Allison Wilkinson

Allison Wilkinson Executive Director & Founder, I Am Music Foundation | Author | Music Educator

Allison Wilkinson is a music educator, author, and the founder of the I Am Music Foundation (IAMF) — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to quality music education in underserved communities across the country.

Over her 20+ years in music education, Allison developed the Emotionally Intelligent Music Instruction (EIMI) framework — a research-informed approach to teaching that puts the emotional and psychological experience of the student at the center of every lesson. EIMI has reached more than 6,600 educators in 20+ states, equipping teachers with tools that go far beyond technique to transform how students experience music.

She is the author of Making Musicians: A Teacher’s Guide to Emotionally Intelligent Music Instruction (GIA Publications, 2025) and three additional titles, including Making Musicians at Home: A Parent’s Guide to EIMI (GIA Publications, forthcoming Fall 2026) and The Purpose of Music (2026). Her work has been featured in international education conferences, podcasts, and media across three continents.

Allison has taught privately through Wilkinson Music Studio since 2008 and served as a music educator at Lewis & Clark Montessori School for over a decade before stepping into her role as IAMF’s Executive Director in 2023. She is currently completing a Master of Arts in Psychology of the Arts at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, with doctoral research to follow.

Her nonprofit work spans domestic partnerships with school districts in the Pacific Northwest and international collaborations including a keynote at the Music Education in East Africa Conference in Nairobi and ongoing programs with Mirema School in Kenya.

Allison lives in Gresham, Oregon with her husband and four children. She plays flute and piano.