Darla Meek

Coordinator of Music Education

Darla Meek serves as Lecturer and Music Education Coordinator at A&M-Commerce, teaching undergraduate and graduate music classes and supervising student teachers. She earned the Bachelor of Music Education from Dallas Baptist University and the Master of Music at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She is presently working toward the Doctorate of Education in Supervision, Curriculum and Instruction. Certified in both Kodály and Orff Schulwerk, Darla is a teacher trainer for the American Orff Schulwerk Association in both Movement and Level I Pedagogy for Orff Levels courses.

Darla has served as assistant conductor for the Mesquite Children's Chorus and the Children's Chorus of Collin County and as Children's Choir Coordinator for three churches in the Dallas area. She enjoys conducting elementary honor and festival choirs. She has published children's choir curricula for Lifeway Christian Resources and for Celebrating Grace, Inc. She is the author of three resource books for elementary music specialists, Journey Around the Globe with Recorder! and Flight 2: Another Journey Around the Globe with Recorder! published by Sweet Pipes, Inc., and All Things Bright and Beautiful published by Choristers Guild. Her articles have appeared in The Orff Echo, The Chorister, and Kodály Envoy.

A Conversation with Darla Meek

What would you tell a student who is thinking about attending A&M-Commerce?

“The students here are polite, friendly and helpful. Our Department of Music does not have the cutthroat environment other music schools so often do. We live and work in an atmosphere of delightful camaraderie.”

How has A&M-Commerce influenced your life and/or career?

“Education majors do not only learn as students—they also look at lessons and lectures through the lens of a teacher. My wonderful music education majors who question everything I do have made me continually reflect on my choices. They have made me a better teacher.”

Educational Background

• Ed.D., Supervision, Curriculum and Instruction, Texas A&M University-Commerce, In Progress
• M.M., Music Education, Southern Methodist University, 2002
• BME, Music Education, Dallas Baptist University, 1989

Professional Activities

1. American Orff Schulwerk Association, National Teacher Trainer, Advisory Board
2. Texas Music Educators Association, Region III College Chair
3. North Texas Chapter of AOSA, past president
4. The Chorister's Guild, Dallas Chapter Board of Directors

Honors and Awards

1. Texas A&M University-Commerce Faculty Senate Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2014
2. Texas Choral Directors Association Abbott-Ipco, Inc. Professional Scholarship, 2014
3. Kodály Educators of Texas Scholarship, 2014
4. Texas Choral Directors Association General Scholarship, 2013

Research Interests

• Music Listening
• Movement in the Music Classroom

Selected Publications

1. Meek, Darla. (2021). Building cultural intelligence in students. The Chorister. (national journal published by The Choristers Guild)
2. Meek, Darla. (February 2019). The Murray Volumes: Music (and movement!) for children. Reverberations. AOSA. (national newsletter published by the American Orff Schulwerk Association)
3. Meek, Darla. (2018). All Things Bright and Beautiful teaching resource. The Chorister, Vol. 72.
4. Meek, Darla. (2018). Orff Schulwerk in the children's choir setting. The Chorister, Vol. 71, 11-15.
5. Meek, Darla. (2018). Purposeful movement in the band camp setting. Orff Echo. AOSA.