Dr. Jason Hawkins is an associate professor of Choral Music Education at Western Illinois University where he directs choral ensembles, teaches both undergraduate and graduate music education courses, and serves as the Assistant Director of the School of Music. He earned a B.A. in Music Education from WIU, an M.A. in Education from Governors State University, and a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Illinois. Dr. Hawkins returned to WIU as a professor following 12 years as the Director of Choirs at Plainfield North High School in the Chicago suburbs, an established program that grew from 35 to 200 students during his tenure and received numerous prestigious honors including a Choirs of America “Spotlight Performance” at Carnegie Hall and a DownBeat award in the Vocal Jazz Ensemble division. Dr. Hawkins makes frequent appearances as a clinician/conductor for ILMEA and IHSA choral festivals, regional and statewide vocal jazz events, as well as national engagements as an adjudicator for WorldStrides’ Heritage Festivals. He also presents research on the use of technology for assessment and instruction in the choral classroom, has presented multiple sessions at the International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education as well as numerous state Music Education Association conferences, and has related publications in print.