Dylan Parrilla-Koester

Research Discipline/Bio

Dylan Parrilla-Koester is a doctoral candidate in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, his research focuses on college athletic bands, higher music education policy, and democracy in education. He serves as Assistant Director of Bands at Tulane University where he teaches and conducts the athletic and concert bands. Prior to Tulane, he taught the award winning bands and orchestras at Hoover High School in Glendale, CA., and he has served on the faculty of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, FL. Dylan’s drill designs and music arrangements have been performed by high schools and universities across the country including the University of Colorado, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Tulane University. Ensembles under his direction have performed at high profile events and national TV productions such as American Idol Season 21 and the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl.

Educational Background

Master of Education, Music and Music Education, Teachers College, 2025
Master of Music Education, University of Colorado Boulder, 2020
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Music Performance, Tulane University 2018

Publications/Exhibitions

Parrilla-Koester, D. (2025). Jazz as a metaphor for democracy: Considering dialecticism and agonism in jazz pedagogy. Jazz Education in Research and Practice. Accepted and in press.

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2025