Christopher Cayari

Promoted to Associate Professor

Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance

ccayari@purdue.edu

Christopher Cayari received both a Ph.D. and master’s in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. He was the Director-Producer for Wisconsin Singers and an Associate Lecturer at University of Wisconsin-Madison before he joined the Purdue faculty in 2016.

Cayari’s position in the field of music education is situated at the intersection of popular culture and music learning. He takes topics that are prevalent in contemporary society and translates them for teachers to use in the music classroom. He teaches Music for the Elementary Classroom and has developed partnerships with local elementary schools to help his students experience musical education environments.

Cayari’s research focuses on mediated musical performance, YouTube, informal music learning, virtual communities, video games, and online identity. His performance-based research has expanded the potential of recordings and staged performances to disseminate research.

His secondary research agenda addresses marginalized voices in music education, specifically LGBTQIA+ individuals and Asian Americans. He is an activist for marginalized populations who uses music and education as platforms for social change.