Dr. Kendra Taylor ’11 MAT 13’

Dr. Kendra Taylor ’11 MAT ’13 grew up in Medford and graduated North Medford HS. She took piano lessons starting in the 2^nd grade because she saw her mother taking piano lessons and wanted to join in. She then joined the orchestra, playing cello, in elementary school. She was heavily invested in music by the time she entered high school at North Medford and added the flute to her repertoire becoming a drum major and a member of both jazz band and choir. That participation and enthusiasm in high school, continues to this day.

With aspirations of becoming a band director, Kendra took her talents to the University of Oregon then Lane Community College in Eugene. There, she made the switch from instrument to choral and earned her associate’s degree at Lane. She then decided to return to the Rogue Valley and complete her education at SOU.

On campus, she loved the tutelage of Paul and Jodi French in the choir program. “I felt adopted and part of a family in SOU’s program. The teachers were passionate, accessible and they cared about their individual students,” said Kendra. Other notable instructors were Cynthia Hutton and Ellie Murray, “all were wonderful teachers.” She was involved with campus life and enjoyed choral Christmas caroling at retirement centers, flash mobs in downtown Ashland and playing croquet with other music majors in front of the music building. She graduated summa cum laude June of 2011 with her bachelor’s in music and earned an American Association of University Women award for the outstanding woman graduate in music instruction. She remained on campus in the two-year MAT program and became invested with Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, which opened her up to a world of national and international-level performers/composers.  She even worked part-time as an actor and worked the box office at Camelot Theatre in Talent. She completed her MAT in 2013 then took the next step by becoming a music teacher at her alma mater, North Medford HS.

Taylor taught music for seven years at North Medford. She wore many hats there including director of choirs, concert orchestra, and jazz band II as well as activities director, associate music director and digital music instructor, sharing her passion for the arts with hundreds of high school students. Additionally, she taught vocal methods and a concert choir course at SOU with a goal to someday teach full-time at the collegiate level. “I absolutely loved teaching at North, particularly because many of my high school teachers were still teaching there so that made it a very special experience, “she said. She decided to resign from teaching secondary education and entered the doctorate program at the University of Oregon to pursue a dream of teaching full-time at the collegiate level.

At the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, she immersed herself in the program as a graduate teaching fellow and earned an achievement award for Outstanding Graduate Scholar in the area of music education and an Award of Excellence as a graduate employee in the areas of classroom and academic teaching. She earned her PhD in music education June of 2023 and was immediately hired as an Assistant Professor, Director of Choral Music Education, Western Oregon University in Monmouth.

“I am eternally grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given from music teachers. It has been a great privilege to both attend and teach at SOU. I taught for seven years prior to returning to school. I didn’t realize how much I missed learning, striving for better in myself, and taking time to work on my craft. I’m so excited to share the knowledge that’s been shared with me in Southern Oregon and Eugene with students at Western Oregon University. I strive to be the music teachers I’ve had over the years. I hope to pass on their passion for creating beauty in music and helping others.”

Learn more: Department of Music, Western Oregon University