Biography

Maria Busch leads an academic staff team that provide programmatic support to faculty and students to achieve excellence in teacher preparation for formal and informal educational settings. Previously, Maria had twenty plus years’ experience working with small and large public and private education and non-profit performing arts organizations as a musician, teacher, clinician, and arts education director before joining higher education and UCF in 2007. Maria is a two-time alumnus of UCF. She earned a BA in Music Performance and MA in Music Education from UCF, and a PhD in Secondary and Continuing Education with an emphasis in Music Education from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Her area of expertise includes music education, community music, lifelong learning, and partnership building. Maria’s current projects explore the impact of a mindfulness practice on student resilience and academic success. She is also engaged in establishing sustainable, program embedded global exchanges for students, faculty, staff.

Areas of Expertise
  • Music Education
  • Community Music
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Partnerships
Education
  • Ph.D. Secondary and Continuing Education, Specialization: Music Education
    University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) 2005
    Dissertation: Predictors of Lifelong Learning in Music: A Survey of Individuals Participating in Performing Ensembles at Community Colleges in Illinois.
  • M.A., Music Education
    University of Central Florida, 1995
    Thesis: A Case Study in the Development of a Method and Teaching Materials for Elementary Flute Instruction
  • B.A. Flute Performance
    University of Central Florida, 1989