Dee Hansen, professor emerita, music education, The Hartt School, announces the publication of the 3rd edition of The Music and Literacy Connection, Bloomsburg Academic Publishers.
This text is used nationally for the required “Reading in the Content Area” course for music education students. Hansen says that her "co-author, Dr. Elaine Bernstorf and I are grateful for the UHart colleagues and Hartt Community Division teachers who contributed to the book including: professor Kenneth Steen (Hartt), professor John Nordyke (HAS), Dr. John (Rusty) Koenig (Hartt Community Division), Wayne Splettstozer (Hartt Community Division)."
The Music and Literacy Connection has proven to be the primary and potentially the sole source of in-depth information detailing how music learning provides reinforcement for, and parallel processes between, literacy in music and reading. The third edition delivers deeply researched information and expands the value of music education to new heights. Highlights include:
- Updated scientific research about music and the brain.
- Clearly defined parallels between music, reading, and language development and how they are processed in the brain.
- The role of memory processes and motivation in learning and their impact on instructional approaches.
- Expanded supportive tools for contemporary pedagogical practices including Universal Design for Learning, The Science of Reading, and advocacy for educating the whole child.
This edition will be a must for “reading in the content area” courses designed for music educators, pedagogical “best practices” courses, professional development resources, book study, and curriculum directors.
About the Authors:
Dr. Demaris (Dee) Hansen is Professor Emerita of Music Education at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, CT. She served as Director of Hartt Graduate Studies, Chair of Graduate Studies in Music Education, and was Director of The Hartt Summerterm graduate program (2006-2014). She wrote One Hundred Years of Hartt: A Centennial Celebration of the Hartt School, published by Wesleyan University Press in 2020. Dee published articles for NAfME, CMEA, The U.S. Department of Education, and chapters and scholarly articles for the International Society of Assessment in Music Education, Oxford, and GIA. She authored The Handbook of Music Supervision in 2002. She was primary author of The Music and Literacy Connection (2006; 2014 2nd ed.; 2026, 3rd ed). She presents professional development training internationally and nationally on curriculum design and assessment, applications of learning theory, brain research and effective pedagogy, and literacy connections between language, reading, and music. She served as a music consultant for The Wolf Trap Foundation’s stART smART program in Washington, D.C. and was a trainer for the U.S. Department of Education. Dee has extensive service on national advisory boards and is a national and international guest scholar.
Dee was the Fine Arts Consultant for the Kansas State Department of Education from 1994-2002. She was an Associate Professor of Music Education at Baker University in Kansas from 2002-2006. Dee was president of the Kansas Music Educators Association from 2005-2006, and was inducted into the KMEA Hall of Fame in 2020. She served on the Executive Committee of The National Council for Music Program Leaders. She was past-president of The Connecticut Arts Administrators Association, Co-Chair of The University of Hartford Emeriti Association, Hartt liaison and regular presenter for The University of Hartford’s Presidents’ College. She served on The Hartford Symphony Education Committee and The Julius Hartt Foundation Board of Trustees.
Dee earned a Bachelor of Music Education (BME) and Masters of Music (MM) History and Literature from Southern Methodist University. She received a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) degree from The University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory of Music. Dee performs with the Entwyned Early Music Trio as a Renaissance and Baroque flautist, Celtic harpist, and Baroque guitarist.
Dr. Elaine Bernstorf serves as Professor of Music Education at Wichita State University. As a professor and researcher, her specializations include elementary vocal music, special music education, early childhood arts education, speech pathology (especially in the areas of voice, fluency, and child language), literacy development, and curriculum development. She founded and has supervised several music-based service-learning programs including: the WSU speech-language preschools ISLP (2018-2020) and Kaleidoscope (1999-2016); Envision (2016-current) early childhood and community programs; Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation (CPRF) Adult Learning program (2006-current); and consulted with Reading Explorers, Arts Partners, and other service-learning programs.
Dr. Bernstorf served as Chair for NAfME Exceptional Learners SRIG (2016-2018) and was co-chair for Kansas MEA Special Needs focus area (2013-2016). Elaine served as National Board Higher Education Advisor for Organization of American Kodaly Educators (2016-2020), as column coordinator for the Envoy journal Administrator Connections (2014-2020) and served on the Envoy Editorial Board (2015-2023). She currently serves on national committees including the Arts Education Partnership Higher Education Working Group and the Leadership Network for Arts Education and Special Needs. In 2017, the Kansas Music Educators Association inducted her in their Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement recognition.