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Katherine H.  Palmer, DMA

Non-profit leader

Museum professional

Ethnomusicologist

Arts Educator

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Biography

Katherine Palmer enjoys a multifaceted career as a non-profit leader, museum professional, and arts educator. She is the senior director of education and community engagement at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN where she oversees the institution’s educational and community offerings, manages the Taylor Swift Education Center, and supports the museum’s education council.

Prior to joining the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Katherine served as the curator of education at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix (AZ), where she was instrumental in molding MIM’s educational approach and overseeing programming content for diverse audiences, from early childhood to older adults. Katherine continues to serve as a Faculty Associate in the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts at Arizona State University.

Passionate about early childhood education and world music, she was awarded the 2021 Gretsch Fellow in Children's Music at the Fred Rogers Institute at St. Vincent College where she investigated how diverse music making and listening can promote empathy and cultural awareness. Find her white paper, “Expanding the Neighborhood: Diversifying Music Making and Listening, Inspired by Fred Rogers” here.

Between 2016-2023, Katherine was the executive director of Daraja Music Initiative (DMI), a non-profit organization – registered 501(c)3 and international NGO – that provides music and environmental conservation education in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania during the summer months to students. Aiming to bridge the arts and sciences, DMI promotes sustainability of African Blackwood trees from which clarinets – and other instruments – are constructed as a tool to promote environmental stewardship through the arts. She is an active board member.

 

During her time in Phoenix, she performed with the Mill Ave Chamber Players and appeared with a variety of musical groups including Arizona Musicfest, the Phoenix Symphony, and the Phoenix Theatre Company. In addition to frequent national and regional appearances, Katherine has also presented papers, workshops, and performances at international conferences for the College Music Society, the Society for Ethnomusicology, the International Clarinet Association’s annual ClarinetFests, and the International Society for Music Education.

Katherine holds degrees from the University of Miami (BM) and Arizona State University (MM, MA, and DMA) in music performance (clarinet) and ethnomusicology.

"Arts education is about relationship building. It gives people the tools to better understand themselves, one another, and the world around them."
–Katherine Palmer

Bio
Passions & Projects

Fostering joy and children's development through music and movement exploration

Early Childhood

Daraja Music Initiative

Bridging cultures and disciplines through music and environmental sustainability

Clarinet Teaching & Perforamnce

Making music with friends and teaching fundamentals to foster musical freedom

Residencies and Guest Lecture Opportunities

Katherine works with diverse audiences, from early childhood through higher education, and is available for residencies and guest lectures on the following topics:

  • Making Music Tangible - Ethnomusicology + Music Education + Object-Based Learning

  • Building Interdisciplinary Non-Profits - Music Education + Environmental Sustainability + Social Change

  • Navigating Applied Fields - Ethnomusicology + Music Education

Passport to Music: Around-the-World Instrument Creation

Grades: PreK-8

Travel around the world through music while making cross- cultural connections through object–based learning. During this variable length artist–in–residence, Katherine will engage students in developmentally appropriate music making and instrument crafting. Students will gain a deeper understanding of musical traditions and culture, create instruments to take home, and participate in international song and dance.

Residencies
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CONTACT

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out with questions. 

Nashville, TN, USA
k.hurst.palmer@gmail.com
772-349-1860

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Contact

Testimonials

“As a consultant to museum education programs all over the world, I have seldom
seen such promising early childhood
education practice emerging at a major
museum as I have seen being developed at the Musical Instrument Museum. Children really are our future, and MIM is becoming a leader in the future of cultural institutions taking their ongoing relationships with young learners seriously—and filled with joy.”

Arnold Aprill

Art & Learning Consultant

Founder, Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education

The Tigers were truly delighted to participate in a music lesson with Ms. Katie (our visiting music artist in residence). Ms. Katie created a warm and comfortable environment with her  wonderful and joyful style of teaching that captured each child’s joyfulness. Through the lesson, the children explored colors, shapes, hand eye coordination, patterns, counting, creativity, listening skills, and movement. Thank you Ms. Katie for starting out our week with such fun, laughter, and learning.

Early Childhood Educator

International School of

Kuala Lumpur

[Classes are] informative, dynamic, interactive, and FUN. [We] love the structure, theory, museum visit, and hands-on instrument building.

MIMkids Caregiver

Musical Instrument Museum

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