Teryl Dobbs joined the faculty at The University of Wisconsin-Madison as Assistant Professor of Music Education in 2006. She has more than 16 years of public school teaching experience in instrumental (band), choral, and general music. Most recently, she was Director of Bands at Elm Place Middle School and Indian Trail School in Highland Park, Illinois.

Dr. Dobbs earned a B.F.A. in Music Education from the University of South Dakota in 1979, a B.A. in Applied Business Management from National College in 1985, a M.M. in Music Education from Northwestern University in 1992, and a Ph.D. in Music Education from Northwestern University in 2005. She served in the United States Air Force Academy Band as co-principal flute, and also sang with the Air Force show group, Moods in Blue. Since that time she has been active in community and regional performing ensembles as a flutist and mezzo soprano.

Her doctoral dissertation was titled Talk in the band room: How discourse shapes teaching, learning, and community in a middle school instrumental music classroom.