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For a little less than a decade, University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) associate professor of music Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis has shared her passions with students at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Now, for the first time, Morgan-Ellis will be able to share that passion as a keynote speaker for the International Conference on Music Education Technology (ICMdT).

The ICMdT is set to take place from Jan. 10-12 at the University of Hong Kong in China. Selected for her interest in the ways that media have been used to facilitate participation and construct community, Morgan-Ellis will share her remarks virtually on Jan. 10.

"I'm always super proud to represent Â鶹ÊÓƵ on the national and international stage," Morgan-Ellis said. "I want to put Â鶹ÊÓƵ on the map in the music scholar world. It's fun for me to now have Â鶹ÊÓƵ be a school that people in the music world have heard of."

Her work at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic helped to shape this opportunity, Morgan-Ellis said. Inspired by the first months of lockdown during the pandemic, Morgan-Ellis observed and studied how people found ways to make music together online rather than in person.

“Singing was specifically connected with some very high risk of spreading the disease. So, right from the start, I got really involved with different communities,” said Morgan-Ellis. “I’m excited and happy that this is the research that finally attracted a lot of attention. This is the research I think is the best thing that I’ve done.”