, and the International Society for the Philosophy of Music Education.