Dr. Deborah Confredo

Deborah (Capperella, Sheldon) Confredo, a long serving veteran music educator, is Professor of Music Education at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA). She is founder of Temple’s Night Owls Campus/Community Band which launched Temple's community music performance outreach program and is past conductor of the Philadelphia All-City High School Band. Confredo is President of the National Association for Music Education and Past-Chair of the NAfME Music Teacher Profession Initiative (MTPI). During her time as MTPI Chair, she led the research and writing of the NAfME publication, Blueprint for Strengthening the Music Teacher Profession. Confredo serves on the NAfME Executive Committee, Executive Board, and Finance Committee. While a professor for Temple University, Dr. Confredo resides in Louisiana where she is an active member of the Louisiana Music Educators Association. Confredo has headed the chamber ensemble program and served as symphonic band coordinator and conductor for the New England Adult Music Camp (Sidney, ME). She has co-authored the texts The Complete Woodwind Instructor: A Guidebook for the Music Educator and Lessons in Performance (FJH), and is editor of Superior Bands in Sixteen Weeks, and Chorales and Rhythmic Etudes for Superior Bands. Confredo is lead author for the FJH publication Measures of Success®, a multi-level band method for beginning and intermediate instrumentalists. She developed and is featured in the Measures of Success® Video Practice Buddy Series, an online video tutorial program for developing band musicians. Her numerous articles are published in journals such as the Journal for Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (CRME), Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal for Music Teacher Education, Journal of Music Therapy, Music Educators Journal, Journal of Band Research, The Instrumentalist, SBO+, and Contributions to Music Education, as well as in several state music education journals. She has been an editorial board member on several professional journals and currently serves as editorial board member for the Journal of Band Research. She is in demand as conductor, clinician, adjudicator, speaker, and lecturer. Tau Beta Sigma, the Illinois Music Educators Association, and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association have honored her for distinguished service to music education. Mansfield University (PA) has recognized her as a distinguished alumnus. She is recipient of the Pennsylvania State University College of Arts and Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award, the Florida State University Faculty Citation for Graduate Alumni Award, and the Temple University Outstanding Faculty Service Award. In Louisiana, Confredo continues to perform as a saxophonist with the Lafayette Concert Band and is an on-call sub for the Acadian Wind Symphony and the Skyliners big band. She also performs and records with her bassist/guitarist husband, Ralph, in their music studio, Electric Étoufée-dyland. In her spare time, she and Ralph enjoy dancing to Zydeco and Cajun music which they do as often as possible. In March, 2024, Deb added the important job of grandmother (“Nonna”) to her résumé when first grandbaby Harper Lee Wolfe came into the world!