Portrait illustration of Mario José Estrada

Ph.D. Candidate · Hofstra University

Mario JoséEstrada

Researcher. Educator. Technologist. Musician at heart.

I study how people read, learn, listen, and make meaning across languages, classrooms, technologies, and sound.

Enter the work

New York / 40.7128° N

The through line

Sound taught me to listen.
Teaching gave listening purpose.

Research, music, education, and technology are not separate careers. They are four ways I investigate how people recognize patterns, make meaning, and turn complexity into possibility.

01 / 04

Music

Before everything else,
there was rhythm.

Piano, production, harmony, and improvisation taught me how pattern becomes feeling. Music remains the pulse beneath everything I make.

Berklee College of Music · Music Production

Insight from the Eyes research artwork
02 / 04

Research

Insight
from the Eyes.

My doctoral research connects visual attention, reading miscue analysis, and bilingual meaning-making to challenge deficit narratives surrounding bilingual learners.

Enter the 2026 Research Celebration project
Current inquiry

Mapping visual attention to empower educators and support bilingual learners.

Hofstra University · Literacy Studies

03 / 04

Teaching

Clarity without
losing complexity.

My practice joins bilingual childhood education, technology, and patient explanation to create learning experiences that respect what every student already knows.

Begin with what is present Make room for many languages Turn understanding into agency

Bilingual Childhood Education · Grades 1–6

TheoryCracker music theory interface
04 / 04

Technology

Build the tool
I wish existed.

Through RootNoteLabs, my independent development company, I turn research, pedagogy, and musicianship into practical software. TheoryCracker is the first product.

Visit RootNoteLabs

RootNoteLabs · TheoryCracker

Mario José Estrada

About Mario

One life.
Many instruments.

I am curious by nature, practical by habit, and happiest when I am learning, building, or helping someone understand something new.

The path is interdisciplinary by design. Research helps me ask better questions. Teaching shows me what works in practice. Technology lets me build useful tools. Music remains central to how I think and create.

2025–Current Ph.D. in Literacy Studies Hofstra University · School of Education
2020 M.S.Ed. in Bilingual Childhood Education The City College of New York
2017 B.P.S. in Music Production Berklee College of Music
2004 A.A.S. in Network Administration and Programming Florida Technical College

Music archive · Performances 02–07

Film room

02 / 07

Performance 02