About the Author
Denise Elam Dauw is a music educator in west St. Louis, Missouri. She holds a M.M. in Music Education from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and a B.M. in Music Education from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Specializing in instrumental music as a band director and adjudicator/clinician, Ms. Elam Dauw also has experience teaching choir, orchestra, piano, music history and appreciation, guitar, jazz band, marching band, and color guard. She is currently a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Missouri Music Educator's Association (MMEA 2014 Presenter, 2018 & 2023 Conductor), Missouri Bandmasters Association (MBA), Missouri Women Band Directors Association (MWMBA), volunteers for the Greater Missouri Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association as a Community Educator, and is an active community speaker. Her presentation, "Music & Memory: A Gateway to Lucidity," describes the power of music in the brain (including anatomy and our responses to music), memory-related brain research, in-home music therapies, and provides samples for a prescribed repertoire.