Joseph Edgar Maddy, one of the most influential figures in American music education, is well known as founder of the National Music Camp at Interlochen. As such, a substantial amount of literature on this aspect of his career is available. The primary focus of this study is Maddys less explored influence as a charismatic and dedicated teacherone who was responsible for many instructional innovations that continue to make an impact on the profession.Maddys teaching career spanned 52 years, from 1914 to 1966. It was marked by a number of firsts: he was the first public school music supervisor in America, the co-author of the first homogeneous class method book for band, the originator of the standard instrumentation for concert bands, and the first to teach instrumental music via the radio.The study relies on previously untapped materials as well as sources that have been widely available. Primary sources for this study include notes from personal interviews given by Maddy; documents and other artifacts from the Joseph E. Maddy Papers, housed at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, and documents from the archives of the Bonisteel Library at the Interlochen Arts Center. This material includes an unpublished autobiography, Maddys correspondence from and to music educators, politicians, colleagues, and students, and a variety of radio music lesson scripts. Photo collections from the Interlochen Center of the Arts provide pictures of Maddy from the opening of the National Music Camp until his death in 1966.