Jennifer Vannatta-Hall is the Director of the MTSU Center for Teaching & Mentoring and Professor of Music Education. She holds degrees from the University of Illinois (Ed.D.) and Middle Tennessee State University (B.M., M.A.). She has over 27 years' experience as a professional educator and taught Kindergarten through 8th grade music in both Rutherford County and Franklin Special School Districts. Vannatta-Hall has served in various leadership roles for the School of Music as Assistant Director (2019-2020), Associate Director (2023-2025), and Interim Director (2020-2023) and continues to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in music education. She is also a co-chair for MTSU's 2035 Strategic Plan, campus liaison for the Tennessee Arts Academy, and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Dow Street Community Music School.

Vannatta-Hall has presented workshops and conference sessions all over the United States and was a visiting professor of music at Hangzhou Normal University in China in March 2019. She frequently conducts and adjudicates choral festivals. She is certified through the master level of the Orff-Schulwerk approach to music education, the Smithsonian Institute's World Music Pedagogy, and Modern Band/Music Will. Her research interests include teacher efficacy and general music in elementary and secondary school settings. Her book, Music Teaching Self-Efficacy in Early Childhood Teacher Education, was published in 2013. 

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