Jenny Hutton

Education

PhD, Music Education, Temple University
MM, Choral Conducting, Northern Arizona University
BM, Music Education, Georgia State University
BA, Psychology, Women's & Gender Studies, Amherst College

Biography

Dr. Jenny Hutton teaches graduate and undergraduate music education courses, supervises student teachers, and leads Bella Voce, UWM’s treble chamber choir. She serves as the Area Head for Music Education.

Her research explores the impact of group music-making experiences on individuals, particularly examining how connection in choral ensembles manifests as togetherness, synchrony, and oneness. Her work also addresses teacher-student relationships in music classrooms, culturally responsive vocal pedagogy through varied musical styles, and practices in preservice music teacher education.

Her scholarship can be found in the Choral Journal, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education, Teaching Music, ChorTeach, and Wisconsin School Musician, among other publications. She has shared her work at international, national, and state conferences.

Before joining the Peck School of the Arts, she taught PreK-12 students for over two decades in subjects including choir, digital music production, guitar, piano, musical theatre, show choir, songwriting, orchestra, and general music. Her longest-held role was as Director of Choirs and Department Chair at a public high school near Philadelphia. Her students there were regularly selected for local, state, regional, and national honor ensembles and festivals, and she was named Philadelphia Outstanding Music Educator of the Year.

Dr. Hutton is a frequent guest conductor and clinician for school and community youth choirs. As a choral leader, she facilitates environments where singers feel more connected, expressive, and human through meaningful music making. As a teacher educator, she models caring classroom interactions and offers music educators tools to implement effective, inclusive, person-centered, critical, and caring pedagogies.

She sits on the board for the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA) as Program Chair for Refresh!, the organization’s annual summer professional development conference, and she serves as a Council Member for the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA).

Additionally, Dr. Hutton is certified as an Estill Master Trainer through Estill Voice International, holds three levels of certification in Orff-Schulwerk, and is a Modern Band Higher Education Fellow with Music Will.

Curriculum Vitae, CV (PDF)

Recent & Selected Works

Awards

• Modern Band Higher Education Fellowship, Music Will, 2025–26
• National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity Faculty Success Program Scholarship, 2024
• Faculty Development Award, Peck School of the Arts, 2023, 2022

Publications

• Hutton, J. C. (2025). The choir as garden: A flexible, person-centered approach to choral leadership. Choral Journal, 66(1), 22–32.
• Hutton, J. C. (2025). Using flow to build connection, motivation, and community. Teaching Music, 33(1), 22–25.
• Hutton, J. C., & Agulay, A. (2025). Vocal technique and musicianship for singing in varied styles. [Session presentation]. Wisconsin State Music Conference, Madison, WI, United States.
• Hutton, J. C. (2025). Choral educators’ experiences creating connection during group singing. [Session presentation]. Desert Skies Music Symposium on Research in Music Education, Tempe, AZ, United States.
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Bella Voce, Jennifer C. Hutton (Director). (2025). Selected conference performance. Wisconsin Choral Directors Association Winter Conference.
• Hutton, J. C. (2024). Choir as garden: Rejuvenate the choral ensemble through a flexible, person-centered approach. [Session presentation]. Midwest American Choral Directors Association Region Conference, Omaha, NE, United States.
• Hutton, J. C. (2023). Choral educators’ experiences creating connection during group singing (Publication No. 30423566) [Doctoral dissertation, Temple University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
• Parker, E. C., & Hutton, J. C. (2023). Singing and caring. In K. S. Hendricks (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education. Oxford University Press.
• Hutton, J. C. (2022). Teacher–student relationships: The lived experiences of four K–12 music educators. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 1–15. [https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837221097303](https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837221097303)
• Hutton, J. C. (2022). Choral educators’ experiences creating connection during group singing [Research paper presentation]. National Association for Music Education National Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, National Harbor, MD, United States.
• Hutton, J. C. (2022). Meeting students where they are: Using popular music to develop musicianship in the choral rehearsal. [Session presentation]. National Association for Music Education National Biennial Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, National Harbor, MD, United States.