Christopher Cayari is a music education researcher and teacher whose interests include both traditional music making like band and choir as well as non-traditional music making practices like rock bands, mediated music, and participatory music practices that are often seen in informal music learning and participatory culture.

As a practitioner, Christoher started teaching at a small suburban private K-12 school where he taught general music, choir, drama, worship band, and physical education. After getting his masters degree, Christopher went to a rural school where he taught 6-12 choir, drama, ukulele, and guitar. Christopher then went to an urban K-8 school where he directed a highly competitive show choir and taught general music and choir. Christopher has taught the following courses at the collegiate level: conducting fundamentals; music for elementary teachers; introduction to technology in music education; and education and technology reform. Christopher has assisted in the following courses: teaching choral music; and introduction to music education. He has also supervised student teachers.

As a researcher, Christopher's interest was piqued when he learned about informal music learning written about by Lucy Green. He wrote a master's thesis on one young man's journey of becoming a YouTube musician. This research spurred his classroom and subsequent research. Most of his research has to do with how people are using YouTube to learn and make music. Christopher has been looking at how informal music learning and participatory culture can be incorporated into the classroom. He has looked at how virtual identities and online communities are formed. Christopher has explored how musicians use the internet to consume, create, and share their craft. He has also been looking at how collaborative video logs can be used to develop a sense of identity and community within the classroom.