robert derke

Director of Education

Dr. Rob Derke’s dedication and track-record as a music educator and leader has earned a spot “at the forefront of redefining the future” (WABC TV). As a K-12 and collegiate music educator, a district-level curriculum developer, a music education nonprofit director, and an international performer with a “wealth of ideas and inherent artistry” in jazz, rock, pop, classical, Broadway, and various world music styles, Rob’s work has made a direct impact on tens of thousands of students and educators across the US. While his artistic output with Grammy winners and world-renowned artists has reached the Billboard Charts, entertained audiences in the world’s most well-known venues, and been defined as being “among the best,” Rob balances his performance work with a well-documented career as a music education leader whose “contagious enthusiasm” and expertise in cognitive science has propelled his students toward reaching their best.

As a published author, Rob is engaged in numerous research activities that examine the intersection of leadership, learning design, and arts education, and it has informed his work in a range of contexts with arts organizations, schools, nonprofits, and government agencies across the NY Tri-State area. Rob holds a Doctor of Education degree from Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education and Human Development, a Master of Music from Purchase Conservatory at SUNY, a BM from Manhattan School of Music, and is honored to have been designated a “notable alumni” from the famed LaGuardia HS of Music and Art and Performing Arts in NYC where he first went on the road at age 15 travelling in the Broadway pit of Ain’t Misbehavin’ and subsequently proceeded to share the bandstand with preeminent artists at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Blue Note, Radio City Music Hall, Wetlands, CBGBs, the Palladium, the Apollo, Iridium, and scores of venues around the world. Most importantly, Rob has dedicated his career to sharing his experience and expertise with students and educators to ensure that future generations have the capacity to become their best selves as active members of a vibrant artistic landscape.