Originally from Denver, Colorado, Elizabeth (Liz) Winslow moved to Minnesota to earn her undergraduate degree in Instrumental Music Education with honors in composition. For the next dozen years, Elizabeth served as a band director in both rural and urban Title I schools, while championing music education inclusion and access. Most notably, she founded the band program at Hiawatha Academies in south Minneapolis through extensive fundraising and community engagement so that all students could participate at no cost.

Currently, Elizabeth is the director of school partnerships at MacPhail Center for Music, the nation’s oldest and largest community music school. She leads a team in broadening and deepening music experiences throughout schools in Minnesota and oversees Project Amplify, an initiative designed to center historically underrepresented students and artists in Minnesota’s K-12 music programs. Since 2021, the program has reached over 11,000 students through culturally relevant programming, including sectionals instructed by MacPhail faculty, electronic music experiences, and artists in residence.

Previously featured on Classical MPR’s Teacher Feature segment, Elizabeth is a recipient of Hiawatha Academies’ first Exceptional Contribution Award, is a College Band Directors National Association Conducting Study Grant recipient and holds a DeLucia Award for Innovation in Music Education for her contribution to music education in the Minneapolis area. Most recently, she was awarded 2024 Community Music Educator of the Year by the Minnesota Music Educators Association. In addition to serving as an in-demand clinician and adjudicator, Elizabeth is the vice chair and treasurer on the board of directors of the newly formed Minnesota Winds and has directed the South High Community Band since 2018. She holds both a Master’s and Specialist degree in Educational Leadership as well as a K-12 Instrumental Music teaching license and K-12 principal license. Most recently, she was selected to participate in the Sphinx Organization’s LEAD program.