Taylor Morris, Guest Clinician & Artist

Hailed by a class of 2nd graders as “wreely nice and kind” and “the coolest man on erth,” Arizona native Taylor Morris enjoys blurring the line between violin and fiddle. Strongly believing we can learn more about the world through collaboration with others, he actively pursues musical projects in different genres. Currently, he is part of Tricia & Taylor, a genre-bending violin/fiddle duo with concert violinist Tricia Park, and a member of The Sound Accord, a string sextet that creates vibrant arrangements of folk music. After studying classical violin at Arizona State University with Dr. Katie McLin, he spent four years touring with Barrage, a world-music violin troupe based out of Canada. His travels, both with Barrage and personally, have led to performances in 48 states and 13 countries with musicians from a multitude of backgrounds, including Mike Block, Hanneke Cassel, Brittany Haas, Natalie Haas, Jeremy Kittel, Lauren Rioux, and the Tetra String Quartet. Additionally, Taylor has the unique experience of having performed as a featured concert soloist with each major type of musical ensemble: orchestra, band, and choir. 
 
Offstage, Taylor obtained a master’s in education from Harvard University and is a passionate advocate for arts education. Since 2000, Taylor’s teaching has taken him into classrooms around the country, from kindergartens to colleges, including as a continuing Guest Lecturer at Arizona State University. He frequently works with educators in professional development settings and has presented at the national conferences for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and at The Midwest Clinic. Cherishing his own childhood experiences at summer music camps, Taylor frequently teaches at camps around the country and directs his own camp for young musicians in the Phoenix area called StringPlay. During the school year, he is a committed private teacher with a dynamic studio of violinists and fiddlers. Additionally, Taylor is a founding co-director of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers (GTF), an extracurricular high school fiddle group that collaborates to create its own arrangements for performances. Of note, GTF students were invited to present and perform at the 2019 and 2024 National ASTA Conferences! Through his teaching, Taylor is ultimately on a mission to help students and educators alike experience the thrill of taking musical ownership and finding their own meaningful ways to make music. 

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Scott Glasser, Assistant Professor of String Music Education

Scott Glasser joined the faculty of University of North Carolina Greensboro as Assistant Professor of String Music Education in 2025. Previously, he held positions as Director of the Arizona State University Mariachi Program, Administrator for the ASU String Project, Director of Orchestras & Mariachi at Marcos de Niza High School (AZ), and Director of Orchestras & Strings in the Liberty Central School District (NY). Dr. Glasser completed both his undergraduate and graduate coursework in Music Education at the State University of New York at Fredonia and graduated with a Ph.D. in Music Learning & Teaching from Arizona State University under the mentorship of Dr. Margaret Schmidt.  

Dr. Glasser’s research interests include mariachi education, history, and pedagogy, teacher identity development and evolution, and string pedagogy. In addition to his role at UNCG, he has taught music education courses at Arizona State University, SUNY Fredonia, the Hartt School of Music, and the VanderCook College of Music as well as presented at the American String Teachers Association National Conference, Society for Music Teacher Education Symposium, and Arizona Music Educators Association In-Service Conference. A pre-K-12 music educator for 16 years, he aims for his research to be applicable and accessible to preservice and practicing teachers.  

Passionate about teaching and performing, Dr. Glasser has led student ensembles that have performed at numerous venues throughout the country, including the Main Plaza of Lincoln Center, the United Nations, the State Capitol Building in Austin, Texas, and St. Malachy’s Chapel in Times Square. As a professional musician, he performs regularly as a violinist and vocalist in the classical, musical theatre, and mariachi realms. During his time in Arizona, Dr. Glasser was co-founder and first violinist for the Aletheia String Quartet, a group of music educators dedicated to giving back to the Phoenix Metropolitan community through its Homestead Concert Series. 

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Jennifer Aikey (eye-key) is pursuing a PhD in Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she also holds a graduate assistantship. Mrs. Aikey taught Orchestra at Durham Middle School from 2013-2023 in Cobb County, GA. Mrs. Aikey received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Augusta University and received her Master of Music Education from Florida State University. Her research interests include factors of music teacher attrition and retention, incorporating popular music and eclectic styles into school ensembles, and examining experiences of music teachers with exceptionalities.