Oberlin Community Remembers a Beloved Retired Professor

A member of Oberlin faculty for 13 years, Peggy Bennett was known by students and the Oberlin community for creating and leading MusicPlay, a preschool classroom and learning lab run as part of the Conservatory’s music education program.

“Peggy was a woman of great character, sincerity, vitality, and intelligence — qualities she brought to every aspect of her teaching and professional relationships. She loved children and music, and found deep joy in mentoring those who would go on to become preschool and elementary music teachers,” says Jody Kerchner, Oberlin professor of music education.

As a protégé of Mary Helen Richards, credited with bringing the Kodály music method to the U.S., Bennett continued and expanded upon Richards’s legacy through the SongWorks approach. “Peggy’s influence reached far and wide, inspiring countless educators who observed her work at state, national, and international music education conferences, and through her thoughtful practitioner writings,” says Kerchner.

Raised in Peru, Indiana, Bennett earned a bachelor's degree from Ball State University. There she was originally on track for a career as a high school band teacher, but switched her focus to elementary-age students after being inspired by a classroom full of younger students and their playful, respectful teacher.

She began her career teaching grade-school children in Fort Wayne and continued to teach part-time while earning her master’s degree from Ball State University and PhD from the University of North Texas. Over the course of her career she coauthored two books with her colleague Doug Bartholomew, SongWorks: Singing in the Education of Children (Wadsworth, 1997) and SongWorks 2: Singing from Sound to Symbol (Wadsworth, 1999). Her final book, Teaching with Vitality (Oxford University Press, 2017), is a collection of 100 short essays exploring the habits for educators that can bring vitality into their teaching and relationships with administrators, colleagues, children, and parents.

As a trained mediator and life coach, Bennett received an Award of Excellence from the courts in Bozeman, Montana, recognizing her compassionate and effective work with families in mediation — helping them listen, problem-solve, and find resolution in times of conflict.

In keeping with Peggy's wishes, there will be a celebration concert in Bozeman, Montana, in the spring. Details will be posted on the SongWorks website. Her full obituary, including information about making memorial contributions, can be found here.