Gail Hiley has been teaching in the Calgary Board of Education since 2007 and is passionate about music education to create community and empower young people. She believes that high-quality fine arts programming should be accessible to all students in all schools. She is currently focusing on building connectedness through a community based approach to education at Sherwood School, she previously taught instrumental and choral music at Fairview School for twelve years, which was preceded by five years of building the music program at Dr. Gordon Higgins School. In the greater community, she has been volunteering with CADME (Calgary Association for the Development of Music Education) to further music education in schools to help provide exceptional opportunities to music students and educators since 2013. She currently holds the position of President. She recently received the Alberta Band Association's Elkhorn Band Director of the Year Award. Previously, she has taught in New Haven Connecticut, after completing a Masters’ degree from Yale University. She also holds a degree in French horn performance from the University of Toronto, and has performed with many ensembles in Canada and internationally including Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and at Avery Fisher Hall in the Lincoln Centre New York City. Gail is former Principal Horn of the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and has also performed at the Aspen Music Festival, Centre d’Arts Orford, Domaine Forget, Brott Festival Or