Research Statement

My primary research interests include the use of religious music in the public schools, multicultural music education, and popular music education with a focus on issues of equity and inclusion in the music classroom.

Research Keywords

  • Religious Music in Public Schools
  • Popular Music
  • Multicultural Music
  • Intercultural Competence
  • Cultural Humility

Creative Research

  • Stories from the Pandemic: The University of Utah, Voci Altissime Treble Choir, Virtual Performance selected for the American Choral Directors Association Western Region Conference, Long Beach, CA. Performance, scheduled 03/03/2022.

Presentations

  • An Intercultural Approach to Secondary Choral Music Methods Coursework. Presentation at the Utah Music Education Association Conference, St. George, UT. Presentation, Presented, 02/04/2023.
  • Engage, Create, and Inspire: Pedagogical Approaches to Self-Directed Literacy in the Choral Classroom. Presentation at the Utah Music Education Association Conference, St. George, UT. Presentation, Presented, 02/03/2023.
  • Improvisation in the Choral Classroom. Presentation at the Utah Music Education Association Conference, St. George, UT. Presentation, Presented, 02/03/2023.
  • Preservice and In-service Music Educators’ Perceptions of a World Music Programming and Pedagogy Mentoring Project: A Case Study. Poster presentation at the National Association for Music Education Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, Washington, D.C. Conference Paper, Refereed, Accepted, 11/05/2022.
  • Mercado, E. M. & Draut, M. (2022, February). Warm-ups, Sight-singing, and Repertoire for the Adolescent Changing Voice. Presentation at the Utah Music Education Association Conference, St. George, UT. Presentation, Presented, 02/05/2022.
  • Mercado, E.M. (2022, February). Creating a Community of Inquiry in Online Music Learning Experiences. Presentation at the Utah Music Education Association Conference, St. George, UT. Presentation, Presented, 02/05/2022.
  • Mercado, E. M. (2022, April). Preservice Music Educators’ Perceptions of Online Synchronous Fieldwork: A Case Study. Paper accepted for the American Education Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, UT . Conference Paper, Refereed, Accepted, 10/22/2021.
  • Mercado, E. M., (2021, April). Preservice Music Educators’ Perceptions of In-Person and Asynchronous Online Fieldwork Experiences. Paper accepted for the American Education Research Association Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 04/24/2021.
  • Mercado, E. M., Bowers, J. P., Pennello, E. M., Nowak, T. (2021, February). School/University Partnerships and Invitational Theory: A Framework. Poster presented at the National Association for Music Education Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, Virtual Conference. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 02/13/2021.
  • Mercado, E. M. (2020, November). Intercultural Religious Music: Policy, Programming, and Perspective. Virtual Presentation for the American Choral Directors Association Western Region Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Webinar Series. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 11/28/2020.
  • Mercado, E. M. (2020, September). Intercultural Religious Music: Programming, Pedagogy, and Online Learning Experiences. Virtual Synchronous Presentation at the Hawaii American Choral Directors Language and Literacy: Multicultural Music Making Conference. . Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 09/05/2020.
  • Mercado, E. M., Bowers, J. P., Pennello, E. M., Nowak, T. (2021, February). Perceptions of P-12/university partnerships in music education: A instrumental-use multiple case study, Poster session accepted for the National Association for Music Education Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, Virtual Conference. Other, Accepted, 07/11/2020.
  • Mercado, E. M., Bailey, E., & Houston, K. (2021, February). Vocal Pedagogy Fieldwork Experiences in Collaborative Preservice Teacher Groups: A Service Learning Action Research Project. Poster session accepted for the National Association for Music Education Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, Virtual Conference. Other, Accepted, 07/11/2020.
  • Mercado, E. M. (2020, March). Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical Music for Middle School and High School Choirs. Presentation at the Western American Choral Directors Association Regional Conference, Salt Lake City, UT. Presentation, Presented, 03/07/2020.
  • Mercado, E. M., Bailey, E., & Houston, K. (2020, February). Vocal Pedagogy Fieldwork Experiences in Collaborative Preservice Teacher Groups: A Service Learning Action Research Project: A Preliminary Analysis. Poster session presented at the Utah Music Education Association Conference, St. George, UT. Other, Presented, 02/07/2020.
  • Mercado, E. M., & Rawlings, J. (2020, February). University-School Partnerships as Collaborative Action Research. Presentation at the Utah Music Education Association Conference, St. George, UT. Presentation, Presented, 02/07/2020.
  • “I Feel Blessed, I Pay No Mind to It, and It’s Not Very Diverse”: Preparing Preservice Music Educators for Students’ Perspectives of Religion and Politics. Presentation at the Symposium on Music Teacher Education, Greensboro, NC. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 09/14/2019.
  • Patriotic Music in the Public Schools: Religion, Politics, and Perceptions. Poster session presented at the Utah Music Education Association Conference, St. George, UT. Other, Presented, 01/25/2019.
  • Religious Choral Music from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Worlds: An Intercultural Perspective. Presentation at the Utah American Choral Directors Association Conference, Sandy, UT. Presentation, Presented, 10/27/2018.
  • The effects of a best selling children's naptime recording on the time to rest among pre-school children enrolled in a university child care center. Poster session presented at the National Association for Music Education Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, Atlanta, GA . Other, Presented, 03/18/2018.
  • Ethnic/Multicultural Choral Music Reading Session. Presentation at the Louisiana American Choral Directors Association State Conference, New Orleans, LA. Other, Presented, 10/21/2017.
  • Exploring a global view of religious music, Presentation at the Symposium on Music Teacher Education, Minneapolis, MN. Presentation, Presented, 09/09/2017.
  • I’m mean, you’re christian...right?: Perceptions of religious music in the public schools. Paper presented at the Mid-South Music Education Research Symposium, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 02/18/2017.
  • Religious music in the public schools: Applying policy, considering perceptions, and developing perspectives. Poster session presented at the Louisiana Music Educators Association State Conference, Baton Rouge, LA. Other, Presented, 11/20/2016.
  • Fostering independent musicianship in the choral classroom: Sight-singing methods to engage and inspire your students. Presentation at the Louisiana American Choral Directors Association State Conference, New Orleans, LA. Presentation, Presented, 11/19/2016.
  • Sight-reading in the choral classroom with Emily Mercado. Amused: A Music Educators' Podcast. Other, Presented, 02/20/2016.
  • Pedagogical approaches to literacy in the choral classroom. Presentation at the Oregon Music Education Association State Conference, Eugene, OR. Presentation, Presented, 01/14/2012.
  • From bari-tenor to barely there: Strategies for the middle school voice. Presentation and performance at the Oregon Music Education Association State Conference, Eugene, OR . Presentation, Presented, 01/15/2011.

