Sandra Sanchez Adorno, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Tel: 305-348-7252

Email: sadorno@fiu.edu

Office Location: WPAC 145B

Dr. Sandra Sanchez Adorno is an associate professor of music education at Florida International University. She teaches courses in elementary general music, assessment and evaluation in music education, music psychology, and modern band. She is a native of Florida and holds degrees in music education from the University of Florida (B.A.) and the University of Miami (M.M., Ph.D.), and was named Florida College Music Educator for 2025.

Dr. Adorno’s research aims to understand children’s musical cultures and identity development, highlight voices of marginalized populations in music education, and enhance professional learning in music teacher education. Sandra has presented her research internationally and nationally, including the International Conference on Musical Cultures, National Association for Music Education National Research Conference, Society for Music Teacher Education National Conference, Mountain Lake Colloquium, and Desert Skies Research Symposium. She has publications in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin for the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Music Educators Journal, and Journal of General Music Education. Dr. Adorno has also published book chapters in the notable texts Music, Words, and Nationalism and The Modern Band Handbook. She currently serves as immediate past-president of the Florida College Music Educators Association and on the editorial board of Research Perspectives in Music Education, while previously serving on The Orff Echo editorial board and the evaluation team for the Early Childhood Music Education Pilot Program Grant supported by Florida Senate Bill 156.

Dr. Adorno is certified in Orff-Schulwerk, World Music Pedagogy, and Modern Band and has presented teaching workshops nationally, regionally, and locally at the American Orff Schulwerk Association National Conference, Association for Popular Music Education National Conference, Florida Music Educators State Conference, Orff Chapter workshops around the state, and in-service district workshops in the tri-county area. She was a faculty member of the Tennessee Arts Academy in 2017 and was awarded the Modern Band Fellowship in Higher Education in 2018. In 2019, she directed the Florida Elementary Music Educators Association Southern Regional and Miami-Dade Honors Orff Ensembles 2019 as well as the Volusia and Broward Counties Honors Orff Ensembles in 2025. Prior to her appointment, she was a visiting professor of music education at Stetson University and a general music teacher in Palm Beach County Schools, Frost Music Reach, and the Stetson University Community School of Music.