Suzanne L. Burton

Dr. Suzanne L. Burton is Professor of Music Education and Director of Music Education at the University of Delaware. Burton specializes in music teacher preparation in authentic and global contexts, early childhood and K-12 general music. Her research interests are music acquisition and the development of music literacy, school-university partnerships, education policy, and professional development for music educators.

She is published widely in scholarly journals with chapters on music teacher preparation in books published by Ashgate and Rowman & Littlefield Education. Noted for her editorial work, she is co-editor and a contributor to Learning from Young Children: Research in Early Childhood Music and Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Instrumental Music. She is also sole editor of and contributor to Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Middle School General Music (all published by Rowman & Littlefield Education). She also serves on the editorial boards of Arts Education Policy Review, Journal of Music Teacher Education, New Directions in Music Education, and Visions of Research in Music Education.

Dr. Burton is on the Blueprint Committee for the College Music Society and is a commissioner on the International Society for Music Education Early Childhood Music Education board. Burton is also president of the University of Delaware honor society chapter, Phi Kappa Phi. In addition to her work at the collegiate level, she advises the UD Community Music School Early Childhood Music for Young Minds program and teaches K-8 general music in a local school. Dr. Burton is a recipient of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra Jessie Ball DuPont Educator Award. She holds the A.A. and B.M. from Spring Arbor University, and the M.M. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University.