Jamila L. McWhirter is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at Middle Tennessee State University. She is active as a presenter, clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator throughout the United States. Her music education research has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education and presented nationally on numerous occasions for the National Association for Music Education, Society for Music Teacher Education, and Music Teacher National Association. She serves the profession on a national level as a member of the American Choral Directors Association Education and Communication Committee as well as the National Association for Music Education Music Educators Journal Advisory Committee. McWhirter is nearing three decades of teaching as a music educator and music teacher educator.