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 9: NAfME Council for General Music Education Back-to-School Town Hall

Session recordings from the 3rd Annual NAfME General Music Virtual Mini-Conference are available to all NAfME Academy subscribers.

Find Council resources in the NAfME Resource Library, searchable by teaching area, level, type of resource, and more.

Steph Benischek Headshot

Steph Benischek

Chair, General Music Education Council

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 (2024-2026) Chair
Elementary General Music Educator
Star Elementary School
Meridian, Idaho
Rob Lyda (2024-2026) Past Chair
Music Teacher
Cary Woods Elementary School
Auburn, Alabama
Molly Park (2024-2026), Eastern Division Representative
Music Teacher
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 (2024-2026), 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 (2024-2026) Southwestern Division Representative
General Music Teacher/Choir Director
Meadow Lane Elementary
Olathe, Kansas
Rene Canto-Adams (2025-2027), Western Division Representative
Jonathan Dillon (2025-2026), Member-at-Large Representative
Assistant Professor of Music Education
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Ashleigh Lore (2025-2026), Member-at-Large Representative
K-4 Elementary Educator & Education & Outreach Coordinator
Okemos Public Schools & Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Lansing, Michigan
Andrea Krein (2025-2026), Member-at-Large Representative
DK-6 Music Educator
Spruce Elementary School
Lynwood, Washington
Kim Bruguier
National Executive Board Liaison
NAfME
Mitchell, South Dakota
Laura Reed, Staff Liaison
Professional Learning and Publications Manager
NAfME
Virtual Symposium on Music Education and Students with Disabilities and/or Living in Poverty. Saturday, November 15, 2025. A free, virtual event for music educators
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