Abstract
Amy L. Bradley Photo by Nicole McConville
With the retirement of Ella Wilcox on February 29 (see the September and December 2023 issues of Music Educators Journal for articles about Ella), we are very pleased to welcome NAfME’s new editor, Amy L. Bradley.
Bradley resides in Asheville, North Carolina. She has more than twenty years of professional experience in music, education, research, writing, editing, and consulting. Previously, she worked for six years as a freelance editor, writing coach, and project consultant, helping faculty, students, and independent scholars in musicology, music education, performance, theory, and other disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences to achieve their writing and publication goals, which have included books, journal articles, dissertations, grant proposals, and more.
She has a PhD in musicology from Florida State University in Tallahassee, where she also taught graduate and undergraduate courses in the College of Music for nine years. Her favorite courses to teach were music bibliography, music history, and music literature and analysis. She has a bachelor of arts degree in music from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and has also been a piano teacher for K–12 students, as well as a performing pianist and vocalist. As a music historian, she has focused her research primarily on music and dance, French and American musical modernism, and intersections of classical, jazz, and popular styles in early-twentieth-century Paris.
What led you to study musicology?
A few things: My music history and theory classes in college were among my favorites. It was largely the experience my music professors created and the curiosity and excitement they modeled—for research and analysis, for historical and cultural context, and for exploring ideas and processes and discovering connections and meanings—that led me to pursue musicology. I had always been drawn to history, literature, and cultural studies in addition to music, so it was a natural convergence of interests.
I was actually studying both music and the sciences and planning to go to medical school. After college, while preparing to take the MCAT a second time, I fell madly in love with teaching music. Inspired by my grandma, who was a piano teacher and elementary school music teacher and also my first piano teacher, I started teaching piano lessons and developed a thriving studio. I realized that the joy and fulfillment I got from engaging students in learning music, helping them develop through challenges, and watching them have fun and express themselves in creative ways were what I needed to follow. I wanted to go deeper with my own studies and work with university students. So, I decided to go to graduate school and become a musicologist.
During those years, I was also part of a regional piano teachers’ association and regularly attended a biennial conference on piano literature that included performances and talks. One year, it focused on French piano literature of the 1910s and 1920s. I was hooked, and the desire to study that music and learn everything I could about the composers, artists, dancers, and writers of that historical, cultural moment became my focus as a musicologist.
What is your overall approach to your work?
I deeply value music and the arts, creative expression, and effective communication in our education systems and everyday lives. I come from a family of active musicians and music educators and have cultivated these interests and values throughout my life.
I believe that curiosity, creativity, and connection are at the heart of education, research, writing, and life. As an editor and collaborator, I seek to establish trust and communicate thoughtfully—asking questions, making suggestions, and providing constructive feedback while honoring individual voices, styles, and ideas. I find it endlessly rewarding to empower people as they develop and refine their ideas and to help them navigate the writing, editing, and publication processes.
What do you enjoy most about the writing and editing processes?
I think the writing process is a lot like making music—it’s a place where the heart and the head come together, and we can not only express ourselves but also share the experience. It’s a creative practice where one can get really curious about ideas, make connections, and also connect with other people.
That said, there are two parts of the writing process I especially enjoy: (1) the middle part, where you’re exploring and you can get a little lost and revel in ambiguity and the unknown, tease out information and ideas, and then get more and more clear about what it is you really want to express; and (2) the end—the “having written” part, when you’ve crossed the finish line and the project is off your desk!
Editing is very exciting for me because it’s where the magic happens between that middle part and the finish line. I really enjoy helping writers “massage” and refine their prose, develop and structure their work, find the right words, and ultimately elevate the experience for the reader. As an editor, I also enjoy the connection that is created with the writer and the connection that, together, we help make possible between the writer and the reader.
What types of music have you performed? What is something new you would like to learn in the future?
As a pianist, I’ve performed a variety of works in the classical repertoire by composers ranging from Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven to Chopin, Brahms, and Clara Schumann to Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, Schoenberg, and Prokofiev. To this day, one of my favorite experiences was performing an arrangement for two pianos of “Malagueña” by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona with my sister. She and I have always loved playing together. I’ve sung in several choirs and played recorder in Renaissance music ensembles, and I’ve even been part of a medieval chant group. Way back in high school, I played keyboard and sang in a couple of rock bands, which is fun to think back on. In recent years, I’ve enjoyed singing periodically with some jazz musicians, mostly jazz standards and other recognizable tunes. I would actually like to learn more of that repertoire in the future and also get more comfortable with improvisation, both vocally and on the piano.
What excites you the most about joining NAfME?
I am thrilled to be joining a community of professionals who share the same passion for music and teaching and commitment to accessibility, equity, and diversity in music education. I’m excited about being involved with NAfME’s publications as editor, supporting and collaborating with writers and editors to promote music education and make a positive impact in the lives of teachers and students.
What are some of your other interests?
I enjoy spending time with family, friends, and my dog Kai and also being involved with local organizations such as the Symphony Guild, the Story Parlor, and Asheville Sister Cities. I find great joy in hiking, cycling, reading, writing, cooking, gardening, and listening to a wide variety of music.