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The New England Conservatory community mourns the passing of Richard Colwell, who died on August 22 at age 96. Richard chaired the Conservatory’s Music Education Department from 1993 to 1998.
Richard’s career in music education began in the public schools of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and continued at the University of Montana. For nearly 30 years he chaired the music education program at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and thereafter served in the same capacity at Boston University and NEC. He also taught at the University of Northern Colorado.
Richard’s dedication to the field was also evidenced by his influential scholarship. He founded the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education while at UIUC and the Quarterly Journal of Music Teaching and Learning at UNC, contributing an impassioned perspective that has informed the work of generations of educators and scholars.
Among the awards and honors Richard received during his career were a Fulbright scholarship, Guggenheim fellowship, induction in the National Association for Music Education’s Music Educators Hall of Fame, and recognition from the International Society for Music Education. A collection of his work is housed at the University of Illinois.
Beyond his work in the field of music education, Richard was a longtime member of the Illinois National Guard.
The NEC community is grateful for the thoughtful work Richard did here in a program that today is a leader in the field of teaching artistry. Richard’s contributions to music education at NEC and beyond were foundational.
