Biography

Jason P. Bowers is an Instructor of Music Education at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including Principles of Teaching Secondary Choral Music, Teaching Music in Diverse Settings, Vocal Techniques for Instrumentalists, and Choral Techniques for Vocalists. He has cultivated community partnerships with Denham Springs High School United Sound, the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet School, Southdowns Pre-K Center, St. Joseph’s Academy, and University Laboratory School. In addition, he coordinates student teacher placements. He is currently Assistant Director of the School of Music.

Dr. Bowers is highly involved in the musical community in Baton Rouge. He has performed with various professional choirs in the area including BRACE New Music Choir, De Profundis, and Red Shift. He is co-director of the First United Methodist Church Children’s Choir and performs with the handbell ensemble, Woodland Ringers. He is an active choral clinician and adjudicator, and was selected as a charter member of the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association.

Bowers’ research focuses on community music, multicultural music education, culturally relevant pedagogies, and university/K-12 school partnerships. He has presented at the National Association for Music Educators Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference, the Society for Music Teacher Education Symposium, the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, the Louisiana Music Educators Association Conference, the American Choral Directors Association Regional and National Conferences, the Symposium for Research in Choral Singing, the Texas Music Educators Clinic/Convention, and the Mid-South Music Education Research Symposium. Collaborating with colleagues in various disciplines, he co-presented an international workshop—“Arts Immersion: Incorporating the Arts into Non-Art Content Areas”—at the Colegio Concepción San Pedro in Región del Bío Bío, Chile in 2016. His dissertation focuses on children’s experiences in a community choral ensemble and the impact of those experiences on their lives outside the ensemble.

Prior to joining the faculty at Louisiana State University, Jason taught in public schools in the Houston and Baton Rouge areas for nine years, focusing primarily on secondary choral music education. He was named 2008-2009 Zachary High School Teacher of the Year and 2011 Baton Rouge Symphony Music Teacher of the Year. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.), a Master of Music in Choral Conducting (M.M.), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education (Ph.D.) from Louisiana State University.