Communications

Chair, Department of Music Education and Music Therapy; Associate Professor, Music Education

Wells School of Music - Music Education and Music Therapy

Bio

Dr. Marci Major serves as Associate Professor and Department Chair of Music Education and Music Therapy at West Chester University. Additionally, she founded and directs Music Service Learning, a non-profit organization that provides music teachers with support from college students who collaboratively create resources, plan events, and give an extra hand where needed. At her philosophical core, Major aims to use music as a vehicle to build connection and community with musicians and music enthusiasts of all ages.

Major believes strongly in the power of collaboration to creatively solve problems, develop programs, increase DEI, and constantly adjust to meet the ever-changing needs, cares, wants, and concerns of all stakeholders. Through her work, Major has facilitated hundreds of partnerships resulting in increased teacher support, more musical access for K-12 students, the development of cutting-edge collegiate curriculum, and the creation of new paid hands-on experiences for pre-service teachers. She does this while simultaneously keeping an active artistic life as choral conductor and music education researcher.

Recent musical engagements include co-presenting an interest session at National ADCA, co-authoring the book Choral Connections: Enhancing choral experiences from a distance, and serving on the editorial board for the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing.

Expertise

• Music
• Choral Methods
• Music Education
• Music Service-learning
• Music Therapy
• Conducting

Education

• B.S., West Chester University
• M.M., Michigan State University
• Ph.D., The Ohio State University