About Diana

Diana Hawley has worked in education as a music teacher, curriculum coordinator, and instructional design strategist in public, international, and charter schools for over twenty years. Additionally, as a nationally recognized teacher educator of the Orff Schulwerk approach, Diana has guided the professional learning of hundreds of U.S. and international music educators to better serve the needs of their students and communities.

Diana’s work in music education has taken her around the world and back again. Her first steps as a music teacher took place in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she founded the music program at Achieve Language Academy, a Hmong and Spanish language-focused charter school on St. Paul’s East Side. Eager to broaden her worldview and grow in her practice, after four years Diana shifted into international school teaching and landed at highly regarded International School Bangkok (ISB). Her two sons—now nearly 16 and 18—were born in Thailand.

Since returning to the U.S. and settling in the vibrant arts community of Iowa City, Diana has flourished as a music teacher and teacher leader. Currently, Diana leads cross-team collaboration between teachers, curriculum coordinators, school counselors, and district administrators to ensure that all students access meaningful curricular and co-curricular experiences in Music, Art, Physical Education, World Languages, and Career and Technical Education in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD). Prior to her current role, Diana served as the ICCSD K-12 Music Coordinator and an Instructional Design Strategist of Innovation.

In addition to her full-time work in Iowa City, Diana is an accomplished music teacher educator of the Orff Schulwerk approach. Diana teaches graduate-level courses at several universities, including the University of St. Thomas, University of Kentucky, and George Mason University. Course participants teach in a variety of settings, including public and independent schools, community music centers, and private studios.

To further support music teachers, Diana co-edited/authored Artful-Playful-Mindful in Action: Orff-Schulwerk Classroom Projects for a New Generation of Learners (2015), a resource that provides “authentic stories of real teachers in real classrooms who have undertaken the adventure of introducing a new Orff Schulwerk curriculum to their students.”

Diana serves on the Editorial Board of The Orff Echo, the Associate Editorial Board of The International Journal of Education & the Arts, and Music Educators Journal’s Advisory Committee.

Diana earned a BA in Music and Sociology/Anthropology from St. Olaf College, an MA in Education from the University of St. Thomas, and is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Music Education at Boston University.