Hildegard C. Froehlich

Born and raised in Germany, Hildegard graduated from the University of Hamburg with the equivalent of a Masters’ degree and worked in the Department of Education. In 1973, she moved to Austin, Texas, to pursue the PhD in music education. In 1976, she began as Assistant Professor in Music Education at what is now the University of North Texas, married Dr. Edward L. Rainbow in 1978, became an American citizen in 1984, was promoted to Full Professor in 1986, served as the Coordinator of Doctoral Studies in Music Education until her retirement and was also Division Chair from 1987 to 1989.

 

After retirement in 2002, Hildegard continued to be professionally active by serving as invited guest professor in Canada and the United States., followed by guest lectures in Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, and Scandinavia. Her first book, together with her late husband, Dr. Edward Rainbow, was Research in Music Education (Schirmer Books, 1987). The second edition, Inquiry in Music Education (Routledge), co-authored with Dr. Carol Frierson-Campbell and published in 2013, precedes its 2022 edition.

 

Her first book on the sociology of music education was titled Sociology for Music Teachers and published by Prentice-Hall in 2007. The second edition, together with Dr. Gareth Dylan Smith, appeared in 2017 (Routledge). A second book on the sociology of music education, published in 2015 by The Edwin Mellen Press, is titled A Social Theory for Music Education. Symbolic Interactionism in Music Learning and Teaching. It is the summation of issues Hildegard had addressed earlier in numerous articles and keynote speeches throughout her teaching career.   

 

Musically, Hildegard was choir director of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Denton between 1976 and 1981 and also the co-founder of the Denton Bach Society, a semi-professional choral organization. To this day, she is a singing member and patron of that organization, having once served also in the capacity of Assistant Conductor and President.