Vocal Arts Academy of Milwaukee

Emily Holt Crocker taught public school music at all levels for 15 years in Texas. In 1989, she joined the music publishing industry and is currently Vice President of Choral Publications for Hal Leonard Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She founded the Milwaukee Children's Choir in 1994 and was its artistic director until 2009. Under her leadership the choir grew from 35 members to over 400 and received acclaim for performances with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Chamber Orchesra, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, the American Choral Directors Association, Present Music, an MENC national convention and at international festivals around the world. She is a nationally recognized expert in children's and youth choirs and maintains an active guest conducting schedule.

Ms Crocker's compositions have been performed around the world and she has received ASCAP awards for concert music since 1986. She is well known for her work in developing choral instructional materials and is an author of Experiencing Choral Music, a choral textbook series for grades 6–12 published by McGraw-Hill/Glencoe, and Essential Elements for Choir, a choral textbook series for grades 6–12 published by Hal Leonard.

The Civic Music Association of Milwaukee awarded her the Excellence in Youth Music award in 2002 and, in 2009, the Distinguished Citizen Award—Professional in the Arts. She has been named a Distinguished Alumna by the Texas Woman's University Department of Music and an Honored Alumnus by the College of Music of the University of North Texas.