Advisory Board
At Circle of Fifths, we are honored to be guided by a remarkable Advisory Board of educators, scholars, and musicians whose insights provide strategic direction and help shape our programs with integrity, inclusivity, and musical excellence. We are deeply grateful for these expert partners who strengthen our mission, expand access to music, and help us reimagine artistic excellence through inclusion and innovation.
Dr. Robert Duke
Title: Director, Center for Music Learning, University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music
Specialization: Music learning, performance psychology, and the cognitive foundations of music education
Role at CoF: Dr. Duke brings nationally recognized expertise in how people learn - especially through music. His research in performance psychology and educational neuroscience informs the structure of our teaching approaches, ensuring they are developmentally grounded, evidence-based, and accessible to learners of all abilities.
Dr. Duke advises on individualized learning pathways that support both musical growth and personal agency. His focus on helping musicians understand how learning happens - and on fostering expressive, rewarding music-making that strengthens connection with peers, family, and audiences - is exactly why we are so honored to have him as an advisory partner. As he often says, “let’s create joy.”
Dr. Andrew Dell’Antonio
Title: Professor of Musicology & Director of Undergraduate Studies, Butler School of Music, University of Texas at Austin
Specialization: Musicology, inclusive curriculum design, and equity in music education
Role at CoF: Dr. Andrew Dell’Antonio brings bold, nationally recognized leadership in musicology, disability studies, and inclusive arts practice to Circle of Fifths. His work calls out the narrow traditions of music education that have historically shut out neurodivergent and disabled musicians—and he is helping CoF build a new model where access isn’t an add-on, it’s the starting point.
With both deep scholarly expertise and lived experience of neurodivergence, Dr. Dell’Antonio champions a vision of music learning where joy, connection, and creative expression—not perfection—define success. He is actively guiding CoF in exploring and developing alternative credentialing pathways so that musicians can be recognized for mastery outside traditional degree systems, opening doors that have never existed before.
His commitment to turning inclusion theory into real-world practice shapes every layer of our work—from curriculum and culture to community partnerships. We are genuinely honored to have his voice, brilliance, and advocacy fueling this movement.
Dr. Laurie Scott
Title: Associate Professor of Music and Human Learning, University of Texas at Austin; affiliated with the Moritz Center for Societal Impact
Specialization: Music education, pedagogy, and teaching students with disabilities
Role at CoF:Dr. Laurie Scott brings transformative leadership in string pedagogy, inclusive teaching, and music education to Circle of Fifths. As a nationally recognized expert in expanding access to high-quality music instruction, she has spent her career proving that excellence and inclusion are not opposites—they are mutually reinforcing.
Dr. Scott is helping CoF build a training model where instruction is adapted without lowering expectations and where every musician is supported to grow at a meaningful pace. Her expertise in designing collaborative, learner-centered environments guides our approach to rehearsal structures, ensemble participation, and scaffolded independence—ensuring students are not just included, but fully engaged.
She is also advising CoF as we develop innovative, community-based learning pathways and alternative forms of documenting mastery, so that musicians with diverse communication and sensory profiles can be recognized for their achievements beyond traditional academic systems.
Dr. Scott’s dedication to teacher training, equity, and joyful music-making shapes the heart of this work. We are honored to have her leadership and vision helping Circle of Fifths redefine what truly accessible conservatory-level education can be.
Denise Fitzgerald, M.Ed.
Title: Former Director of Transition Services, Perkins School for the Blind
Specialization: Transition Planning, Post-Secondary Pathways for Multiply Disabled Learners, Blind/DeafBlind Learners, and Interagency Coordination
Role at CoF: Denise Fitzgerald brings decades of nationally respected leadership in transition planning for students who are blind, DeafBlind, and multiply disabled. As the former Director of Transition at Perkins School for the Blind, she has guided hundreds of families through post-secondary pathways that prioritize self-determination, meaningful access, and individualized adult outcomes.
At Circle of Fifths, Denise advises on building transition frameworks that integrate vocational readiness, independent-living skill development, and customized employment strategies for DeafBlind and CVI learners. She supports the development of person-centered planning processes, agency collaboration models, and family navigation tools to ensure students move into adulthood with coordinated supports—not fragmented services.
Denise’s expertise helps CoF design programs where transition is not a cliff, but a bridge—grounded in dignity, autonomy, and high expectations for lifelong contribution and belonging.
Carrie Clark
We are honored to welcome Carrie to our Advisory Board. Their expertise will play a meaningful role in shaping our mission, access framework, and long-term program development. A full bio and role description will be shared soon.
Lee Nash
We are thrilled to announce that Lee has joined the Circle of Fifths Advisory Board. Their insight and leadership will help expand access, deepen artistic excellence, and support our next phase of growth. Full biography and advisory role coming soon.
Additional advisor profiles will be added as they are finalized. We are grateful for their commitment to our mission.