Biography

Audrey Berger Cardany is Professor of Music at the University of Rhode Island, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and currently serves as Interim Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Guided by the belief that the Arts are central to human experience, Dr. Cardany has devoted her career to ensuring greater access to music and meaningful musical opportunities for individuals, families, and communities. An active clinician and adjudicator, she has presented at local, regional, and national conferences, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE). Her presentations span topics such as music and language, music and movement, technology in music learning, and the developing singing voice. In addition, she delivered a keynote address for the Connecticut Music Educators Association and contributed to The Ernest Becker Denial File blog, with an essay titled “Music and the Denial of Death.”

Her research and pedagogical writing appear in General Music Today (GMT), Journal of Research in Music Education, Kodály Today, Mountain Lake Journal, Music Educators Journal, Psychology of Music, Silver Burdett Making Music, and the Rhode Island Music Educators Review. She authored a recurring GMT column on the connections between music and language and contributed to the 2013 elementary general music textbook series Interactive Music (Silver Burdett with Alfred). She served as Associate Editor for Research for the Rhode Island Music Educators Review. 

At URI, Dr. Cardany’s service has included chairing the Music Department’s Undergraduate Committee of Academic Success and participating in multiple Faculty Senate committees, including chairing the Curriculum and Standards Committee. Her Senate contributions were recognized with the 2020 Fritz Wenisch Award for Exceptional Contributions to the Faculty Senate. As Faculty Senate President, she led the implementation of URI’s first electronic curriculum and catalog management system.