The mission of the Council for General Music Education is to encourage and improve the quality of teaching and research in general music at all levels with particular attention given to general music instruction from preschool through grade 8.
- September 28, 2026: NAfME Council for General Music Education Town Hall
- February 3, 2026: Music In Our Schools Month for General Music Teachers(opens in new tab)
NAfME makes the above videos available as a service to the profession. If you would like to obtain a course completion certificate for professional development hours, please view this resource in the NAfME Academy, which is a benefit of membership in NAfME.
- Session recordings from the past four Annual NAfME General Music Virtual Mini-Conferences are available to all NAfME Academy subscribers.
- Find Council resources in the NAfME Resource Library(opens in new tab), searchable by teaching area, level, type of resource, and more.
Steph Benischek
Stephanie Benischek teaches K-5 general music at Star Elementary School in Star, Idaho. She received her Bachelor of Music Education in 1997 and Kodály certification in 2002 from Nebraska Wesleyan…
Council Members
Steph Benischek (2026-2028) Chair
Elementary General Music Educator
Star Elementary School
Meridian, Idaho
Molly Park (2026-2028), Eastern Division Representative
General Music Teacher/Choir Director
Howard County Public School System
Columbia, Maryland
BethAnn Hepburn (2025-2027), North Central Division Representative
General Music and Beginning Choir Director
Streetsboro City Schools
Streetsboro, Ohio
Estela Torres Guernsey (2026-2028), Northwest Division Representative
General and Instrumental Music Teacher
Paintbrush Elementary School
Gillette, Wyoming
Michele Paynter Paise (2025-2027), Southern Division Representative
Music Education Coordinator and Director of the Kodály Institute of Kentucky
Morehead State University
Morehead, Kentucky
Gail Shriver (2026-2028) Southwestern Division Representative
General Music Teacher/Choir Director
Meadow Lane Elementary
Olathe, Kansas
Rene Canto-Adams (2025-2027), Western Division Representative
Ashleigh Lore (2026-2027), Member-at-Large Representative
K-4 Elementary Educator & Education & Outreach Coordinator
Okemos Public Schools & Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Lansing, Michigan
Andrea Donze Krein (2026-2027), Member-at-Large Representative
Music Teacher, Chase Lake Elementary
Edmonds School District
Edmonds, Washington
Cat Woo (2026-2027), Member-at-Large Representative
Music Education Professor
Texas Tech University
Albuquerque, New Mexico
