Bethany Robinson
Clinical Assistant Professor
Director of Jazz Bands
765-494-9110
Originally from Kokomo, Indiana; Bethany graduated with degrees in music education and string bass from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. In 2011, Bethany received her first Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant, and traveled to New Orleans and New York City, exploring the current trends of jazz in those two cities. She experienced dozens of jazz shows, attended the Band Director Academy at Jazz at Lincoln Center, composed her first piece for big band, and came home with a whole new concept of jazz pedagogy at the secondary level. Since her return from this experience, her jazz program has expanded from 1 to 6 high school big bands, and the top band has made regular appearances at the ISSMA Indiana Jazz State Finals, placing first in 2023. Other honors include first place finishes at both Ball State and Purdue University Jazz Festivals, as well as 2-time finalist for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Festival and Competition.
In 2014, Bethany was named “Indiana Jazz Educator of the Year” by the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation. In 2015, she was named “Teacher of the Year” for Noblesville Schools, the 11th largest high school in Indiana. In 2016, Bethany was a Semi-Finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year. She was named one of the 2022 Jazz Heroes by the Jazz Journalists Association, which honors advocates who have had a significant impact in their local communities. Bethany was also named the 2023 “High School Music Educator of the Year” by the Indiana Music Educator Association.
Bethany currently serves as Chair of the National Association for Music Education Jazz Council (NAfME), Jazz Education Network NAfME Liaison Board Member, and is Past President of the Indiana Jazz Educators Association. During her time as IJEA President, she spearheaded efforts to create the All-District Jazz Program, a Junior All-State Jazz Ensemble, began a partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and partnered with IJF Artistic Director Rob Dixon to feature the Indiana All-State Jazz Combo at the annual Indy Jazz Fest. In 2018, Bethany was a part of the inaugural Indiana Jazz Girls Day, traveling around the state playing bass at concerts and workshops with New York City Musicians Leni Stern, Jamie Baum, and Monika Herzig. She continues to travel with this group annually in the spring, playing bass and serving as a clinician at workshops around the state of Indiana, inspiring young jazz musicians to be leaders on the bandstand. Upon receiving her second Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant, she spent the summer of 2019 exploring the Brazilian cities of Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, taking in the sounds of choro, Bossa nova, and samba while exploring her mother’s childhood home, creating music for her students, and collaborating with local Brazilian musicians.
Bethany has been a featured presenter for music education students at Ball State University, Butler University, Vanderbilt University, for community members at the Center for Performing Arts/Palladium (Carmel, Indiana), and has adjudicated several jazz events, including the Benny Golson Jazz Festival at Butler University, the Clark Terry Jazz Festival at Southeast Missouri State University, and the Western Australian Schools’ Jazz Festival. In September 2021, Bethany was a keynote speaker for the Australia National Band and Orchestra Conference, speaking on topics like building jazz culture, teaching jazz for those new to jazz, and building leaders through the Jazz Girls Day Event. Bethany was also a presenter at the 2022 Indiana Music Educators Conference, the 2022 International Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL, the Oklahoma Bandmasters Summer Convention, and was the keynote speaker for the 2023 New York State Summer Music Conference. In December, Bethany will be the Guest Conductor for the 2024 New York All State Jazz Ensemble.