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.
Research
Selected Research
- Roberts, J.C. (2020). Field recordings of children singing: An examination of Internet-based resources. In H.R. Gudmundsottir, C. Beynon, K.M. Ludke, & A.J. Cohen (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing, Vol. II: Education (Ch. 8). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315162607
- Roberts, J.C. (2019). World music pedagogy in early schooling: Issues of implementation. In S. Young and B. Ilari (Eds.), Music in early childhood: Multi-disciplinary perspectives and interdisciplinary exchanges (pp. 187-199). Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-17791-1_12
- Roberts, J.C. (2019). World music pedagogy in early schooling: Issues of implementation. In S. Young and B. Ilari (Eds.), Music in early childhood: Multi-disciplinary perspectives and interdisciplinary exchanges (pp. 187-199). Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-17791-1_12
- Roberts, J. C., and Beegle, A. C. (2018). World music pedagogy II: Elementary Music Education. New York: Routledge.
- Roberts, J. C. (2018). Self-determination theory and children’s singing games in and out of the classroom: A literature review. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 36, 12-19. doi:10.1177/8755123317741488
- Campbell, P. S., & Roberts, J. C. (2018). Teachers as agents of the repatriation of music and cultural heritage. In F. Gunderson, R. C. Lancefield, & B. Woods (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Musical Repatriation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190659806.013.16
- Roberts, J. C. (2017). Elementary students’ situational interest in lessons of world music. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 212, 7-26.
- Roberts, J. C. (2016). “Wanna race?” Primary student preference for competitive or non-competitive singing games. British Journal of Music Education, 33, 159-174. doi: 10.1017/S0265051715000236
- Roberts, J. C., & Campbell, P. S. (2015). Multiculturalism and social justice: Policies and practice. In C. Benedict, P. Schmidt, G. Spruce, & P. Woodford (Eds.), Oxford handbook of social justice in music education. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
- Roberts, J. C. (2015). Situational interest of fourth grade children in music at school. Journal of Research in Music Education, 63, 180-197. doi: 10.1177/0022429415585955
- Morrison, S. J., Demorest, S. M., Campbell, P. S., Bartolome, S. J., & Roberts, J. C. (2013). Effect of intensive instruction on elementary students’ memory for culturally unfamiliar music. Journal of Research in Music Education, 60, 363-374. doi: 10.1177/0022429412462581
- Roberts, J. C. (2013). A historical look at three recordings of children’s musicking in New York City. In Wiggins, T., & Campbell, P. S. (Eds.), Oxford handbook of children’s musical cultures (pp. 575-589). London: Oxford University Press.
- Roberts, C. (2012). Differentiated instruction in a Kodaly-inspired classroom. Kodaly Envoy, 39(3): 32-36.
- Roberts, J. C. (2011). Talkin’ Turkey: Incorporating music from Turkey in the elementary general music class. In A. Clements (Ed.), Alternative approaches in music education: Case studies from the field (pp. 151-160). Reston, VA: MENC.
- Roberts, J. C. (2016). Children’s musical utterances: First graders’ informal music making in school. Perspectives: Journal of the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, 11(3), 12-18.
Courses Taught
Winter 2025
Winter 2023
Spring 2022
Spring 2021
Spring 2020
Spring 2019
Winter 2019
Spring 2018
Spring 2017
Winter 2017
Autumn 2016
Spring 2016
News & Press
Related News
- 2023 THEME lecture series kicks off on October 6 - September 27, 2023
- Winter 2020 Faculty Notes - January 24, 2020
- Student and Alumni Notes: Summer 2019 - June 7, 2019
- Faculty Notes: Spring 2019 - April 10, 2019
- Faculty Notes: Winter 2019 - January 22, 2019
- World Music Pedagogy Series features 12 UW Music authors - January 15, 2019
- Tenth annual World Music Pedagogy course under way June 25-29 at UW - June 18, 2018
- Faculty News: Spring 2018 - March 30, 2018
- Faculty News: Winter 2018 - January 29, 2018
- Registration open for 2017 Smithsonian World Music Pedagogy Workshop - February 1, 2017
- New appointments at the School of Music for 2016-17 - October 31, 2016
- Smithsonian Workshop in World Music Pedagogy at UW June 20-24 - June 1, 2016
- New faculty welcomed for 2015-16 - October 21, 2015
- UW Music hosts Smithsonian workshop June 22-26 - June 19, 2015
Related Events
- THEME Lecture: Christopher Roberts, University of Washington - October 13, 2023 - 4:30pm