For Ashley Martin-Casler, music is more than performance—it is a public health tool.
A doctoral student in the Applied Intercultural Arts Research Graduate Interdisciplinary program, Martin-Casler’s research explores how music can function as a mental health intervention, particularly for communities that lack access to traditional therapeutic resources. Her work sits at the intersection of music, culture and community wellness, examining how artistic practice can foster connection, resilience and social change.
That research focus was sharpened during her involvement with the University Fellows Program, a competitive, multi-year program that supports some of the University of Arizona’s highest-achieving graduate students at the Graduate College. Martin-Casler represented the arts during the 2024–25 academic year as one of two graduate students selected from creative disciplines.
The fellowship provides up to five years of support and engagement, offering funding, mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration. For Martin-Casler, her cohort year arrived at a formative point in her doctoral work.
After a long career in music education and vocal performance, she began pursuing her PhD with a growing interest in how music shapes communal wellbeing—an interest that deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when live performance and collective gathering disappeared almost overnight.
“I do feel very called to the mental health arena and how music can be used as a mental health intervention,” Martin-Casler said. “Specifically for populations who don’t really get access to typical mental health interventions, like counseling and therapy, and those who have less access to integrative, holistic treatment.”
Martin-Casler said the fellowship helped her refine her academic direction as she began her PhD studies, drawing inspiration from other graduate students and researchers.
“I was still in the beginning stages of what exactly I wanted to hone in on,” she said. “It helped me by knowing what other people were doing and informing me of some things that I’m interested in doing.”
New Problem-Solving Solutions
Bi-weekly meetings with fellows from neuroscience, philosophy and biological sciences exposed her to new problem-solving approaches and collaborative thinking.
“It was interesting to see how the different disciplines would come together to solve a problem or create a project together,” she said.
This collaboration, along with mentorship, pitching and resume-building seminars and financial support provided both an enriching and relieving experience for Martin-Casler
“Being able to relish being a student and not worry about working, because tuition was covered and gave you a stiped for the first year, was huge,” she said. “It was also a great opportunity to workshop ideas with people far outside my discipline.”
That experience now informs her work on the other side of fellowship leadership.
JustArts Fellowship
This year, Martin-Casler serves as coordinator for the JustArts Fellows program, which supports students pursuing socially engaged artistic work. Drawing on her own fellowship experience, she provides structure, mentorship and guidance to participating students, who also receive stipends and meet bi-weekly as a cohort.
“It’s the same idea I experienced with the University Fellowship,” she said. “It’s interesting now to witness that as the coordinator—making that happen for others.”
According to JustArts Fellow, Joanna Labija, Martin-Casler has brought structure to her project.
“Ashley has been such a pleasure to work with,” said Labija. “She has helped me by encouraging me that my ideas aren’t too big and helping me add structure to those ideas. She has brought clarity, structure, and support that comes from the heart and is not out of obligation. I think she’s an amazing person with an encouraging and loving spirit. I’m extremely grateful for the time she puts into all of us, and I know I wouldn’t have made it this far without her support!”
Programs like University Fellows and JustArts Fellow, she said, important for the continuation of artists creating work and helps acknowledge the importance of artwork and the integral role it plays in peoples’ daily lives.
“The arts can be devalued in larger conversations about what’s important to fund and uplift,” she said. “But people come to the arts because they know transformation can happen. The arts are a powerful vehicle for change.”
About Ashley Martin-Casler
Ashley Martin-Casler is a doctoral student in the Applied Intercultural Arts Research Graduate Interdisciplinary Program. From Tucson, Arizona, by way of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Arizona and a master of music in vocal performance and a graduate certificate in ethnic studies from Northern Arizona University.
She taught in the Tucson Unified School District for nine years as a music educator and arts integration specialist with the Opening Minds Through the Arts program. Her research examines the intersections of music, culture, health and community wellness, with a focus on music’s role in social change and public health. Outside of her academic work, she enjoys reading, cooking and spending time in nature.
2024-2025
Beihua Guo (art)
Ashley Martin-Casler (AIAR*)
2023-2024
Lori Hennessy (music)
Maya Jackson (art)
Savanah Pennell (art)
2022-2023
Maria Fatima Corona del Toro (music)
Jenna Green (art)
Mary Monaghan (music)
Claire Taylor (art)
2021-2022
Anupam Singh (art)
Gloria Ines Orozco Dorado (music)
2020-2021
Emmy Tisdel (music)
Mariel Miranda (art)
2019-2020
Raven Moffett (art)
Lucy Mugambi (art)
2018-2019
Jared Baker (dance)
Rebecca Thompson (art/AIAR)
2017-2018
Matthew Crosby (music)
Maria del Mar Navarro (art/AIAR)
2016-2017
Khaled Jarrar (art)
Juan Mejia (music)
2015-2016
Misha Burstein (art)
Stephanie Hoeckley (music)
2014-2015
Terrence Pitt-Brooke (music)
Danielle Sheather (dance)
* Applied Intercultural Arts Research Graduate Interdisciplinary Program