Sandra Stauffer

Sandra Stauffer is a Professor of Music Education and Interim Dean of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University (ASU). She holds a Ph.D., M.M., and B.S. in Music Education from the University of Michigan and West Chester University. Her research focuses on children’s musical creativity, place-conscious pedagogy, narrative inquiry, and technology integration in music education.

Stauffer’s academic roles include coordinating graduate studies in music education and leading the Music, Learning, and Society Research Group. Her work includes collaborations with composer Morton Subotnick on educational software development and co-authoring influential books such as Narrative in Music Education (2009) and Narrative Soundings (2012). She has received grants totaling over $900,000 for projects addressing music education equity and curriculum innovation.

Her teaching spans undergraduate and graduate courses in music education, including Art of Teaching Children Music and research seminars. She actively contributes to K-12 curriculum development through textbook series like Silver Burdett Making Music and serves on national and international educational boards.