Brian Wesolowski

Education:

• University of Miami, Ph.D (music education)
• University of North Texas, M.M. (jazz studies)
• Oberlin Conservatory of Music, M.M.E. (music education)
• Oberlin Conservatory of Music, B.M. (jazz performance, music education)

Areas of Research:

• Rater Behavior in Music Performance Assessment
• Educational Assessment and Policy in Music
• Construction of Latent Psychological and Sociological Measures
• Opportunity-to-Learn and Inclusion in Music Assessment
• Evaluation in Large-Scale and Classroom Music Contexts
• Curriculum Design and Standards Development

Methodological Areas of Interest:

• Applied Rasch Measurement Theory
• Applied Sentiment Analysis and Latent Dirichlet Allocation Topic Modeling
• Applied Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Predictive Modeling
• Blockchain/Distributed Ledger Technology

Biography:

          Brian Wesolowski is a Professor of Music Education at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. His teaching focuses on graduate music education, including quantitative research design, assessment and policy in education and music, educational measurement, and statistical programming. His primary research interest includes the study of rater behavior in the context of formal adjudicated events as well as areas of scale development, educational assessment policy, and broad applications of assessment, measurement, and evaluation in large-scale testing and classroom contexts. He has worked closely with numerous corporations, state Departments of Education, and educational agencies, including the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) on music assessment, data, standards, testing, and policy-related matters. 

          Dr. Wesolowski is the author of From Data to Decisions in Music Education Research: Data Analytics and the General Linear Model Using R (Routledge, 2022). He continues to present research papers internationally and nationally. He has over 70 peer-reviewed articles/chapters published in The Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal of Educational Measurement, Educational Assessment, Research Studies in Music Education, PloS One, Music Perception, The Journal of New Music Research, Musicae Scientiae, International Journal of Music Education, Psychology of Music, Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, Research Perspectives in Music Education, Visions of Research in Music Education, Research and Issues in Music Education, Music Educators Journal, Saxophone Symposium, Florida Music Director, and Georgia Music News. He has contributed chapters to The Oxford Handbook of Assessment Policy and Practice in Music Education, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, Authentic Assessments for Music: The Model Cornerstone Assessment Research Project, Developing and Applying Assessments in the Music Classroom, and The Oxford Handbook of Performing Music Evaluation: The Science and Practice of Valuing Musical Performance. 

          Dr. Wesolowski currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Music Education and is past chair of NAfME’s Assessment Special Research Interest Group (SRIG). He has also served as an editorial board member of Music Educators Journal. As a service to the music education profession, Dr. Wesolowski also hosts the Music Research Nexus. 

          Dr. Wesolowski is the former associate band director at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, FL, a Grammy Signature, Mark of Excellence, and National Wind Band Honors program. As a saxophonist, he has toured internationally with Natalie Cole, The Pussycat Dolls, Lalah Hathaway, Erykah Badu, Jane Monheit and has recorded national spots for Carnival Cruise Lines, Sandals Resorts, and Hardrock Casinos, among many others. He has studied jazz improvisation principally with George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Jim Riggs, Gary Bartz, and Don Walden and clarinet with Thomas Martin (Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops) and Kenneth Grant (Rochester Philharmonic).

Links:

Google Scholar
ResearchGate
Music Research Nexus