Casey Collins2024-02-29T16:44:39-05:00

Casey Collins

Casey Collins is a clinical assistant professor of music education at Purdue University Fort Wayne. She teaches undergraduate courses in elementary and secondary general music methods, introduction to music education, freshman success seminar in music education, elementary music for the elementary educator, and is the student teaching coordinator for the School of Music. Prior to PFW, Dr. Collins taught PK-5 elementary general music in North Carolina where she was awarded Teacher of the Year and honored as an Excellence in Education district finalist. In 2018, Collins was awarded the Global Teacher of the Year from Participate Learning. Though elementary general music is her main passion, Dr. Collins has a love for playing the flute and can often be found jumping in on university flute ensemble rehearsals when she can, and spends her summers working with high school marching bands as a woodwind tech.

Dr. Collins holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Elon University, a Master of Music in Music Education from East Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Michigan. Her research interests are on topics such as teaching general music in high-poverty schools, trauma-informed pedagogy practices for the music educator, vocal health and hygiene for music teachers, positive psychology applications for music education spaces, and improvisation in the general music classroom. Her dissertation research was centered on elementary music teachers in high-poverty schools, aiming to shift the deficit paradigm surrounding these spaces. She has presented on these topics internationally, nationally, and regionally at various research and practitioner conferences. When she is not teaching, Dr. Collins can be found reading, cooking, or snuggling up with her two cats, Opa and Anabelle.

eBooks by Casey Collins

Posts by Casey Collins

More Than A Music Teacher: David Getz and Anna Mounts

What makes you #morethanamusicteacher? In this blog series inspired by Franklin Willis’ Book, More Than A Music Teacher, we invited teachers around the world to share their stories. Today, we’ll hear from David Russell Getz and [...]

More Than A Music Teacher: Elizabeth Shier and Crystal Briley

What makes you #morethanamusicteacher? In this blog series inspired by Franklin Willis’ Book, More Than A Music Teacher, we invited teachers around the world to share their stories. Today, we’ll hear from Elizabeth Shier and Crystal [...]

The Value of a Values Statement for your Music Department

Like many music educators, I experienced a major shock during my first few months of teaching: Even though I knew how to play all the instruments, sing all the songs, and teach all the music… Very [...]

Reflections on Cultivating a Daily Creative Practice: #asongadayinjan

Intro I’ve always been inspired by my dear friend, Sarah Gulish, to take on the “Song A Day Challenges” over the last couple of years.  I only just began my songwriting journey three years ago and [...]

My Favorite Portable Instrument for the Classroom

I spent the first four years of my teaching career with zero instruments for my high school general music class. We had nothing, and I was told there was no budget for my class. I tried [...]

What Music Teachers Can Learn From Coaches (and vice versa)

I have spent my entire life in the seemingly unrelated worlds of Sports and Music.  Thanks to High School Musical, the narrative that a teenager could live comfortably within the dual identities of Artist and Athlete [...]

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