Darren Hamilton

Dr. Darren Hamilton is an Assistant Professor of Music Education in the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto. He is also the founding director of the University of Toronto Faculty of Music Gospel Choir.

Dr. Hamilton’s research focuses on formal gospel music pedagogy, popular music pedagogy, hip hop music education, anti-Black racism in music education and equity, diversity and social justice in music education. His work has been published in the Canadian Music Educator and the Recorder journals, produced by the Canadian Music Educators’ Association and the Ontario Music Educators’ Association (OMEA), respectively. He is the visionary and co-author of the national MusiCounts Learn teacher resource, #BlackMusicMatters: Hip Hop & Social Justice in Canada. 

Dr. Hamilton has been a guest lecturer, workshop presenter and panelist for events hosted by MusiCounts, the OMEA, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, York University, the University of Toronto, Choral Canada, the International Society of Music Education, and several Ontario district school boards.

In 2022, Dr. Hamilton was awarded the JUNO Award for MusiCounts Teacher of the Year.