Carrie Backman

Carrie Backman is the Program Director of Summer Music Clinic, Mini Music Clinics and Summer Arts Clinic with Badger Precollege at UW–Madison and is the Assistant Director of Badger Precollege Arts Programs. She also manages and created the Odyssey Junior Music Program. Carrie first attended Summer Music Clinic 28 years ago as a 6th grade trumpet student and has attended, taught or worked at every Summer Music Clinic since! She believes in the transformative experience possible through an inspirational time in a precollege program on the UW–Madison campus. 

Carrie teaches band, low brass and music education techniques courses at Edgewood College in Madison, WI. She serves as the WMEA (Wisconsin Music Educators Association) South Central Vice President and is a member of the Committee for Women in the University at UW–Madison. She previously taught instrumental music (band, orchestra, jazz, pit orchestra) at Edgewood High School in Madison for 17 years and 5-12 band at Murray County Central School District in Slayton, MN. She served as the Assistant Director of the University of Minnesota Marching Band in 2016-2017. 

Backman works to be an advocate for empowering diverse student and artistic voices, creativity and excellence in all students and for the importance of and human need for consistent quality arts education in the lives of each student that is accessible and equitable. 

Backman is a curriculum writer for BandQuest and ChoralQuest through the American Composers Forum, is the music director for the Overture Center's Jerry Awards High School Musical Theatre Program, is a conductor at Children's Theatre of Madison and Four Seasons Theatre, is a member of the World Adult Wind Orchestra Project, guest conductor of the Oakwood Chamber Players, and free lances as a conductor/educator, trombonist and euphonium player. She is a sought after clinician in large group ensemble and small group settings and presenter on music education. 

Backman is the recipient of a College Band Directors National Association "Women in Conducting" Grant, the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles conducting grant and a grant to study at Jazz at Lincoln Center. She is a 2015 recipient of the Herb Kohl Foundation Fellowship for excellence in teaching, a 2016 finalist for the Northwestern University Distinguished Teaching Award, and the 2019 Madison Area Music Association Music Teacher of the Year. 

Backman received her B.M. in Music Education with a focus in euphonium performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, her Masters of Music Education from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL, and has pursued advanced level studies in wind band conducting at UW–Madison.