Biography

Dr. Jay Dougherty serves as Music Department Chair at Colorado State University Pueblo. Previously, he served as Music Department Chair and Director of Choral Activities at Drury University (Springfield, MO) and Marietta College (Marietta, OH), and as Director of Choirs at Metropolitan State University Denver. Prior to his career in higher education, Dr. Dougherty taught choral music for seven years at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas, NV. In addition to his ensemble and departmental leadership, he has taught a variety of courses, including Beginning and Advanced Conducting, Secondary Choral Methods, and Introduction to Music, among others. His career spans more than two decades in teaching and departmental leadership.

Jay holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) and Master of Music (MM) in Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a Bachelor of Music (BM) in Choral Music Education from Brigham Young University in Provo.

Beyond academia, Jay has become a highly sought-after conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in both the choral and barbershop music communities. He has directed several award-winning ensembles, including the City of Flags Chorus in Canton, Ohio, the Alliance Chorus in Columbus, Ohio, and the Longs Peak Chorus in Longmont, CO, which claimed the “Plateau II Champions” title and “Most Improved Chorus, under his leadership. His directorship of the 52eighty Youth Chorus in Denver resulted in a first-place international competition victory in 2014. He also founded the Marietta College Choral Festival and the Marietta College High School Honor Choir, which helped to expand opportunities for high school singers and strengthened community engagement.

As a performer, Jay has earned multiple 4th place international medals singing baritone and bass with the acclaimed Sound of the Rockies Chorus, from Denver, CO, and secured a district quartet championship with his quartet, Surround Sound. He is a certified Musicality Judge for the Barbershop Harmony Society and travels extensively to judge contests and festivals around the world.

His work as a clinician has taken him across the globe, including invitations to teach and conduct in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain. He has directed honor choirs internationally and served as faculty for prestigious events such as the BABS Directors Academy in London, where he was the sole international faculty instructor for ensemble directors from all across the UK.

Jay’s academic research explores diverse areas of musical pedagogy, including tuning system perceptions, overtone analysis, strategies for helping introverts in music education settings, and the impact of imposter syndrome on musicians. His scholarly contributions are reflected in over 100 conference presentations worldwide. He is also a published writer, with numerous articles in The Harmonizer, a chapter in a publication on barbershop pedagogy, and a forthcoming textbook, Teaching Barbershop, slated for a 2026 publication by Hal Leonard.

A prolific composer and arranger, Jay has over 100 arrangements and compositions in print. Some examples include Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning (MusicSpoke), Love Casts Out Fear (Melkim Publishing), and Hey Jude (Barbershop Harmony Society). His professional versatility is reflected in his frequent invitations to serve as a clinician, arranger, judge, coach, presenter, conductor, and adjudicator for festivals, ensembles, honor choirs, conventions, and competitions worldwide.

He resides in Colorado with his wife of 22 years, and is the proud father of five daughters.