Marion Verhaalen

Verhaalen received two scholarships from the Teachers College in 1968 and 1969. She received a research grant from the Organization of American States to study composers Francisco Mignone and Camargo Guarnieri in Brazil in 1969. She was named the Outstanding Milwaukee Musician in 1980 by the Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs.

Verhaalen worked as a teaching assistant to Dr. Robert Pace at Teachers College from 1967 to 1969. Later, she presented music education workshops sponsored by the National Piano Foundation, and worked as a staff editor for Musart Magazine. She taught at the Elm School for the Creative Arts for 19 years, as well as at Alverno College, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, (I) and the Cardinal Stritch University. She developed a piano course for Milwaukee public schools, which was published as Keyboard Dimensions I, II, III, and IV. Verhaalen also made 11 trips to Brazil, spending a total of 3 years there.

Verhaalen was born in Milwaukee, the fifth child of Carl and Aǵnes Sieberlich Verhaalen. She played accordion and piano by ear as a child, before beginning music lessons at age 12. She started composing organ preludes and interludes in high school. Verhaalen joined the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1949 under the name Sister Mary Vernon, and earned a B.M. in piano at Alverno College; M.M. in piano at Catholic University; and Ed.D. in music education at the Columbia University Teachers College. Her dissertation, which was later published, was entitled The Solo Piano Music of Francisco Mignone and Camargo Guarnieri.

Marion Verhaalen (9 December 1930 – 16 March 2020) was an American composer, music educator, musicologist, and nun who published books about Latin American composers and music.