Manju Durairaj

Manju Durairaj was born and raised in India. She studied in Pune, India. She was involved in graduate research projects on comparative pedagogical practices of Indian (Carnatic) and Western Music at Middlesex University, London, UK. She graduated with her second master’s degree and K-12 certification from VanderCook College of Music, Chicago. Manju is currently a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where her research centers around Orff-Schulwerk teacher education in the global context. She is an awardee of the Illinois Distinguished Scholar Fellowship.

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Manju is the Lower School Music Teacher at the Latin School of Chicago. She is the president for ILMEA elementary general music division, vice president of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) of the American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA), past president of the Greater Chicago Orff Chapter and is a certified Orff Schulwerk Levels Teacher Educator. She is a certified Arts Integration specialist.  She is an adjunct professor at VanderCook College of Music, Chicago where she teaches curriculum design and elementary methods graduate, undergraduate and continuing teacher education courses. Her continuing teaching education courses, on campus and online, include Responsive Music Education, Technology, Arts Integration, Curriculum Development, Responsive Classroom, and Redesigning Teaching and Learning for 21st Century.

 

She is a frequent clinician at various state, national, and international conferences. She has been published in the Orff Echo, Reverberations, Illinois Music Educators Journal, General Music Today, and the Journal of the Council for Research in Music Education. Her publications with Hal Leonard include InterAct with Music Assessment Levels 1 and 2, InterAct Levels 1&2 Student Activities for Devices and Print, Technology in Today’s Music Classroom and Dancing Around the World with Music Express Magazine.