David Saccardi

Assistant Professor of Music Education

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Biography

David Saccardi is Assistant Professor of Music Education at Louisiana State University, where he directs graduate research and teaches courses in the psychology of music, graduate string pedagogy, quantitative analysis, and experimental design. Additionally, he teaches courses in the undergraduate music teacher preparation sequence, including methods of string performance and secondary instrumental methods, a course that includes a fieldwork partnership with the University Laboratory School.

Dr. Saccardi’s research interests lie at the intersection of music and science. Through collaborations across the LSU campus with departments such as cognitive psychology and educational technology, he and his collaborators examine questions related to music cognition and perception, applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning, and the psychology of music. In 2023, he was selected as an LSU Faculty Fellow in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, where he worked with a multi-disciplinary team from across the LSU campus to develop novel AI interventions to help with academic performance in gateway courses and undergraduate student retention. 

Additionally, his research in music education as a member of the Translational Research in Music Group (TRMG) examines peer-assisted learning in music classrooms, parental involvement in music instruction, pedagogical topics in string education, and local issues pertaining to music education in Louisiana. His work has been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including String Research Journal, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. He currently serves on the editorial boards for Update: Applications of Research in Music Education and American String Teacher, and has been a guest reviewer for Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education.

Prior to joining the faculty at LSU, Saccardi taught middle and high school orchestra in Loveland, Colorado and was the orchestra director at Hummingbird Music Camp in New Mexico. Orchestras under his direction were ranked consistently as superior at state music contests and musical theatre productions under his music direction were nominated for numerous awards. He has also performed on double bass with regional orchestras in Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas and has been an active double bass studio teacher since 2003. He is an active string adjudicator and clinician, having worked with orchestras around the United States, and has presented research and clinic sessions at the national conferences for the American String Teachers’ Association (ASTA) and the Suzuki Association of the Americas in addition to several state music education conferences. He currently serves as President for the Louisiana Chapter of ASTA.

Dr. Saccardi has taught previously at the University of Texas at Austin and at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. In 2016, he was recognized by the Colorado Chapter of the American String Teachers’ Association as the Exemplary Secondary Orchestra Director for the State of Colorado. He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin (PhD - Music and Human Learning), the University of Michigan (MME), and Colorado State University (BM - Double Bass & Music Education).