Martha Riley

Specialization

Music Education

Martha Riley, Professor of Music, teaches courses in music education. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota and her B.A. in music education from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Additionally, she holds Orff-Schulwerk certification.

Dr. Riley specializes in folk dance, particularly English Country and American dances, American folk music, and music of Indiana. She has presented numerous sessions on music and dance at national and international conferences and is a frequent presenter of workshops for music educators across the United States and Canada. She has also directed children’s folk dance groups and served as an artist-in-residence in elementary schools. Riley received the Department of Visual and Performing Arts Excellence in Teaching Award in 1998.

Mixed-media publications by Riley include Backwoods Heritage: Traditional Songs, Dances, Fiddle Tunes, and More (Riverside Productions, 2003), Share Indiana Music (McGraw-Hill, 2000), English Country Dances for Children (Riverside Productions, 1995), and Singing Indiana History: A Musical Resource Guide for Teachers (Riverside Productions, 1992). She is also the author of articles on folk music, folk dance, and American music education, and has served two terms as a member of the Editorial Board of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association.