Jackie Wiggins is Professor of Music Education and Chair of the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Oakland University where she teaches graduate courses in psychology of music learning, research in music education, and music curriculum. At Oakland, Wiggins heads the doctoral program in music education: an active, innovative program that attracts students who are interested in studying music learning and teaching from a constructivist perspective.
Internationally known for her work in constructivist music education and children’s musical creative process, Wiggins is a prolific author and active presenter. Her professional work includes nearly 50 publications, nearly 200 presentations, and invited keynotes on four continents, including the National Conference of the Australian Society of Music Education (2009), the International Conference for Research in Music Education (RIME 2011), and the Asia-Pacific Symposium on Music Education Research in Taipei (2011). Her book Teaching for Musical Understanding (2001, McGraw-Hill; 2009, Center for Applied Research in Musical Understanding) is used by music educators around the world.
Recent book chapters include “When the Music Is Theirs: Scaffolding Young Songwriters,” in A Cultural Psychology for Music Education (Oxford University Press, 2011), “Creating in Music Learning Contexts” (with Magne Espeland) in the Oxford Handbook of Music Education (Oxford University Press, 2012), "Scaffolding Student Composers," (with Michael Medvinsky) in Composing Our Future: Preparing Music Educators to Teach Composition (Oxford University Press, 2012).
Recent journal articles include: “Feeling it is how I understand it: Found Poetry as Analysis,” International Journal of Education and the Arts (2011) and “Vulnerability and Agency in Being and Becoming a Musician,” Music Education Research (2011). She also serves as an active reviewer for a range of research journals, including the CRME Bulletin, Research Studies in Music Education, International Journal for Education and the Arts, Psychology of Music, and the Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education.