Ashley Cuthbertson, M.Ed, NBCT (she/her) is a nationally recognized consultant and speaker on culturally responsive instruction and equity in music and arts education.
Her work helps PK-12 music and arts educators create affirming learning environments and design engaging, high quality arts instruction that is culturally responsive and relevant to the diverse and ever-evolving needs of today’s learners. Described as an “engaging and charismatic” teacher educator and consultant, educators report that her professional learning programs are “engaging,” and “safe,” and they provide strategies that “will have a positive impact” on their students.
Ashley serves as the founder and principal consultant of A. Cuthbertson Consulting, a national educational consulting firm committed to shifting the landscape of arts education by helping music and arts educators make culturally responsive and equitable teaching and learning the norm, not the exception. In this role, she partners with schools, districts, and organizations to ensure their arts educators are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions they need to create equitable program policies, cultivate affirming learning environments, and design culturally responsive curriculum and instruction that provides pathways to success for all learners.
Prior to her work as an educational consultant and speaker, Ashley was a dedicated PK-12 general music, choral, and band music educator with a track record of success working with students in a wide variety of diverse communities across public, private, and charter schools. Ashley consistently received highly effective teacher ratings, and demonstrated the ability to move students’ musicianship skills forward while creating culturally responsive, learner-centered academic environments. Additionally, Ashley was a teacher leader in her school district, and she served as an adjunct professor on the faculties of Loyola University Maryland and the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Additionally, Ashley is a passionate advocate for music and arts education. She serves the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) as a member of the Music Education Policy Roundtable and NAfME Equity Committee, and the Virginia Music Educators Association as chair of the DEI Council.
A nationally board certified teacher, Ashley holds a Master of Education degree from Loyola University Maryland, a Bachelor of Music degree from James Madison University, as well as certifications in Arts Integration and the Kodály approach.