Dr. Lonnie Easter II
Lecturer of Music
(Music Education and Jazz Studies)
Office: Catlett Music Center 228
Dr. Lonnie Easter II, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, earned his PhD in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Central Oklahoma, and a Bachelor of Arts Education with a concentration in Music Education from Langston University.
Dr. Easter began teaching at the University of Oklahoma in Fall 2020. He previously served as Director of Bands/Instructor of Music Education at Langston University (OK). Additionally, he served as a public school band director in the Omaha (N.E.) and Oklahoma City (OK) school districts. As a public-school music educator, he had the privilege of providing a quality music education to students in multiple low socio-economic status music programs. He earned a reputation for effective teaching and leadership as his programs, both traditional and jazz, flourished. He remains a frequent director and clinician and is particularly interested in the cross-pollination of research and practice in instrumental music education.
Dr. Easter's primary research interest is developing methodologies and pedagogy to significantly raise students' ability, self-efficacy, and practice room efficiency in jazz improvisation, primarily at the beginner level. His research demonstrates the critical need to improve how music education teacher preparation programs teach jazz pedagogy to undergraduate music education students. Dr. Easter's research also extends beyond traditional pedagogy to the innovative use of Virtual Reality (V.R.), Augmented Reality (A.R.), and Extended Reality (X.R.) in music education. He is focused on identifying, developing, and investigating the most effective design elements of these technologies to reduce the behavioral and cognitive symptoms associated with music performance anxiety in jazz performers. His work involves creating simulations of live performance, rehearsal, and practice room situations, which serve as a comprehensive and realistic testing ground for the effectiveness of VR/AR/XR interventions.
Dr. Easter's work has been published in various publications, including Teaching Instrumental Music: Contemporary Perspectives and Pedagogies (Oxford UP) and Jazz Education in Research and Practice. He has presented at numerous research and professional development conferences across the United States and is establishing himself as an influential figure in jazz education and VR/AR/XR music research.
- PhD Music Education - University of Oklahoma
- MM Jazz Studies - University of Central Oklahoma
- BA Education (Music Education) - Langston University
