Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we are thrilled to be joined by a very special guest, Dr. Rhoda Bernard.

Dr. Bernard is the Founding Managing Director of the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education and the Assistant Chair of the Music Education Department at Berklee College of Music. Her academic journey is extraordinary — she earned a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard University, a Bachelor of Music in jazz voice from New England Conservatory, and both her Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

As a thought leader and advocate, Dr. Bernard regularly presents at conferences across the U.S. and internationally, and she provides professional development for educators around the globe. Her upcoming book, Accessible Arts Education: Principles, Habits, and Strategies to Unleash Every Student's Creativity and Learning, will be published in September 2025 and promises to be a transformative resource for teachers.

Dr. Bernard’s contributions have been widely recognized — she has received multiple awards, including the Irene Buck Service to Arts Education Award from Arts|Learning, the Berklee Urban Service Award, and others celebrating her impact on community service and arts education.

Beyond her leadership and advocacy work, Dr. Bernard is also an accomplished musician — a vocalist and pianist specializing in jazz and Jewish music — who performs regularly with klezmer bands and has recorded two CDs with the band Klezamir.

We are so honored to have her here today to share her expertise, her story, and her vision for accessible arts education.

Stay in Contact with Rhoda:

• Linked In
• Facebook

Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Youtube

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Temple Grandin

Where to find me: 

Crescendo Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crescendocommunity
Official Crescendo Page: https://www.facebook.com/CrescendoMusicEd/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CrescendoMusicEd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/crescendomusic
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-o-shea-62a3741b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CrescendoDeb

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