WACO, TX – Baylor University professor Lesley McAllister will spend a year in Brazil, thanks to the Fullbright U.S. Scholar Program. The professor of piano and coordinator of piano pedagogy at Baylor University’s School of Music has been selected to receive the Fullbright U.S. Scholar Award to Brazil.
The Fullbright U.S. Scholar Program sends upwards of 800 American scholars and professionals to various parts of the world every year. The program encompasses more than 50 application options for academics and includes more than 130 countries.
Dr. Lesley McAllister will teach musician wellness and pedagogy classes at Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC) in Florianópolis, Brazil, through May 2027. She will also research how Brazilian folk music influences the country’s population of children along with the impact of round dances in early childhood.
“Receiving a Fulbright grant is one of the greatest honors of my professional life, opening doors to the kind of cross-cultural connections that are transformative for both recruiting and research,” Dr. McAllister said when speaking of receiving the Fullbright U.S. Scholar Award to Brazil.
“Immersing myself in Brazil’s vibrant musical community will allow me to learn from exceptional musicians whose perspectives and practices will bring fresh ideas to my teaching and scholarship,” she added.
“This opportunity aligns directly with Baylor in Deeds, which highlights Latin America as a key area of focus for global impact and the cultivation of a vibrant, caring, and global community,” Dr. Lesley McAllister explained.
“I am equally eager to carry those experiences back to Baylor, where the insights I gain will directly enrich the Health and Wellness program I founded and direct as well as our piano pedagogy program in the School of Music.”
Baylor University is a private Christian school in Waco, Texas. The university is nationally ranked as a Research I institution and is home to 20,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.