Dr. Whitney Covalle, PhD, is a singer, researcher, and choral music educator. Her research focuses on music education occurring in urban contexts with emphasis on engaging community expertise and teaching in the aural-oral tradition. During her PhD studies at Temple University, she earned a certificate in urban education in the College of Education and Human Development, taught undergraduate music education courses, and co-directed the Temple-Carver Choir, a university partnership offering choir to students at the neighborhood Philadelphia public high school. A portion of her dissertation research where she was immersed with Black Gospel music experts in Philadelphia to learn instructional strategies for teaching Gospel music will be published in an upcoming issue of the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education.
Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Covalle was a choir director in public schools and community music organizations in urban settings for seventeen years. She served as choir director at Jones College Prep High School, a public high school in downtown Chicago which combines students from every neighborhood in the city. At Jones she grew a 40 singer choir into a 200 + voice multi-level program with a social justice mission to build a “choir family” among the diverse student body. She facilitated yearly participatory “friendship choir festivals” combining Jones Choirs with local and regional high school choirs for musical exchanges, culminating in a notable “Friendship Tour” to Detroit. Prior to her work at Jones, Dr. Covalle was the conductor of the Lincoln Park-DePaul chapter of Chicago Children’s Choir serving students age 8-18 where her choirs performed throughout the community and she co-conducted the Lyric Opera Children’s Chorus.
Dr. Covalle holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Michigan State University and a Master of Music Education degree with choral emphasis from Westminster Choir College, and a PhD in in Music Education from Temple University.
Teaching rooted in love and care for students.
Our fundamental role as music educators is to build connection and community among diverse groups through music.
shared connection and empathy among our students is built through engaging plural repertoire.
