Laura Arthur is a veteran music educator and dedicated arts advocate. She currently works as a substitute educator in band classrooms in the Portland Metro area, and is a sought-after adjudicator, clinician, conductor, and sectional coach across Oregon.
From 2019-2024, Laura Arthur served as the K-12 Music Teacher On Special Assignment (TOSA) for Portland Public Schools in Portland, Oregon. In her TOSA role, she supported all music programs at the district level through arts advocacy, creating and delivering professional development, curating curriculum, coordinating events, and instructional coaching.
Before becoming a part of the PPS Visual & Performing Arts team, she led a thriving middle school band for 12 years, directing concert and jazz band ensembles along with teaching orchestra, guitar, percussion, and general music classes.
Laura serves on the Oregon Music Education Association Executive Board as the Public Policy Chair. In this role, she coordinates and leads action related to public policy and advocacy with stakeholders on behalf of OMEA.
Laura has presented at local, state, and national conferences around beginning band pedagogy, literature selection, and arts advocacy. An active performer on bass clarinet and bari sax, she holds degrees from the University of Oregon (B.Mus) and Portland State University (M.Ed).
Laura is a steadfast advocate for equity, and believes that a comprehensive and high-quality music education can, and should, be accessible to ALL students. Outside of music and education, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, baking, comics, and trivia.
