Gregory LeFils Jr.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music, Music Education
My work centers on a simple premise: strong choral programs are built on strong systems — clear assessment, deliberate rehearsal strategy, and genuine community within the ensemble. I train future music educators not just to conduct, but to lead: to build programs that outlast any single year, retain their students, and give every singer a stake in the outcome. That same commitment to sustainable, well-run systems shapes my work outside the classroom, from supervising intern teachers to serving on nonprofit governing boards.
- PhD, Music Education (emphasis in choral conducting), Florida State University, 2014
- MM, Choral Conducting, Texas Tech University, 2006
- BME, Vocal/Instrumental Music Education, Stetson University, 2004
Dissertation: "Lift, Once Again in Chorus: History of the Stetson University Concert Choir"
Biography
Gregory W. LeFils Jr., PhD, is a visiting assistant professor of choral music education at Stetson University, where he teaches undergraduate music education coursework and supervises intern teachers. He also serves as the School of Music's Assessment Coordinator and Coordinator of Student Vibrancy, and coordinates the School of Music's Alumni Awards program.
LeFils holds a PhD in Choral Music Education from Florida State University, where his dissertation traced the history of the Stetson University Concert Choir. He also holds an MM in choral conducting from Texas Tech University and a BME from Stetson University. Before returning to Stetson, he spent a decade teaching public school choral music in Volusia County, Florida, earning Teacher of the Year honors in his first year and leading his ensembles to national recognition, including multiple invited performances in Disney's Candlelight Processional.
LeFils is a frequent clinician and presenter at state and regional music educators' conferences across the Southeast, and his writing on rehearsal strategy, assessment, and music teacher development has appeared in Music Educators Journal, Choral Journal, Teaching Music, ChorTeach, and Florida Music Director. He also serves the broader Central Florida community as former Board Chair of Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts.
More About Gregory LeFils Jr.
Areas of Expertise
- Choral Music Education
- Conducting
- Assessment & Curriculum Design for Performing Ensembles
- Music Educator Professional Development
- Student Leadership Development
Course Sampling
- FSEM: Principles and Methods of Instruction for Diverse Learners
- Choral Methods I: Elementary/Middle School
- Choral Methods II: High School
- Administering the School Music Program: Marching Bands, Musicals, and & Large Productions
- Senior Intern Teaching
- Music Education Professional Development Hour (MEPD)
- Choir Techniques for Instrumental Music Education Majors
- Teacher effectiveness and music teacher curriculum/training
- Individual assessment practices in performing ensembles
- Student leadership development within the ensemble
- Rehearsal pedagogy: teamwork, critical thinking, and choral improvisation
- Music educator resilience, self-efficacy, and career longevity
- Choral history (Stetson University Concert Choir)
- 2025 "Teach Manners, Then Teach Music: A Practical Guide to the First Two Weeks of School" Florida Music Director, September 2025
- 2025 "Another Perspective: The Infinite Game Mindset in Music Education: Addressing Burnout, Cultivating a Career" Music Educators Journal, June 2025
- 2024 "Foundations of Excellence: Best Practices for Starting Off the School Year for K-12 Music Teachers" Florida Music Director, August 2024
- 2024 "All Together Now! Unifying the Performing Arts in Your School and School District" Teaching Music, January 2024
- 2023 "The Grit Factor: Four Ways to Help Music Students Develop the Determination to Succeed" Florida Music Director, August 2023
- 2023 "Student Leadership: Building a Culture of Excellence" Teaching Music, October 2023
- 2023 "Teaching Strategies for the Out-of-Balance Ensemble" ChorTeach, Winter 2023
- 2022 "Assessment for Individual Achievement: Creating a Safe and Supportive Music Culture" Teaching Music, April 2022
- 2021 "Critical Thinking in the Rehearsal" (Reprint) Choral Journal, August 2021
- 2020 "Critical Thinking in the Rehearsal" ChorTeach, November 2020