Dr. Tawnya D. Smith

Dr. Tawnya D. Smith is assistant professor of music education at Boston University. She is co-author of the book Performance Anxiety Strategies and co-editor of Narratives and Reflections in Music Education: Listening to Voices Seldom Heard. Dr. Smith has published articles in the Journal of Applied Arts and Health, Music Educators Journal, and Gender and Education. She has also contributed book chapters to Art as Research; Key Issues in Arts Education; and Queering Freedom: Music, Identity, and Spirituality. 

Dr. Smith teaches graduate courses in research, curriculum, arts integration, and undergraduate courses on the topic of creating healthy classrooms, and arts and the environment. She is an integrative researcher who explores expressive arts principles to promote holistic learning. Her background in music education has led her to experiment with free improvisation and multi-modal art response as a means for learners to explore the self in community settings. Her recent work focuses upon arts integration and social justice.