Karen Salvador
Early Childhood Music Education Director
Karen Salvador is Associate Professor 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 on music teaching and learning, music education psychology, and musicians’ health and wellbeing. 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 the lived experiences of music educators who are working to become more inclusive and responsive educators. Recently, Dr. Salvador has been focusing on the impacts of divisive concepts laws and the DEI backlash on music education curricula, students, and teachers. 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 contributed material on inclusive praxis to 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 (2023) and is a co-editor of the forthcoming book Toward Equity in School Music: Ideas for Practice in Music Teacher Education.
Dr. Salvador directs the MSU Children’s Choir and the Early Childhood Music Play Laboratory, which includes extensive music education programs for children ages birth-7 years old at Michigan State’s Community Music Schools in East Lansing and Detroit. She is a past president of the Michigan Music Education Association and a past president of the National Association for Music Education’s ten-state North Central Division. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music in Early Childhood, and Journal of Music Teacher Education.
