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Mary Crandell (Boise, ID) brings 27 years of experience in instrumental music education, including 19 years at Waukee Middle School, where her bands earned consistent recognition across Iowa in concert and jazz performance. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Education from the University of South Dakota and is completing doctoral studies in Curriculum and Instruction at Boise State University, where she also serves as an adjunct music professor. Her research explores students’ perceptions of inclusion and belonging in large ensemble settings and how pedagogical practices shape those experiences.
Crandell is the founder of The Access Collective (TAC): Creating Connections Through Music, a national initiative in partnership with the National Band Association and Music for All, supporting music educators through collaborative, student-centered rehearsal strategies aligned with repertoire.
As a consultant and clinician, Crandell maintains an active schedule nationwide. She co-authored Building from the Ground Up: A Successful Blueprint for Band Programs (C.L. Barnhouse Co.), a resource grounded in research and practical application. She has authored developmentally appropriate music curricula that correspond to repertoire for young bands; work that both informs and is informed by the central aims of her doctoral research.
She has presented at state and national conferences, including the 2021 and 2024 Midwest Clinic, and is a past president of the Iowa Bandmasters Association and the Jazz Educators of Iowa. Mary was inducted into the University of South Dakota Fine Arts Hall of Fame in 2025.