Dr. Melissa Baughman
Associate Professor of Music Education
(Vocal)
Email: baughman@ou.edu
Dr. Melissa Baughman is Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at the University of Oklahoma where she supervises student teachers and instructs undergraduate and graduate courses such as choral methods, conducting, and vocal pedagogy. Dr. Baughman is actively engaged in service at OU and beyond. Most notably, she founded a student wellness initiative for the School of Music called Breathe OUt. Through this program, students are provided with mental health resources and opportunities to engage in activities that enrich their physical, mental, and social well-being. Taking her wellness expertise to the National level, she served as co-facilitator for the Music Teacher Health and Wellness action research group within the Society for Music Teacher Education.
As a researcher and advocate for wellness and equity in music, Melissa has presented at state, national, and international conferences. Her research has been published frequently in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, International Journal of Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal of Singing, Choral Journal, and Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education. She has co-authored a chapter titled, “Experiences Navigating Motherhood within Dual-Career Academic Families” in Motherhood and the Academy published by Oxford University Press. Her essay, “Nevertheless, She Sings: Empowering Women in Choral Music” was published in the book, Relevance in the Choral Art, edited by Tim Sharp. She has also served on the Editorial Board for Update: Applications of Research in Music Education.
As a choral conductor, Dr. Baughman maintains a robust schedule as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States. In Oklahoma, she has conducted the Women’s Choral Leadership Workshop at OU, conducts honor choirs as part of Circle the State with Song and the Oklahoma Choral Directors Association, and frequently serves as a clinician for school choirs throughout the state.
Praised as an “illustrious soprano,” Melissa’s performance highlights include singing the soprano solos for Schubert’s Mass in G, Haydn’s Kleine Orgelmesse, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. She currently performs 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 a PhD in music education with an emphasis on vocal pedagogy and choral conducting and a MM in vocal performance from the University of Missouri. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in music education (magna cum laude) and a master’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University.
