Susan Shirel, D.A.

As an assistant professor of music at Harding University, Dr. Susan E. Shirel serves as the Director of Choral Activities, directs the Harding University Concert Choir, teaches private voice and music education courses, and supervises student teaching interns. She holds a Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy from Texas Woman's University—where she studied with Joan Wall—and the Doctor of Arts in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Ball State University. Prior to joining the Harding University faculty in 2011, Dr. Shirel earned the Bachelor of Music Education – vocal and instrumental degrees from Harding University and was a secondary choral music educator for 10 years in three states. She is the Vice President/President-elect for the Arkansas chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), Treble Choir R & R Chair for the Arkansas American Choral Directors Association, and is also an active member in ACDA and NAFME. Susan is a frequent presenter at state and regional voice and choral conferences and strives to provide practical research-based tools for voice and choral educators. Her research interests focus on the intersection of choral music education and vocal pedagogy, more specifically on the use of learning-theory-based teaching strategies for teaching singing. In her “spare time,” Susan enjoys gardening, traveling with family, and performing in and producing musical theatre productions.