About Alice
Dr. Alice Hammel, is a widely known music educator, author, and a Conn-Selmer clinician with diverse experience in music. As a disability specialist in music, she has vast experience teaching instrumental and choral music in public and private schools and travels to serve as in-residence scholar in the area of students with differences and disabilities. Her expertise in teaching situations ranges from musicianship, pedagogy, teaching students who learn differently, and is an avid proponent of Music Will and the Modern Band movement.
She has co-authored five texts: Universal Design for Learning in Music Education, Teaching Music to Students with Differences and Disabilities: A Label-free Approach (third edition), Teaching Music to Students with Autism (second edition), Winding It Back: Teaching to Individual Differences in Music Classroom and Ensemble Settings, and Teaching Music to Students with Differences and Disabilities: A Practical Resource (second edition) available through Oxford University Press.
Notable Achievements and Initiatives
- Served as a member of the Teacher Education and Editorial Board Committees for the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE)
- 2023 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Lowell Mason Fellow
- Virginia Music Educator Association Outstanding Educator (2018)
- Awarded Shenandoah University Alumnae of Excellence Award (2016)
- Awarded James Madison University award celebrating her years of scholarship and service dedicated to the inclusion of all students in music education (2017)
- Former-President of the Virginia Music Educators Association
- Involved in John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Workshops
- Served on the committee for the Kennedy Center National Forum: Examining the Intersection of Arts Education and Special Education and their annual national conference
- 2024 Grammy Award Nominee
- A current member of the Equity Committee, and the The Music Teacher Professional Initiative Committee. Former member of National Executive Board for the National Association for Music Education
- Served on the Editorial Board of the Council for Exceptional Children – Division for the Arts
- Served as a former Member at Large for the Organization of American Kodály Educators
- Served as an expert with the National Association for Music Education’s Solutions Music Group
- Served as the President of the Council for Exceptional Children – Division for the Arts and was recently awarded their Past President Award for Excellence
I recently had the opportunity to work with Alice, who collaborated with our district’s K-5 music teams. I learned a ton through the experience such as strategies for winding, excellent movement activities, and books/manipulatives to use with my students.
I was fortunate enough to have Alice observe me teaching students. Her feedback was encouraging,specific, and extremely beneficial for supporting all of my students.
Since implementing her recommendations, I’ve noticed my students are more engaged, and I’m seeing progress not only in their grasp of musical concepts but also in their overall enthusiasm.
Laura Lo
Palo Alto Unified School District