Jonli Tunstall, PhD

Adjunct Professor

Phone: (626) 815-3848

Email: [email protected]

Jonli Tunstall, PhD, is an educational leader, professor, author, worship leader, choir director, and minister of the Gospel. As a UCLA undergraduate student, she was the director of Envision Vocals, an a capella Gospel ensemble telling African American history through Gospel music beginning in Africa and concluding with traditional and contemporary Gospel. Under her leadership, in 2004 the group won the McDonald’s Gospelfest at the Shrine Auditorium. As a choir director and minister of music, her hope is to expose students to diverse styles of Gospel music, and for them to learn to interpret the stories told throughout and to strengthen their own voices in the process. Tunstall is the minister of music and director of worship arts at Abundant Life Christian Church in L.A., leads several community choirs, and does commercial voiceovers and background for several Gospel artists. She is former director of the UCLA Gospel Choir and has taught classes at UCLA in African American studies and education since 2012, developing curriculum that connects African American history with contemporary issues and students’ lived experiences.

Education

• PhD, Education (Concentration in Urban Schooling), UCLA
• BA, Psychology, UCLA

Academic Area

• School of Music (College of the Arts)

Expertise

• Education
• Gospel Choir
• African American Studies

Courses Taught

• MUS 146 – Gospel Choir
• MUS 346 – Gospel Choir