Dr. Richard Fields is a Substitute Assistant Professor of Music Education at Queens College. He earned his Doctor of Education degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. As a Florence K. Geffen Fellowship scholar, his dissertation, “An Exploration of the Experiences of Black Male Wind Musicians in Classical Music Education,” examines the challenges faced by underrepresented individuals in classical music and music education.

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An active orchestral trumpeter and arts advocate, Dr. Fields performs with organizations such as the Unsung Collective, Colour of Music Festival Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, and the Norwalk Symphony. He is also an international teaching artist, instructing at events like the National Orchestral Institute of St. Martin, the Guadeloupe Orchestral Festival, the New York Philharmonic, and the Norwalk Symphony. Dr. Fields has lectured and conducted master classes at institutions like Hunter College and Fordham University and mentored pre-service teachers from Teachers College, Columbia University, and New York University. He made his solo debut at sixteen with the New World School of the Arts in Miami and went on to win awards in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Competition, hosted by Wynton Marsalis.

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He holds a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Classical Trumpet Performance from SUNY Purchase, where he studied with Graham Ashton, Rich Klemer, and Lee Soper. Dr. Fields has also participated in the Luzerne Music Center and Las Vegas Music Festivals. He later completed post-master's studies in Music Education at CUNY Brooklyn College, followed by a second Master's degree in Music Education from Columbia University. Dr. Fields was featured in NJMEA TEMPOmagazine for his article, “Three Lessons from a Performing Musician on Engaging Music Classroom Students,” which explores how performance informs teaching. His leadership in arts education includes directing bands at Ponus Ridge STEAM Middle School, where he grew the program by nearly 50% in two years. He also initiated the first instrumental music program at a Title I high school in Bushwick, Brooklyn, teaching a wide range of music classes, from beginning to advanced band, to piano, guitar, and Latin Jazz. Dr. Fields is the founder of Parallel Brass, a classical brass quintet that performs and offers workshops both domestically and internationally, from K-12 to college levels. His dual career as a performer and educator allows him to pursue his own musical dreams while helping others achieve theirs.