About

Marie McCarthy is a music educator whose research interests are focused on the influence of sociocultural contexts on the form and impact of music teaching and learning in historical context. Her publications include topics such as music education and the formation of cultural identity, historical narratives of music transmission in African American schools and communities, the history of transmission of Irish traditional music, and cross-cultural comparisons of trends impacting national music education systems historically. Her interests also extend into the area of children’s spiritual development. She has been a member of the Music Education faculty at the University of Michigan since 2006, after teaching at the University of Maryland for sixteen years and working as a primary-school teacher in Ireland for ten years. She is a specialist in general music education and has taught courses on music in elementary and secondary schools, learning theories for music teachers, music cultures in the classroom, and research methods in music education. Her career has been recognized with numerous awards, including a Fulbright Scholarship, the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Council for Research in Music Education, honorary life memberships of the Society for Music Education in Ireland and the International Society for Music Education, and the 2022 Senior Researcher Award from the US National Association for Music Education. Her major publications include two books: 'Passing It On: The Transmission of Music in Irish Culture' and 'Toward a Global Community: A History of the International Society for Music Education, 1953-2003'. Her most recent scholarship is as co-editor of the book 'Micheál Ó Súilleabháin: A Life in Music' (2024). She has delivered keynote and featured conference addresses at various international events since 2019. Her professional service includes roles such as editor of the State-of-the-Arts Series at the University of Maryland, section editor of the 'New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning' (2002), member of the Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education of NAfME, and editor of the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education since 2015.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Political Science
• Computer Science
• Social Science
• Psychology
• Oceanography
• Environmental planning
• Medical education
• Medicine
• Pedagogy
• Environmental resource management
• Library science
• Mathematics education
• Public relations
• Ecology
• Environmental science
• Geography

Selected publications

• Listening Back, Looking Forward: Music Education at America’s 250 ^th

  Music Educators Journal · 2026-05-14

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 presents an opportunity to pause and reflect on contemporary music education. I approach the anniversary from the perspective of democracy in music education at the 150th anniversary in 1926. In what ways were the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” visible in the philosophy and practice of music education at the time? The article begins with a description of trends in the middle years of the 1920s that likely influenced the direction of music education. From there, I describe how the sesquicentennial anniversary was formally celebrated. On a theme of “sing democracy,” I illustrate how music educators responded to prevailing trends and in the worldview of the time, sought to enact democratic ideals in school music: advocate “music for every child,” expand the music curriculum, establish curriculum standards to improve the quality of music instruction, assimilate and cultivate citizens, and collaborate with professional communities. In conclusion, I return to those five markers of democratic thinking and action in light of the rights of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Listening back to narratives of music, education, and music education in and around the sesquicentennial anniversary can deepen understanding of the evolution of school music and help discern future directions for music in school and community.

  PublisherDOI

• Sounding the Silences of African American Music Education History: A Bibliographic Guide to Research Literature from the Twentieth Century

  Journal of Historical Research in Music Education · 2025-10-06

  article1st authorCorresponding

  In this bibliographic guide, the authors present an analysis and preliminary interpretation of 182 research studies on African American music education (AAME) completed at US institutions in the twentieth century. The goal is to provide a resource and forum for music education scholars pursuing topics on AAME history and to amplify studies that have heretofore been hidden in large part. Ultimately, insights from this body of literature can contribute to the construction of a more inclusive history of American music education. The project was guided by these questions: What are the characteristics and developmental trends of research studies on AAME spanning the twentieth century? What insights are gained from a topical and chronological analysis of studies to inform a historical narrative of AAME in schools, colleges, and communities? The article is organized as follows: orientation to Black bibliography; gathering and organizing studies; profile of studies; categorical and topical analysis; and a closing section that highlights unique features of the collection of studies and implications for future research. Studies are presented in five categories: Black Music in the Curriculum, Student Musical Abilities and Interests, K–12 School Music Programs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Professional Lives of Black Music Educators.

  PublisherDOI

• Afterword

  Landscapes: the arts, aesthetics, and education · 2025-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Editorial

  Journal of Historical Research in Music Education · 2024-09-19

  editorial1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Editorial

  Journal of Historical Research in Music Education · 2024-03-20

  editorial1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Inquiry in the Space Between: A Researcher’s Perspective Senior Researcher Award Acceptance Address

  Journal of Research in Music Education · 2023-01-25 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Enabling High Capacity WDM Transmission Systems for Data Centre and Access Networking Applications

  2023-07-02 · 1 citations

  article

  Increased capacity in data centre (DC) and passive optical networks (PONs) can be achieved by a transition to intensity modulation with direct detection (IM/DD) modulation formats such as PAM. However, the power budget in both DC and PON systems becomes more challenging as the baud rate and modulation format increase, motivating the use of integrated semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) in these systems. This work outlines the use of probabilistic shaping to trade off noise and nonlinearity in the systems to optimise the performance of optically amplified data centre and access networks.

  PublisherDOI

• Centering Black Music, Culture and Education in the Decades Leading up to Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

  2023-11-28

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  The chapter centers Black music and music education during the decades of the early to mid-twentieth century. Exploration of themes is guided by these questions: What insights can be gained from writings about the functions of music in the education of Black students in the decades leading up to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling? What insights can be gained from writings about the integration of Black music and culture into mainstream education during the same time period? Evidence is gathered from writings in professional journals for Black and White educators and supplemented by other primary sources. Four themes emerge: perceptions of musicality in an era of scientific racism; music and activism; Black American music in the curriculum; and building interracial and intercultural relations. An interpretation of the evidence focuses on points of convergence and counterpoint in the discourses of Black music, culture, and education.

  PublisherDOI

• Editorial

  Journal of Historical Research in Music Education · 2023-04-01

  editorialOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Editorial

  Journal of Historical Research in Music Education · 2023-09-29

  editorial1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• A.D. Ellis

  32 shared

• P. Gunning

  BT Research

  12 shared

• Jian Zhao

  South China University of Technology

  11 shared

• Son Thai Le

  Michigan Science Center

  10 shared

• N.J. Doran

  Aston University

  9 shared

• Sergei K. Turitsyn

  Aston University

  9 shared

• John G. Gleason

  École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

  7 shared

• Ian Phillips

  7 shared

Awards & honors

• Fulbright Scholarship
• Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Council for Research…
• honorary life membership of the Society for Music Education…
• honorary life membership of the International Society for Mu…
• 2022 Senior Researcher Award from the US National Associatio…