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Daniel Albert, assistant professor of music education, has been presented the Lowell Mason Award by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) in recognition of his leadership in music education. The award was presented in March by MMEA President Anthony Beatrice at the annual All-State Conference in Worcester, Mass.

The award is named for Lowell Mason, who was largely responsible for introducing music into Boston’s public schools and is widely viewed as the nation’s first important music educator. A Lowell Mason Award recipient must have demonstrated outstanding leadership in music education; have made important contributions to music, music education and MMEA; have been a music educator for 15 years; and be a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).

After graduating from UMass Amherst in 2001, Albert taught classroom general music and instrumental music for 11 years at Glenbrook and Williams Middle Schools in Longmeadow, where he collaborated with composers and the Community Music School of Springfield to create artist-in-residence programs and commissioning projects that enriched the education of school music students. Albert went on to become Assistant Professor at Augsburg University in Minneapolis before joining the faculty at UMass Amherst in 2019.

A strong proponent of partnerships with K-12 music educators and arts organizations, Albert is active as a presenter at state, regional, and national music education conferences, and as a featured clinician at schools throughout New England. He has authored and co-authored articles in several journals, including the Journal of Research in Music Education, Music Education Research, Psychology of Music, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Arts Education Policy Review, Research Studies in Music Education, Music Educators Journal and the Massachusetts Music News, among others. Albert’s research interests include pre-service music teacher education curricula, along with music teacher mentoring practices and topics related to identity, culture and community for both pre-service and in-service music teachers.

Additionally, Albert has served the MMEA’s Western District as Chairperson, Treasurer, and as Representative to the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association’s Executive Board. He has also served as a member of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Arts Education Advisory Council.

More information about the MMEA and the Lowell Mason Award can be found at massmea.org.