Martina Vasil
Director of Graduate Studies
Martina Vasil, PhD, is Associate Professor of Music Education and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Kentucky (UK). She teaches undergraduate courses in general music and modern band and graduate courses in qualitative research and Orff Schulwerk. She also coordinates summer programs in Orff, Dalcroze, and modern band. For over a decade, Vasil has led efforts to bring popular music education to Kentucky, revising the BMME to include a modern band course and launching community partnerships with elementary schools. In 2023, she created the first all-state modern band for elementary students at the Kentucky Music Educators Association conference, later expanding it to middle and high school.
Vasil is known for her innovative teaching, earning the UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award and other university- and state-level teaching awards. She created and taught an online Popular Music in Elementary Music graduate course for the University of Alberta and co-created an Orff Schulwerk and Popular Music Orff Masterclass with Dr. David Dockan, reaching teachers internationally and nationally. In 2023, she was a Fulbright Specialist in Liberia, training teachers and working with children at the nation’s only music school. She regularly presents workshops for Orff chapters across the U.S. and internationally (South Korea, Canada) and recently completed a residency at Georgia State University.
Her research focuses on popular music education, culturally responsive pedagogy, and Orff Schulwerk. She has published in leading journals such as the Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, and Journal of General Music Education. Vasil is the editor of “Popular Music in Elementary Music Education” through Oxford University Press (est. 2026) and currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of General Music Education. She is also a Music Teacher Profession Advisory Committee Member for NAfME and is a Board Member of Music Will.
Dr. Vasil has a PhD and BM in Music Education from West Virginia University and an MA in Music Education from Eastman School of Music. She has 14 years of teaching experience in K–8 schools and is an Orff Schulwerk certified teacher. She loves Doctor Who, Bob's Burgers, and most things in the nerd kingdom. She is an avid gym rat, reader, and world traveler. Her favorite musicians are Paul McCartney and her brother, Craig Burletic.