Darlene Machacon

Darlene Machacon (she/her/hers) is a Filipina-American music educator and content creator based in Southern California. She serves as an Adjunct Professor at VanderCook College of Music’s MECA program, teaching courses on Culturally Responsive SEL for K-12 music classrooms. Additionally, she is the choral director and music educator at La Quinta High School in Orange County, California, where she leads three choirs and teaches piano and AP Music Theory courses. Her leadership has resulted in a doubling of choir enrollment within one year, with ensembles consistently earning superior ratings.

Education:

• Master of Music in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music (2022), with research on Transformative SEL in elementary general music classrooms
• Dual Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Piano Performance from Biola University

Research Interests: Darlene focuses on integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) and culturally responsive pedagogy into general and choral music education. Her work emphasizes inclusivity, cultural relevance, and transformative practices in post-pandemic educational settings.

Leadership Roles:

• Advisor for Tri-M Music Honor Society at La Quinta High School
• Advisor for Girl’s League at La Quinta High School