Elizabeth Chappell taught orchestra for seventeen years in the Austin Independent School District in Austin, Texas. Twelve of those years were in Title One programs and this experience sparked one of her research interests, equity of access to music education in urban public schools. Dr. Chappell has presented this research and conducted clinics for the American String Teacher’s Association, National Association for Music Education Southwestern Division Symposium, the Texas Music Educators Association, and was published in the Journal of Band Research. She also has presented on topics related to inclusion, students with disabilities, and autism. Dr. Chappell’s inclusion research has been presented to the American Music Therapy Association, ASTA, TMEA, and has been published in the Journal of Music Therapy. She has also taught Summer and online courses on autism and inclusion for the Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois.

A violinist and violist for nearly 40 years, Dr. Chappell has performed with various orchestras and chamber groups (including a Mariachi band). She was a conductor for the Austin Youth Orchestra program and taught in the University of Texas String Project. Currently she enjoys playing music with her friends, students, and her three children who are also orchestral musicians.