Dr. Peggy D. Bennett
November 23, 1949 – October 8, 2025
— Bennett, Teaching with Vitality, 2018, p. 40
Dr. Peggy D. Bennett — author, teacher, mentor, mediator, and friend — passed away on October 8, 2025, in Bozeman, Montana, from complications of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Peggy was born on November 23, 1949, in Sarasota, Florida, to Freda Blanch Purdy and Robert Leo McGinnis. She was later adopted by her stepfather, Vergil Bennett, and raised on a farm in Peru, Indiana, alongside her sister Barbara. Before the family’s move to Indiana in 1953, Peggy and Barbara appeared as “extras” in the 1952 film The Greatest Show on Earth.
From an early age, Peggy loved books and learning, though she proudly avoided vegetables and cooking whenever possible. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and went on to complete her Ph.D. at the University of North Texas in Denton.
Peggy apprenticed under Mary Helen Richards and Sister Fleurette Sweeney in the early 1970s, teaching Education Through Music in the Midwest and Canada. Peggy and Doug Bartholomew, both teaching elementary music education courses in the 1990s, were sharing syllabi and ideas. This sharing led to the writing and publication of two volumes, SongWorks 1: Singing in the Education of Children (1997) and SongWorks 2: Singing from Sound to Symbol (1999). The SongWorks Educators Association, whose byline is “Playful Teaching, Vibrant Learning,” was founded on the thirteen principles that grounded the thinking and practices outlined in the SongWorks publications.
Her distinguished career in music education included faculty positions at the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, where she concluded her teaching career.
A gifted writer and researcher, Peggy authored or co-authored seven books and more than 50 articles exploring learning, living, and wellness. A sought-after teacher and mentor, she led workshops and delivered keynote addresses in all 50 states and six countries, inspiring generations of educators and musicians. After Peggy’s retirement she became an award-winning mediator for the court system.
In 1984, Peggy married John “Harley” Quick of Bozeman, Montana. Together they divided their time between Ohio and Montana, sharing adventures across the globe — from an African safari to a joyful journey to Machu Picchu.
Harley preceded Peggy in death just eight weeks before her passing. She was also preceded in death by her parents, her brother-in-law Ted, and a nephew Scott. Peggy is survived by her sister Barbara Smith of Sarasota, Florida; brother- and sister-in-law Bob and Martha Quick of East Helena; nephew Bobby Quick (Alicia) of Livingston, and her beloved Havanese dog Charlie. Peggy is also survived by a community of friends that felt like family.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Peggy’s memory may be made to organizations that Peggy and Harley supported:
In keeping with Peggy’s wishes, a celebration concert will be held in Bozeman, Montana, in the spring. Details will be posted on the SongWorks website.
— Bennett & Bartholomew, 1997, p. 210
