Margaret Schmidt, professor of music education-strings, holds a doctorate in music education from the University of Michigan, a master's in violin performance from SUNY-StonyBrook, and a bachelor'sin music education from Lawrence University. Prior to her appointment at ASU, Professor Schmidt was associate professor of music education and chairperson of the Music Department at St. Cloud State University. A specialist in string education, she has held public school string positions in Naperville, Illinois, Jackson, Michigan, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Austin, Minnesota.

Professor Schmidt’s research focuses on preservice and beginning teachers, and teachers and students in underserved schools. She has published articles in leading education journals including the Journal of Research in Music Education and the American String Teacher. Schmidt is a frequent presenter at conferences including the Music Educators National Conference, the American String Teachers Association, and the American Educational Research Association. She is founder and director of the ASU String Project, which in 2005 won the Robert Jesselson String Project Consortium Award for the nation’s outstanding String Project.