Susan McAllister is retired from a 35-year career in the Green Bay Area Public Schools where she taught elementary and junior-high general music and junior-high choirs, and spent 23 years as director of choral activities at Preble High School. Her responsibilities at Preble included the direction of four curricular choirs, madrigal/vocal jazz ensemble, show choir and an annual all-school Broadway musical. The Preble Choirs performed throughout the nation at various festivals, sang with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and participated as a guest choir at the UW-Eau Claire and Lawrence University Choir festivals. The Preble Madrigal Singers, Center Stage Show Choir and Preble Chamber Choir appeared in concert on four occasions at the conventions of both the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA) and Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA).
Susan has served the Wisconsin Music Educators Association as the state choir representative, northeast region vice president and state president; co-founded the Wisconsin Advocates for Music Education (WAME); and served as section leader for the WSMA Honors Project Vocal Jazz and Treble Choirs. Susan has also served the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA) as convention registration chair, advocacy chair, convention chair and as WCDA president. She served on the WMEA Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance Committee (CMP) for many years, is a passionate advocate for deep and comprehensive learning within the music classroom, and was a contributor to the book “Shaping Sound Musicians: An Innovative Approach to Teaching Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance,” published by GIA Publications.
She has presented at conventions in Wisconsin, Iowa, South Carolina and at the National MENC Convention; is a clinician and guest speaker for various choral programs and college music education/choral classes; and a guest conductor for choral festivals and honor choirs. Susan has taught graduate classes for music educators at Silver Lake College and various summer workshops for music educators and choral directors. Susan was the founder of the WCDA Refresh! Summer Workshop for choral directors. She has supervised student teachers and taught music education courses at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music and is presently an instructor in music education at St. Norbert College. She is a proud recipient of the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Partners In Education Golden Apple Award For Excellence and Innovation in Teaching.
Susan serves on the boards of the Brown County Civic Music Association as the educational liaison and the Green Bay Boy Choir Girl Choir, where she is a member of the Boy Choir Artistic Team and the personnel committee, and co-chairs the annual fundraising extravaganza, “Art Song.”
In addition to her musical pursuits, Susan enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, swimming and walking. She and her husband, Tom, love traveling, spending time with friends and family, and attending concerts, plays, opera, musicals and numerous sporting events.
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Susan McAllister