BOONE – At its best, a college education treads a fine line between learning and invention.   Students need the discipline to master existing knowledge, but also the creativity to discover and imagine new frontiers.

Dr. Lisa Runner aims for that balance in her extraordinarily popular music education class at Appalachian State University.  As a professor in the Hayes School of Music, Dr. Runner goes well beyond the technical skills of close listening, singing, and playing.  She also has students craft an original composition, working together to create and perform an entirely new work.

She wants them to know what it’s like to try something completely new, so they’ll understand what it’s like for younger students to pick up an instrument or look at a sheet of music for the first time.  And she makes it fun.

“I absolutely loved this class,” one student wrote in an online forum.  “There’s rarely a day that we just sit in our desks the whole time.  We’re always up and moving.”

That’s very much by design.  Many of Dr. Runner’s students are training to be teachers, and she goes out of her way to model effective classroom practices.  She coaches student groups through the process of a joint project, clearly explains the goals of each lesson, and makes herself readily available for one-on-one guidance and feedback.

That skill with classroom technique comes from very direct experience.  Dr. Runner spent seven years as an elementary school music teacher in Tennessee, so she has a keen sense of how music education can make a difference for students.

“I was nervous because I’m not musically inclined, but she makes it fun and easy for everyone,” wrote another App State student.  “I absolutely love her!”

Outside her normal teaching duties, Dr. Runner also coordinates the Silver Burdett/Pearson Summer Music Institute at Appalachian, which welcomes both students and current music teachers to campus each summer for a series of workshops and classes.  The Hayes School of Music has long been a cultural and artistic resource for the entire mountain region, and Dr. Runner’s work helps build and sustain connections with school districts across the area.

Her considerable efforts help explain why Dr. Runner received a 2016 Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Last year, after she was named one of the most popular faculty members in the country by RateMyProfessors.com, Dr. Runner described herself as a “utility player” on the Appalachian team.  She went out of her way to praise the work of colleagues and the overall supportive atmosphere at the university.

“I love the school, I love the school of music, I love my colleagues, I love my students, it’s a dream job,” Runner told The Appalachian.  “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”