Grants, Contracts & Research Gifts

  • Developing Culturally Sustaining Choral Music Programming and Pedagogy Through University and Public School Partnerships. PI: Emily Mercado. 02/15/2021 - 10/01/2022. Total project budget to date: $2,115.00

Publications

  • Mercado, E. M. & Draut, M. (2022). Individualized instruction to support adolescent vocal development: An action research study. Research Studies in Music Education. Accepted, 11/30/2022.
  • Mercado, E. M. (2022). Preservice music educators’ perceptions of online synchronous fieldwork: A case study. Journal of Music Teacher Education. Published, 11/01/2022.
    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/105708372...
  • Emily Mercado (2022). Preservice music educators’ perceptions of in-person and asynchronous online fieldwork experiences. Journal of Music Teacher Education. Vol. 31, 41-54. Published, 01/26/2022.
    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/105708372...
  • Mercado, E. M. (2021). Perceptions of Intercultural Religious Music and Intercultural Competence in a Southern U.S. Public Middle School Eighth Grade Women’s Choir: A Case Study. Research Studies in Music Education. Vol. 43, 289-303. Published, 04/08/2021.
    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1321103X2...
  • Mercado, E. M. (2020). Religious music in the public schools: A policy analysis and critical framework. Arts Education Policy Review. Vol. 121, 173–186. Published, 05/15/2020.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2019.1700402
  • Brunkan, M. C. & Mercado, E. M. (2019). A comparison of laboratory and virtual laryngeal dissection experiences on pre-service music educators' knowledge and perceptions . Journal of Voice. Vol. 33, 872–879. Published, 11/01/2019.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/...
  • Bowers, J. P. & Casselberry, J., Isbell, D. S., Kyakuwa, J., Li, Y., Mercado, E. M., & Wallace, E. M.  (2019). A descriptive study of the use of music during nap-time in childcare centers. . Journal of Research in Childhood Education. Vol. 33, 212–224. Accepted, 07/01/2019.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2019.1577770
  • Mercado, E. M. (2019). Popular, informal, and vernacular music classrooms: A review of the literature. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. Vol. 37(2), 30-37. Published, 01/01/2019.
    https://doi.org/10.1177/8755123318784634
  • Mercado, E. M. (2014). Creating meaningful student growth S.M.A.R.T. goals. Oregon Music Educator Journal. Vol. 66(1), 24-25. Published, 12/01/2014.