Ms. Ellis is passionate about community engagement and training artists to build sustainable community partnerships. She designed the curriculum and has trained over a hundred SFCM students to play community engagement concerts in their Conservatory Connect program. As a performer, she has collaborated with institutions such as public schools, hospitals, senior centers, nursing homes, Ronald McDonald houses, psychiatric facilities, memory care units, early childhood programs, and the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge to provide interactive musical experiences.

She has led workshops training musicians in community engagement at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Arizona State University, American Harp Society Summer Institute, International Harp Festival, the American Harp Society’s Western Michigan Chapter, and Harps. Etc. She was a 2014-2015 University of Michigan Engaged Pedagogy Initiative Fellow where she was trained in best practices for service-based learning courses. She has published about community engagement in Harp Column magazine.

If you are interested in a collaboration or bringing Dr. Ellis to your institution, please contact her directly. She also offers workshops for musicians and artists on building meaningful community partnerships.