Tayloe Harding, dean of the University of South Carolina School of Music, will draw on his extensive leadership experience as the new president of the National Association of Schools of Music. He transitioned to his current leadership role with the organization, where he will serve through 2027, after previously holding the office of vice president.
Founded in 1924, the National Association of Schools of Music is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities with more than 600 accredited institutional members. The association’s goals are to advance the cause of music in American life and especially in higher education, to establish and maintain threshold standards for the education of musicians while encouraging both diversity and excellence, and to provide a national forum for the discussion of issues related to these purposes.
“Dean Harding brings a deep knowledge of the purposes, context and procedures of NASM and the power of peer-review, shared standards and comprehensive institutional assessment and planning,” says Michael Wilder, immediate past president of the organization and dean of the Conservatory of Music, Arts, and Communication at Wheaton College in Illinois. Wilder, who has served with Harding for decades in several National Association of Schools of Music leadership positions, calls Harding an ideal leader as the organization begins its second century of advocating for music education.
“We all know well the signature smile of President Harding, even as he challenges each of us to dig deep and to cultivate our best selves and the potential of each person we serve,” Wilder says.
Harding has extensive experience with the National Association of Schools of Music, including terms as vice president and secretary, chair of Region 7, a member of the Commission on Accreditation, and chair of the Nominating Committee. His involvement with the association began in the late ‘80s, through influence from a mentor and experiences writing self-studies for accreditation. Over the years, he has presented on various topics for the association, such as peer review, advocacy and building the modern music school.
Harding is one of only two people who have served as president of the National Association of Schools of Music and of the College Music Society, an umbrella organization for music faculty, and the only person who has served as president for both of those organizations as well as Pi Kappa Lambda, the national music honor society.
“President Harding brings a deep understanding of music in higher education, a love for people and for their music-making, and a commitment to community and connecting people in collaboration and shared vision,” Wilder says. “There are few people I have known who bring more resolve and commitment to serving others and their abiding passion for music and creativity and vibrant artistic living.”