About Me

Heather Nelson Shouldice, PhD, is Associate Professor of Music Education at Eastern Michigan University, where she coordinates the music education program, teaches graduate and undergraduate courses, supervises student teachers, and directs the early childhood music program through EMU’s Community Music Academy. Her research interests include music teacher beliefs and their relationships to teaching practice, musical development and musical identity in young children, and issues related to gender in music education. Dr. Shouldice’s research has been published in Music Education Research, Research Studies in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, and GIML Audea. Prior to entering higher education, Dr. Shouldice taught elementary general music for 10 years in the public schools of Michigan. She is a past-president of the Gordon Institute for Music Learning, for which she also is a professional development faculty member in elementary general music.

Dr. Shouldice has recently authored a book called “Weaving It All Together: A Practical Guide to Gordon’s Music Learning Theory,” and she hosts and produces a podcast called “Everyday Musicality: Unlocking the Inner Musician Through MLT,” which is available on all podcast streaming apps and on the web. Dr. Shouldice also publishes a blog called “Research to Real Life“, which summarizes recent music education research studies and provides practical suggestions for the classroom.

Dr. Shouldice is available to present workshops, conference sessions, or in-service professional development for school districts on a variety of topics, including Gordon’s Music Learning Theory. Click here to view a list of previous presentation titles/topics, and please feel free to email (heathershouldice@gmail.com) for more information.

Contact me via email!