Biography

Melinda Russial

Melinda’s curricular focus dwells in the interstices of educational phenomenology, global arts, and social justice. After seven years as Director of Arts and Culture, Director of Student Life Curriculum, Wellness Peer Education supervisor and IB Music and Theory of Knowledge teacher at the United World College-USA, Melinda is now pursuing doctoral research in Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Oulu, Finland. As an artist, Melinda’s primary area of emphasis is in European orchestral clarinet and bass clarinet, with a secondary emphasis in Balkan and Middle Eastern folk music. Melinda has studied and performed music from a variety of global genres, and emphasizes broad exposure, deep inquiry, and thematic relationships across musical systems in her teaching. She is currently exploring the rumblings of nascent poetry and the spaces between visual, aural, and literary mediums. Melinda holds degrees in clarinet performance from Northwestern University (Bachelor of Music) and the University of Minnesota (Master of Music), and a Bachelor’s equivalent in Social Studies teaching. She is also working toward a Master of Arts degree in English at the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English. Melinda’s teaching experience includes secondary and undergraduate arts and humanities programs.