Using Peers to Build Inclusive Instrumental Ensembles through United Sound
Clinic Synopsis:
Music education has the potential to transform lives, but adding “one more thing” is daunting, especially for a teacher whose plate is already full. This session will offer strategies to support teachers to promote collaboration between students with and without disabilities in performance based instrumental ensembles. United Sound distributes the workload to peer mentors, transforming the idea of inclusion into one of joy, while also building stronger, more engaged musicians and ensembles.
Katie Moorhead
- Biographical Information
Katie Moorhead has consistently led thriving band programs for over 25 years. Throughout her tenure, Katie has mentored student teachers, assistants, and staff, nurturing them into future music educators and leaders.
In a field where it is easy to focus solely on the product, she prides herself on intentionally developing student leaders who model inclusivity, mentor peers, and contribute to a culture where every musician feels valued and capable.
At Greenfield Junior High in Gilbert, Arizona, where she’s taught for the last 15 years, Katie fosters a culture of belonging, student-led environments, and empowering young musicians to thrive. Her jazz and concert bands have consistently earned ratings of Superior and Superior with Distinction at state and district festivals.
In 2017, she launched the school’s first United Sound chapter, advancing inclusive music-making for all students. Katie attributes this addition to her program to be the single most transformative element in the positive culture of her program.
She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Arizona State University (2001), National Board Certification (2006), and a Master of Music Education from Boston University (2007). Katie remains an active performer, playing piccolo with Tempe Winds for 25 years.
Katie is a member of the Arizona Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, and Phi Beta Mu.
Julie Duty - Biographical Information
Julie Duty completed her undergraduate degree at Arizona State University in 1998, earning a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. She then taught high school and middle school band and served as a mentor teacher for nine years in Arizona.
Julie founded United Sound, Inc. in 2014 and currently serves as the Executive Director, working with teachers, parents, and administrators to bring meaningful participation and inclusivity to the instrumental music classroom. United Sound was created with the goal of developing relationships between students with and without disabilities and providing them with the opportunity to build self-esteem, self-confidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging through music. In its first eight years, over 12,000 students have participated in United Sound and they have logged over 213,000 relationship-building, music-making hours together.
Julie holds an executive scholar certificate in nonprofit management from the Kellogg Executive Education program at Northwestern University. She is also a highly sought after speaker and guest lecturer and has presented over 100 clinics and keynote addresses at universities, state and national music education conferences, and school district-wide professional development events. Julie is still an active musician, performing as a member of the Tempe Winds for the last 28 years. She also serves as a member of The Midwest Clinic Advisory Board, Music for All’s Advocacy in Action Committee, and The Institute for Composer Diversity Advisory Council.
Jeremy Overbeck - Biographical Information
Jeremy Overbeck is an accomplished orchestra educator and conductor based in Bismarck, North Dakota. A native of Fargo, he earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Concordia College in 2004. He later completed a Master of Music Education with a conducting emphasis at Colorado State University in 2016.
Jeremy currently directs orchestra programs for grades 7–12 at Horizon Middle School and Century High School within the Bismarck Public Schools district. His work is marked by a strong commitment to musical excellence, student leadership development, and inclusive music education.
In 2017, Jeremy introduced United Sound to North Dakota, expanding access to instrumental music through peer mentorship for students with disabilities. Under his leadership, the program has grown at both Horizon Middle School and Century High School, with participating students earning national recognition, including performances in the Rose Bowl Parade.
An active performer, Jeremy plays with the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and previously served as Principal Cello of the Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra. He remains engaged in chamber music and community performances throughout the region.
Jeremy is a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), where he served as West Representative for Orchestra, and the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) as a Member-at-Large. From 2020–2025, he was named a Quarterfinalist for the Music Educator Award presented by the Grammy Foundation.
He and his wife, Alicia, reside in Bismarck with their four children.
Kenny Baker - Biographical Information
Kenny Baker is a Nationally Board-Certified Teacher and currently the orchestra and guitar teacher at McQueen High School in Reno, Nevada. He leads the United Sound Guitar Chapter since 2024, connecting students with intellectual or developmental disabilities with peer mentors. He has presented at several state, regional, and national conferences on the topics of implementing electric instruments in the orchestra, assessment, and Eclectic Styles pedagogy and literature in the orchestra curriculum. Kenny is an author for the NAfME Teaching with Primary Sources program through the Library of Congress, where he wrote a full unit of instruction for guitar. His orchestras have twice performed at the ASTA National Orchestra Festival, and he also led the first string big band to perform at the Reno Jazz Festival, where his students have since performed five times. Kenny has been in leadership roles for the Nevada Music Educators Association, served as Nevada ASTA’s Past President, the ASTA COVID Task Force, the ASTA Journal Editorial Board, and as the chairperson for the ASTA Eclectic Styles Committee, where he placed a focus on listening to and responding to needs of educators in the organization and assisted committee members with the design of responsive professional development. He is also the co-chair of his school district’s curriculum committee, which wrote his district’s first formal orchestra curriculum. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time camping in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his husband and two dogs.
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