Jill Trinka is well known as a dynamic, and energetic teacher and performer who often accompanies herself on the dulcimer, autoharp, guitar, and banjo. Dr. Trinka has recorded and written four volumes of folksongs, singing games, and play parties for kids of all ages. She teaches graduate and undergraduate music education courses at the University of St. Thomas, specializing in American folk music, musicianship, folk song analysis and classification, elementary music education, and folk instruments.

Dr. Trinka holds degrees in music education from the University of Illinois (B.S.) and the University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D.) with secondary studies in ethnomusicology. She holds Kodály Certification as a Ford Foundation Ringer Fellow from the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. Dr. Trinka is a past president of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) and received their Outstanding Educator award in 2003. She is also a contributing author to Pearson/Scott Foresman/Silver Burdett's Making Music, Grades 5-8.