Faculty & Staff

David Thaxton is from Sparks, Nevada where he is currently in his 30 th year teaching Elementary music to pre-K through 6th grade, and holds a B.M.E. Degree from the University of Northern Colorado, and an M.M. from Eastern Washington University.

As an AOSA certified teacher trainer for Orff Level I, II, and III pedagogy and Level I and II recorder, David teaches Summer Courses in Reno, San Diego, Birmingham, Chicago, and Portland. He has presented workshops and clinics at local, state, and national levels and presents to Orff chapters throughout the country.

David is also the Past President and Treasurer for the Sierra Nevada Chapter of AOSA where he was co-founder of the Sierra Nevada Orff Festival. At the national level, he has served on the Editorial Board of The Echo Journal of the American Orff Schulwerk Association and the monthly online publication, Reverberations. He is currently the Treasurer for the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement and was also awarded the ACEMM Spotlight Educator Award. His book “Making Tracks: Recorder Explorations, Creations and Improvisations” published through Sweet Pipes is used in elementary music classrooms across the country as an improvisatory approach to recorder instruction.