UK Professor Wins Research Award in Creative Music Movement

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 21, 2016) — Cecilia Wang, professor emerita of music education in the University of Kentucky School of Music, was named the recipient of the 2015 Excellence in Research Award presented by the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA). The award is given annually to an individual who is considered the top contributor of research scholars among the professional organization of educators dedicated to the creative music movement approach developed by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman.

"I feel very happy about winning this award. I have been doing research for many years and I am happy that people are recognizing my work. In the field of music education, there are not many awards, so I am personally thrilled to receive it. To be nominated for this award by a former student makes it even more satisfying," Wang said.

Wang is viewed as one of the most gifted and giving scholars in the AOSA. She is credited with creating the first webliography of research for Orff Schulwerk that had been hidden in university archives and absent from major databases. In 2003, in collaboration with longtime research colleague David Sogin, professor of music education and director of graduate studies in music, Wang presented a state of the state address called "Evidence-Based Research in Orff Schulwerk" that detailed the 11 possible categories of research in music education and categorized and listed every known thesis and dissertation that pertained to Schulwerk. Her work provided the data, passion and motivation for scholars to develop needed research in areas that had not been addressed.

At UK, Wang has taught courses in general music education, research, arts in education, psychology of music, tests and measurements, as well as directed theses and dissertations in these areas. She recently stepped down as the director of the Orff Schulwerk Program at UK in the summer of 2015. Wang holds a bachelor's degree in music education from Viterbo University and a master's degree and doctoral degree in music education from Texas Tech University. She presents research papers and publishes regularly and internationally on research in music perception, music learning and development, creative thinking in music, and teacher effectiveness.

The American Orff-Schulwerk Association's mission is to demonstrate the value of Orff Schulwerk and promote its widespread use to support the professional development of our members; and to inspire and advocate for the creative potential of all learners.

The UK School of Music in the UK College of Fine Arts has garnered national acknowledgment for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, theory and music history.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu