Biography
J. Christopher Roberts is currently serving as Chair of Music Education at the University of Washington. He holds degrees from Swarthmore College (B.A., History) and the University of Washington (M.A., Ph.D., Music Education), with research and clinical interests in children’s musical cultures, world music pedagogy, and the nature of children’s interest in music. Recent articles have appeared in publications including the Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, British Journal of Music Education, Update, The Oxford Handbook of Social Justice in Music Education, and The Oxford Handbook of Musical Repatriation. In 2018, His co-authored book, World Music Pedagogy II: Elementary Music Education, was published by Routledge.
An elementary music teacher for 20 years, Roberts regularly provides professional development throughout the United States. Topics include World Music Pedagogy, culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, developing empathy in the elementary music classroom, and in-tune singing. He directs the Kodály Levels Program of Seattle and teaches Kodály Levels at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey. Additionally, he was a founding instructor of the Smithsonian Folkways Certification Course in World Music Pedagogy.