Erin Walker Bliss

Erin Walker Bliss is a Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology at the University of Kentucky who holds two doctorates in music: a D.M.A. in Percussion Performance and a Ph.D. in Musicology/Ethnomusicology. Erin’s work explores cultural transmission and identity formation in the Scottish diaspora, questions of equity and access in childhood music education, and participatory music-making through drum circles.

Erin’s research has been featured at conferences for the Society for Ethnomusicology, the American Musicological Society, the Society for Musicology in Ireland, the International Bagpipe Organisation, IASPM, the College Music Society, Musica Scotica, Music in 19th-Century Britain, the Berklee City Music Network, and the Percussive Arts Society. A Remo HealthRhythms–trained facilitator, Erin regularly leads drum circles for children and adults and offers drum circle facilitation workshops for university students and community musicians. She has also served as a drum circle facilitator with Rhythm Revolution at the Lollapalooza Music Festival.

Erin is passionate about expanding access to high-quality music education for children and families who might otherwise lack those opportunities. In this role, she serves as Executive Director of the Central Music Academy, a nonprofit organization that offers free music programs for underserved youth in Lexington, Kentucky. Erin’s nonprofit and consulting work has included partnerships with numerous community organizations and universities, and she has served on grant review panels for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, South Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.