Dr. VanAlstine joined the faculty at UW-Whitewater in 2011. Her courseload revolves primarily around music education - both secondary choral music education courses and music methods for elementary classroom teachers. Dr. VanAlstine also directs the UW-W Vocal Jazz Ensemble, an auditioned group that performs frequently in the community and region.

Dr. VanAlstine has received several awards, including the Excellence in Teaching Award and the Excellence in Research Award from the UW-Whitewater Music Department and the UW-Whitewater College of Arts and Communication. She was also selected to participate in the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program, the UW-Whitewater Teaching Scholars Program, and the WI in Scotland program.

Dr. VanAlstine has presented locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Her research agenda and presentation topics include an internationalized approach to instruction, world music preferences, undergraduate research in music, edTPA performance, madrigal dinner procedures, and most recently, self-efficacy as it relates to improvisation in vocal jazz. In addition, Dr. VanAlstine has publications in a variety of journals, including Music Educators Journal, Journal of Education and Training Studies, as well as a variety of conference proceedings.

Dr. VanAlstine is a member of NAfME, ACDA, and the College Music Society.