Laurie Lafferty is currently Associate Professor of Music Education and Coordinator of Music Education at The University of Akron where she teaches the instrumental method classes and supervises student teachers. Her teaching has included band director at Leesburg High School; junior high band director at Wapakoneta, Ohio; Lecturer of French Horn at Ohio Northern University; 17 years in the Buckeye Local School District, Ashtabula, Ohio; and band director in the Chagrin Falls (Ohio) School District. Throughout her teaching career her junior high and high school bands consistently received superior ratings at Ohio Music Education Association sponsored competitions. In addition, her bands and horn ensembles performed at local, state, and national conferences under the direction of many nationally known composers and conductors.

Dr. Lafferty received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music Education from Youngstown State University, and a Ph.D. in Music Education from Kent State University. She is an active member of OMEA, serving on various state committees, holding district office, and adjudicating at district and state level competitions. She has served as guest conductor and guest clinician in Ohio and Texas and has been a clinician for Carl Fischer and at the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. Additional professional affiliations include Music Educators National Conference, Ohio Music Education Association, American School Band Directors Association, the National Band Association, and Phi Beta Mu.

Dr. Lafferty has articles on music education published in The Instrumentalist, The Band Director’s Guide, Triad, and Contributions to Music Education. In addition, she has young band arrangements published by Carl Fischer, Heritage Press, Ludwig Music Publishing, and Great Works Publishing.