Joel DeFayette

Originally from Dallas, TX, Joel is currently in his 26th year in teaching music. He has taught general music and choir for both public and private middle school students and has also served as a school Cantor and Liturgical Music Coordinator. Joel graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Music Education with a concentration in Voice in 1998 and completed his Master of Music Education at VanderCook College of Music in 2011.Before moving to Chicago in 2015, Joel performed with the Dallas Symphony Chorus for 5 years and served 2 years as Bass Section Leader and taught Pk-8th grade. Prior to joining Bennett, Joel taught 4th–8th-grade music at Francis Xavier Warde School (FXW) and held roles such as Instructional Special Teams Lead, member of the Steering Committee for Fine Arts Accreditation, and member of the Equity and Justice Forum. Joel is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in Higher Education at DePaul University. Joel received the Dallas Work of Heart for Excellence Teaching in Catholic Education Award in 2007 and was inducted into DePaul’s Chapter Golden Key Honour Society in 2018. Known as “Mr. D” by students, staff, and parents, Joel is a passionate advocate for the arts and is looking forward to another exciting year of bringing music to our ears!