Rick Palese is an associated faculty member in the School of Music at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to joining the faculty at Ohio State, Palese served as the director of the Music Education Center of America (MECA) Continuing Education program and director of student teaching at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to administrative duties, Palese taught music technology and supervised field experiences for instrumental music education music majors. He has also served as adjunct faculty in the Division of Music Education in the College of Music at the University of North Texas.

Palese began his teaching career at Prairie Hill School in Cary, Illinois, directing 5th and 6th grade bands in addition to facilitating extracurricular opportunities for students to engage with music learning. He worked with the Cary Education Foundation to secure a grant, commissioning the work Colliding Visions by composer Brian Balmages.

Palese earned a PhD in Music and Human Learning at the University of Texas at Austin, where he served as a teaching assistant in the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music, and also taught in the University of Texas String Project. Prior to his time in Texas, Rick earned both BMEd and MMEd degrees in Music Education at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, where he was honored with the Esprit de Corps award on three separate occasions and graduated as Senior Salutatorian.

Dr. Palese has presented at the the NAfME Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference, Association for Popular Music Education (APME) National Conferences, several state Music Education Association conferences, taught at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education, and presented a number of courses in the MECA Continuing Education program. Rick’s professional memberships include The National Association for Music Education; the Association for Popular Music Education; the Percussive Arts Society; the Vic Firth Education Team; the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. As an active performer Rick Palese has performed, recorded and toured across the country, most notably with the orchestral folk ensemble, American Dreamer.

Featured Professional Activities

• Palese, R., Wardeska, J.  (2022, July). Differences in Music Education Students’ Approach to Practice on Primary and Secondary Instruments. International Society for music Education (ISME) 2022 World Conference.
• *Palese, R. (2022, June). Beyond the Boom Bap: A Drum Set Expansion Pack for Inspiring Developing Drummers [Workshop session]. Association for Popular Music Education (APME) National Conference, Detroit, MI.
• Palese, R. (2021, November). Dialogues on Diversity, Panel with Mr. Michael Smith, facilitated by The Ohio State School of Music Climate, Equity and Diversity Committee; Columbus, OH.
• Drum Set Techniques, Luther College FMEA Fall Symposium: Popular Music Pedagogy for Preservice Music Peeps, October 9, 2021.
• Why Major in Music Education: Leadership and Advocacy, Panel with Dr. David Hedgecoth, Ms. Kelsey Fulmer, Ms. Audrey Rice, Mr. Luke Shultz , Central Ohio Flute Association (COFA) Virtual Festival, April 10, 2021.
• Palese, R. S., & Duke, R. A. (2021). Thinking Time in Music Practice. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education.
• Thinking Time in Music Practice, VanderCook College of Music, Introduction to Graduate Study, May 24, 2020.
• Palese, R. (2021, June). Traditional Techniques Classes: Can They Pop and How? Association for Popular Music Education (APME) National Conference, Chicago, IL.
• Palese, R. (2021, February). Doing More with Less in Music Practice. NAfME Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference, Orlando, FL.
• Palese, R. & Duke R.A. (2021, February). Thinking Time in Music Practice. Ohio Music Educators Association (OMEA) Professional Development Conference, Columbus, OH.
• Palese, R. (2020, November). Planning for Music Classes: Practicalities, Principles & Practices [Recorded lecture]. American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) at Ohio State 2020 Lecture Series, Columbus, OH.
• Palese, R. (2020, May). Doing More with Less in Music Practice. International Society for music Education (ISME) 2020 World Conference, Helsinki, Finland. (Conference canceled)
• Palese, R. (2019, October). Rethinking Music Practice by Teaching the Practice of Thinking. East Central Ohio Education Service Center Professional Development Day, New Philadelphia, OH.