Dr. Olsen has been conducting choirs for over twenty years and is currently the Director of Choral Activities at Baker University where he oversees the choral program, directs three choirs, and teaches conducting, aural skills, and other music education courses, and supervises student teachers. Prior to teaching at Baker he served as Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and as Director of Choral Activities at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX. He received his doctorate in choral conducting with a cognate in music education from Arizona State University where his primary teachers were Dr. David Schildkret and Dr. Gregory Gentry. He received his Masters and Bachelors degrees in music education from the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where his primary teachers were Dr. Charles Robinson, Dr. Eph Ehly, and Dr. William Frederickson. He has taught at all levels of choral music education from middle school through college and is frequently sought as a clinician and conductor of honor festival choirs. He also regularly presents pedagogical and interest sessions at state, regional, and national conferences for music educators and choral conductors. Research interests include: the use of early music as instructional and performance repertoire, teaching audiation to choirs, encouraging mindfulness in music education and ensembles, choral/vocal pedagogy - particularly with changing voices, conducting pedagogy, and promoting music by living composers.