Suzanne L. Burton

Biography

Suzanne L. Burton is a professor of music education in the School of Music at the University of Delaware, where she has served since 2002. During her tenure, she has held key leadership and service roles, including Senior Associate Dean for the Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), University Assessment Faculty Fellow, CAS Senator, Director of the Partnership for Arts & Culture, and Director of Music Teacher Education and Secondary Teacher Education. She is a member of the University Council on Teacher Education.

A prolific scholar, Dr. Burton has authored and co-authored numerous articles and book chapters on early childhood music and music teacher education. Her work appears in leading journals such as Research Studies in Music Education, Music Education Research, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Music Educators Journal, and Visions of Research in Music Education. Her research interests include improvised songs and chants of young children in natural contexts, preschool children’s use of technology and music app preferences, and the development of music literacy through a language acquisition lens. She has also investigated music teacher conversation groups, school–university and intercultural partnerships, and community engagement/service-learning. A current focus is the impact of the arts on health and well-being.

Dr. Burton is widely recognized for her contributions to music education publishing. She co-authored Ready, Set, Improvise! A Nuts and Bolts Approach to Improvisation and created the Engaging Musical Practices series—practical sourcebooks for pre- and in-service teachers, with volumes on elementary, middle school, and instrumental music (each with updated editions). She is co-editor of Learning from Young Children: Research in Early Childhood Music and Creative Music Making at Your Fingertips: A Mobile Technology Guide for Music Educators. In addition to her many book chapters, she serves as Editor for the Americas of the International Journal of Music in Early Childhood and has held editorial board positions with Arts Education Policy Review, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Perspectives, and Visions of Research in Music Education.

Her leadership extends beyond the university into national and international organizations. She is on the faculty of the Gordon Institute for Music Learning and is a past chair of the Early Childhood Music Education Commission of the International Society for Music Education. She was honored with the Robby Gunstream Education in Music Award from the College Music Society and the Jessie Ball duPont Educator Award from the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. She is also a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.

Dr. Burton holds degrees in piano pedagogy and music education from Spring Arbor University and earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in music education, with a concentration in piano pedagogy, from Michigan State University. Appointed by the governor, she serves on the Delaware State Arts Council and is Vice President of the Delaware Arts Alliance.