About:

Karen Salvador is Associate Professor and Chair of Music Education at Michigan State University’s College of Music, where she teaches courses regarding music in early childhood and elementary general music as well as graduate seminars in music education psychology and research. Prior to her appointment at Michigan State, Dr. Salvador coordinated the music teacher certification program at the University of Michigan-Flint. She previously taught elementary general music (K-4) in Eaton Rapids, MI; choir and drama in Palmerston North, New Zealand; early childhood music at the MSU Community Music School; children’s choirs in Grand Rapids, MI; and early childhood music at the UM-Flint Early Childhood Development Center. 

Dr. Salvador earned her PhD in Music Education and Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Western Michigan University. Her research pertains to how music educators meet individual student needs, particularly in early childhood and elementary grades. This research extends into music teacher education, exploring both program practices for music educator preparation and also the lived experiences of music educators who are working to become more inclusive and responsive educators. Her research appears in journals including Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music in Early Childhood, Arts Education Policy Review, Research Studies in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, and Music Educators Journal. Dr. Salvador’s work also appears in books including Music Education: Navigating the Future (2015); Oxford Handbook of Philosophical and Qualitative Perspectives on Assessment in Music Education (2019); Music Play 2: Early Childhood Music Engagement Plans. Guide for Parents, Teachers, Caregivers, and Children (2020); and The Routledge Companion to Creativities in Music Education (expected 2023). 

Dr. Salvador directs the early childhood music education programs at Michigan State’s Community Music Schools in East Lansing and Detroit. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Music Teacher Education and is coordinating the 2023 New Directions in Music Education Conference. She is a past president of the Michigan Music Education Association, and is Immediate Past President of the National Association for Music Education’s ten-state North Central Division. A frequent presenter, Dr. Salvador is in demand for workshops on early childhood and elementary music (particularly regarding ability-responsive and culturally sustaining instruction) and as a facilitator working with music teaching and learning organizations to strategize toward more inclusive, responsive, and sustaining practices.