Dr. Mark C. Adams is the Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He brings over ten years of public school teaching experience in 5th-12th grade instrumental music and 7th-12th grade vocal music. Before joining the esteemed faculty at UNL, he prepared future music educators at the University of Delaware, where he taught undergraduate courses in instrumental music education, instrumental methods, and songwriting, as well as graduate courses in music teaching and research methods.

Dr. Adams’ research has explored vernacular musicianship, informal teaching and learning, songwriting, and the nature of classroom community in creative classrooms. He has presented original research at several conferences, including the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) National Research Conference and the Society for Music Teacher Education (SMTE) Symposium on Music Teacher Education. Dr. Adams has been an active presenter at practitioner conferences at the state, regional, national, and international levels—including an invitation to be a featured clinician for a day-long learning experience on songwriting education at the 2019 NAfME National Conference. His writing has appeared in Music Educators Journal, The Oxford Handbook of Preservice Music Teacher Education in the United States, and the second edition of Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Middle School General Music. Mark is also an active singer/songwriter and touring musician outside the classroom, with writing, performance, and production credits on several full-length albums and EPs.

Mark earned a Ph.D. in Music Education from Michigan State University, where he also served as a Graduate Fellow at the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. He holds a Master of Music and Bachelor of Music in Education degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.