About
The purpose of SCMEA Collegiate is to afford future music educators an opportunity for professional orientation and development while still in school and to enable them to gain an understanding of:
- the basic truths and principles that underlie the role of music in human life;
- the philosophy and function of the music education profession;
- the professional interests of members involved in the local and state levels;
- the knowledge and practices of the professional music educator as facilitated through the chapter, collegiate membership, and SCMEA activities.
Collegiate Membership Executive Board (2022-2023)
President – Abby Jones, Charleston Southern University
Abby Jones is a Charleston Southern University senior from Columbia, South Carolina. Her major is instrumental music education, and her primary instrument is the trumpet. At CSU, Abby is the head drum major of the Pride of the Lowcountry marching band and serves as the President of her university’s chapter of NAfME Collegiate. She has received invitations and holds memberships in Alpha Chi, a collegiate honors society, Pi Kappa Lambda, a music honors society, and Kappa Delta Pi, an education honors society.
Immediate Past-President – Will Ellison, Dutchman Creek Middle School
President-Elect – Katelyn Selkinghaus, Winthrop University
Katelyn Selkinghaus is from Chapin, South Carolina. She is a sophomore at Winthrop University, majoring in instrumental music education, and her primary instrument is the clarinet.
Advocacy Chair – Sarah Harris, Bob Jones University
Sarah Harris is originally from Greenville, South Carolina, but was raised in Argentina. Sarah has a passion for teaching bilingually in title I schools. She is a senior music education major at Bob Jones University, and her primary instrument is the voice. At BJU, she has served as the Vice President for the Chorale and Chamber Choirs and Treasurer for the BJU NAfME chapter. Currently, she serves as the Vice President of her collegiate chapter.
As a performer, Sarah has placed second in her division at NATS her freshman year, placed first her sophomore year, and has competed both nationally and internationally in the Classical Singer Vocal Competition in Chicago. She performed with the Bob Jones Symphony Orchestra as a soloist upon winning the Concerto and Aria Competition her sophomore year, presenting works by Handel and Mozart.
Member at Large – Blythe Nicholson, Anderson University
Blythe Nicholson is from Lexington, South Carolina, and is an Early Childhood Education Major with a Minor in Music at Anderson University, where she serves as Ways and Means Coordinator of their NAfME collegiate chapter.
Member at Large – Austyn Cross, Anderson, University
Austyn Cross is a sophomore at Anderson University. She is majoring in secondary social studies education and is pursuing a minor in music. Her primary instrument is the horn. Although she is not a music major, she is very passionate about music and believes that NAfME is a wonderful organization. Her favorite aspect is that it connects people from all over the state who share the same passions about music and education. She believes that the community created by NAfME is unique and she is ecstatic to contribute to that in any way she can.
Collegiate Membership Advisor – Dr. Pattye Casarow, Bob Jones University
Dr. Pattye Casarow, a professor in the Department of Music Education, joined the Division of Music at Bob Jones University in the fall of 2016. She heads the Department of Music Education and is the Program Coordinator for the online Master of Music Education. In addition to her teaching, Dr. Casarow conducts the Freshmen choir, University Singers.
Before her time at BJU, Dr. Casarow was a Professor of Music at Clearwater Christian College in Florida for 13 years, where she chaired the Music Department, taught, and conducted three choirs. Her choirs have performed in various settings, from Carnegie Hall in New York City to Istanbul, Turkey. Dr. Casarow’s experience includes 20 years in K-12 music education in Georgia, New Jersey, and Arizona before entering higher education. Her research is in the area of sight-singing pedagogy with field study in the Sight Reading Choirs of the Florida All-State system, focusing on factors that relate to student achievement in reading music at sight.
She has presented numerous workshops in music education and choral music and conducted choral festivals. Dr. Casarow’s educational background includes a BS from Grand Canyon University in Music Education and a Master of Music in Music Education, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from Arizona State University.
Dr. Pattye Casarow is married to Dr. Steve Casarow of the BJU School of Business. They have four children, Jayne, Stephen, Jonathan, and Patrick. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and sewing. She has hiked the Grand Canyon (down to Phantom Ranch and back) twice! Dr. Casarow states, “I am grateful for God’s gentle leading in my life, bringing me to the faculty of Bob Jones University. I am passionate about my career fields, music education, and choral music, and I look forward to sharing ideas and music-making experiences with my students. Music educators have the privilege of teaching and performing music daily, and choral musicians delight in sharing music with each other and their audiences.