Mary Crandell has been teaching instrumental music for twenty-seven years, nineteen of which was at Waukee Middle School (IA). During her tenure, bands at Waukee Middle School achieved high standards of success in both concert and jazz settings across Iowa. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Music Education from the University of South Dakota and is completing doctoral work in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in Music Education, at Boise State University, where she also serves as an adjunct music professor and academic advisor. Her research explores students’ perceptions of inclusion and belonging in large group [band] rehearsals, focusing on how diverse pedagogical practices shape these experiences.
Mary was the first woman to serve as Jazz Educators of Iowa President and has served in leadership roles within the Iowa Bandmasters Association (IBA), where she is Past President and Immediate Past State Historian. In her tenure as president of these organizations, Mary founded the Annual Middle School Jazz Combo Workshop, an annual event for middle school jazz students in the state which has sustained itself for nine years and counting. She also founded The Access Collective: Creating Connections Through Music initiative. The Access Collective (TAC) is in partnership with the National Band Association and Music for All, Inc. TAC supports music educators and students by fostering collaboration, aligning essential skills with repertoire, and building student-centered rehearsal experiences through meaningful musical connection. TAC has expanded beyond Iowa, reaching educators across the nation and earning representation in a 2024 Midwest Session. Mary also serves on MFA’s Educational Advisory Team and the NBA’s IDEA Committee. She is a member of the following: IBA, JEI, IMEA, IAAA, WBDI, and is a ten-year Veteran of the Army National Guard, as well a 2025 inductee to the University of South Dakota Fine Arts Hall of Fame.
Mary is active as a consultant and clinician with both band directors and students across the country. She creates optimal rehearsal environments utilizing a collaborative process in which students can enhance their musical performance while enjoying the music-making process together. Under her direction, the Waukee Middle School Concert Bands have consistently been awarded first place or runner-up in the annual Adventureland Junior High Festival of Bands, Adventureland Park (IA). WMS Jazz Bands have earned consistent division I or I+ ratings at district concert and jazz festivals, and in 2011, was chosen to perform (through blind audition) at the Iowa Bandmasters Annual Conference.
In 2022, the Waukee Middle School Band commissioned and premiered Dymaxion by composer, Dr. James M. David (Colorado State University). The WMS Band has embarked on another journey in 2023, premiering, Tesseract, also by Dr. James M. David. These pieces have been an avenue for students to go beyond the notes on the page in creating stories, poems, models, connection with a living composer, and building a strong seventh grade band community.
Mary and her colleague, Deb Dunn, have presented sessions on Embedding Jazz into the Beginning Band Program at state conferences and at the 2015, National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. An article printed in the August 2017, School Band & Orchestra Publication (SBO) featured Mary and Deb’s band rehearsal techniques at Waukee Middle School. The duo has presented Rehearsal Techniques for Middle School Concert Bands at the state and national levels. In 2019, Mary collaborated with three Iowa band directors to present a two-part session on jazz education at the IBA Conference. They included: Part One – Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Beginning Jazz Band, focusing on strategies for selecting repertoire, setting up the ensemble, and effective rehearsal techniques and Part Two – Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Beginning Jazz Improvisation, exploring multiple approaches to teaching improvisation aligned with different instructional objectives. The WMS Jazz Combo served as the demonstration ensemble for the session and was also selected to perform a lobby concert at the conference, featuring guest jazz saxophonist Jarrard Harris. The WMS Jazz Combo also co-presented a session at the Talented and Gifted Annual State Conference in the fall of 2019, entitledqw Unexpected Connections: Gifted Learners and Jazz Ensemble, which sought to demonstrate how young jazz musicians make meaningful connections across varying approaches, while using the jazz combo format and improvisation as the vehicle.
Mary co-authored and published Building from the Ground Up: A Successful Blueprint for Band Programs (Publisher ID: 079-6203-00), a resource grounded in collaboration and evidence-based strategies designed to strengthen music instruction, foster student engagement, and enhance performance. Under the same title, she also co-presented a teaching session at the 2021 International Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference.
Mary’s daily life thrives on her passion and drive for teaching music through the band experience. Her passion for inspiring young students to engage their creativity through the arts is exemplified in her first two published books: Little Miss Mary Discovers Music Outside Her Window (ISBN: 9781499022179) and Little Miss Mary Discovers the Piano (ISBN: 9781503580008). When Mary is not teaching or writing, she enjoys yoga, exploring eclectic venues with friends, playing the trombone, and spending time with her mom, Cheryl, a long-time band director, and her husband, Dr. Myron Peterson, Director of Bands at Boise State University.
Coming Soon – Mary’s Full CV
Mary’s Current Resume:
Mary’s Philosophy, specific to Teaching Band (abridged):
Band students will be provided opportunities to:
- Take ownership over their own accomplishments(developing students’ skills and knowledge).
We will create an environment of purposeful learning in which students enhance their musical performance to the best of their capabilities while enjoying the music-making process together.
- Learning fundamental skills (musical and nonmusical) is the key that enables students to dive into the details of the music, and create their own artistic opinions and decisions, resulting in the most fulfilling musical experiences.
- Learning how to achieve a skill and understand why that skill is relevant enhances students’ growth and motivation exponentially.
- Contribute to something larger than themselves (successful, contributing members of society). Knowing the how and why will help students connect with building a band community where everyone is a contributor to the overall goal of the music-making process. Having the opportunity to contribute to the ensembles helps foster students’ sense of belonging, purpose, motivation, and positive citizenship.
- Develop lifelong appreciation of music (lifelong learners). We will experience a vast array of different musical genres and learn to connect to the music in a variety of ways.
Ensuring student success takes the whole community and everyone has a unique role to fill as a band student, band parent, band director, and supportive district administration. Together we “educate today for a better tomorrow” by committing to success for 100% of our students.
Mary’s Philosophy, specific to Teaching Band (Formal)