Dr. Melissa Baughman
Assistant Professor of Music Education
(Vocal)
Email: baughman@ou.edu
Melissa Baughman is an Assistant Professor of Choral/Vocal Music Education at the University of Oklahoma where she supervises student teachers and instructs undergraduate and graduate courses in choral methods, conducting, and vocal pedagogy. Prior to joining the faculty at OU, Dr. Baughman instructed music courses at Middle Tennessee State University, served as an adjunct voice instructor at Central Methodist University (MO), was the director of K–12 vocal music in Montpelier, Ohio, and maintained a thriving voice studio for over a decade.
As a choral conductor, Dr. Baughman maintains a robust schedule as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States. She has been invited to conduct the Kantorei Summer Choral Institute in Kansas City in June 2020 and the Women’s Choral Leadership Workshop at OU in September 2020. Throughout the state of Oklahoma, she has conducted several honor choirs sponsored by Circle the State with Song and the Oklahoma Choral Directors Association.
As a researcher, Melissa frequently presents at state, national, and international conferences sponsored by professional organizations including the International Society for Music Education (ISME), the European Association for Music in Schools (EAS), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Society for Music Teacher Education (SMTE), the Southwest American Choral Director’s Association (SWACDA), and the Missouri Music Educator’s Association (MMEA). Her research has been published in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, International Journal of Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal of Singing, and Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education. Her essay, “Nevertheless, She Sings: Empowering Women in Choral Music” is published in the book, Relevance in the Choral Art, edited by Tim Sharp.
Praised as an “illustrious soprano,” Melissa’s performance highlights include singing the soprano solos for Haydn’s Kleine Orgelmesse, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore. She is currently a guest artist with the American chamber choir, Vox Nova, who received The American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music–Community Ensemble Division in 2018. As a graduate student, she received first place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and Missouri Music Teachers Association (MMTA) voice competitions, and was named an Emerging Artist at MU.
Dr. Baughman earned her PhD in music education with an emphasis on vocal pedagogy and choral conducting and a Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of Missouri. At MU, she served as a graduate assistant in choral and vocal music, and was the first coordinator of the Higday Mozart Outreach concert series. Dr. Baughman also holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in music and education (magna cum laude) from Bowling Green State University.
- PhD (Music Education) - University of Missouri, 2014
- MM (Vocal Performance) - University of Missouri, 2011
- ME (Classroom Technology) - Bowling Green State University, 2007
- BM (Music Education) - Bowling Green State University, 2003
