Dr Gail Barnes

Dr. Gail V. Barnes is Professor of Music Education at the University of South Carolina where she is coordinator of music education and Director of the University of South Carolina String Project. The String Project is a model of community outreach and teacher education and is replicated by over 30 colleges and universities throughout the United States. . In addition, she is a co-author of Measures of Success for String Orchestra published by FJH Music Inc.

Dr. Barnes preceded her career in higher education with many years of experience in the Norfolk Public Schools (Virginia) as a grade 5-12 string and orchestra teacher. This experience is the foundation of her work in the University of South Carolina String Project and also for her research interests, which include characteristics of effective teaching, parental involvement in music education, best practices in evaluation of teachers and students and access to string education for under-served youth. She has presented her research frequently at the annual conference of the American String Teachers Association and also at the International Society for Music Education (Bologna, Italy; Beijing, China; Thessaloniki, Greece and Glasgow, Scotland).

She has published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, The International Journal of Community Music, The String Research Journal and the American String Teacher. She has served on the editorial boards of the String Research Journal and the Journal of Music Teacher Education. She is a recipient of the Cantey Outstanding Faculty Award at the University of South Carolina School of Music, the American String Teacher Association Career Research Award and the 2020 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award for the University of South Carolina.

A career educator and violist, Barnes teaches courses in stringed instrument methods, orchestra literature, research methods and the sociology of music education. She has conducted all‐state orchestras and presented teaching clinics around the United States. She founded a forum for string and orchestra teachers on Facebook which has more than 9300 members. Before joining the faculty in Columbia, Dr. Barnes played professionally in the Virginia Symphony and Virginia Opera, and she continues to play viola with the South Carolina Philharmonic.

She considers the most important work she and her colleagues undertake is the preparation of string and orchestra teachers: hundreds of current students and graduates who are, in turn, teaching thousands of children and adults each year.

Dr. Barnes received her BM and MM from the University of Michigan and her PhD from The Ohio State University.