Tanya Allen, Ph.D.

Tanya Allen, Ph.D.

Tanya Allen is the Coordinator of Music Education, Associate Professor of Music Education, and Director of the Teaching & Learning Excellence Center at Texas Southern University.A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tanya earned her bachelor’s degree and teaching certification from the University of New Orleans before teaching general and choral music for five years in St. Charles Parish. She went on to complete both her master’s and doctorate in music education at Florida State University. Prior to joining TSU, she taught general music and choir in Baton Rouge, where she also served as a cooperating teacher for pre-service music educators. In addition, she worked with TNTP, observing and evaluating teachers across disciplines pursuing alternative certification.

At TSU, Tanya is responsible for preparing music majors who seek teacher certification, ensuring they have the knowledge, skills, and support to succeed. She teaches music pedagogy courses, supervises and evaluates pre-service music teachers during their final semester of student teaching, and develops innovative approaches to teacher preparation. Beyond the traditional classroom, she has taught asynchronous online music courses and investigates effective pedagogical practices in online learning. Her scholarship focuses on Web 2.0 pedagogy, cost-effective digital learning resources, and the integration of open educational resources (OER) in music. More recently, her research has expanded to examine the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in music teacher education and their impact on diversifying the music teaching profession.

Dr. Allen has presented at regional and national conferences and has published in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education and the Music Educators Journal. She has served the TSU community in multiple leadership roles, including Interim Chair of the Department of Music (2023–2025) and currently Director of TLEC, where she is responsible for providing professional learning for faculty and teaching staff across the University. She is also actively engaged in professional service, currently serving as President-Elect for the Texas affiliate of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).