Blurred image of the music building used as background for stylistic purposes

Brian Wesolowski

Professor of Music Education

Brian Wesolowski is a Professor of Music Education at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. His teaching centers on graduate music education, with emphases on quantitative research design, assessment and policy, educational measurement, statistical programming, and applied research. His primary research interests include the psychometric and cognitive study of raters' behavior and decision-making in formal adjudicated events, as well as scale development, educational assessment policy, and the broader applications of assessment, measurement, and evaluation in both large‑scale testing and classroom contexts.

He has collaborated extensively with numerous corporations, multiple state Departments of Education, and a range of educational agencies—including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (NCIEA), 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 for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)—on matters related to assessment, data analytics, standards development, testing procedures, and educational policy.

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 at national and international conferences. He has published more than 80 peer‑reviewed articles, chapters, and scholarly essays in journals such as the The Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal of Educational Measurement, Educational Assessment, Music Perception, Psychology of Music, Journal of Applied Artificial Inteligence in Education, International Journal of Music Education, International Journal of Inclusive Education, International Journal of Testing, Research Studies in Music Education, PloS One, The Journal of New Music Research, Musicae Scientiae, 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 also contributed chapters to several books, including 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 Sound Judgment: The Science and Practice of Valuing Musical Performance.

Wesolowski has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Music Education and Music Educators Journal. He has also served as the chair of NAfME’s Assessment Special Research Interest Group (SRIG). In addition, he hosts the Music Research Nexus. 

Wesolowski previously served as associate band and orchestra director at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Florida, a Grammy Signature, Mark of Excellence, and National Wind Band Honors program. As a saxophonist, he has toured internationally with artists including Natalie Cole, The Pussycat Dolls, Lalah Hathaway, Erykah Badu, and Jane Monheit, among others. His studio recording credits include national commercial spots for Carnival Cruise Lines, Sandals Resorts, and Hard Rock Casinos, among many others. His musical training includes extensive study in jazz improvisation with George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Jim Riggs, Gary Bartz, Robin Eubanks, Mike Steinel, Lynn Seaton, Fred Hamilton, and Don Walden, saxophone study with Paul Cohen and Eric Nestler, and clarinet study with Thomas Martin of the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops and Kenneth Grant of the Rochester Philharmonic.

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 related Predictive Modeling
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)

Music Areas:
Music Education
Grants:
  • National Association for Music Education/Society for Research in Music Education: The development of a predictive opportunity-to-learn model using machine learning
     
  • Guitar Center, Incorporated: Examining parents’ perceptions of self-regulatory behaviors and self-determinative screen-time use in adolescents participating in private music lessons
     
  • National Endowment for the Arts: National Coalition of Core Arts Standards 2017
     
  • National Endowment for the Arts: National Coalition of Core Arts Standards 2016
     
  • Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Wien (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna) International Projects in NON-EU Countries: Jazz expression of professional saxophonists
     
  • The University of Georgia a2ru: The development and pilot of an integrated online software system for the objective measurement of secondary-level musical performances
     
  • University of Georgia Willson Center: Cognition and joint action in improvised musical performance
     
  • University of Georgia President Venture Fund: Cognition and joint action in improvised musical performance
     
  • University of Georgia Office of the Vice President for Research: Auditory cognition and visual modalities in improvised musical performance
Selected Publications:

Wesolowski, B. C. (in press). Applying Random Forest machine learning to predict opportunity-to-learn classifications in instrumental music education: Toward data-driven equity and inclusion in arts programs. Journal of Applied Artificial Intelligence in Education.

Wesolowski, B. C. (in press). Performance criteria. In G. Waddell and A. Williamon (Eds.), Sound judgment: The science and practice of valuing musical performance. New York: Oxford University Press.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2026). Structural conditions of inclusion in the instrumental music classroom: Measuring and classifying music educators’ perceptions of opportunity-to-learn standards achievement across the United States. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2026.2643701

Wind, S. A., Nagasawa, M., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2026). Using Mokken scaling to evaluate rating quality with anchor designs. International Journal of Testing, 26(2), 121-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/15305058.2026.2615438

Payne, P., Musselwhite-Thompson, D., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2026). Assessment post-COVID. Connecting practices to sustainable, effective concepts. In M. Hanning (Ed.) 10th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education (ISAME), Curricular Connections, Kansas City, MO. Chicago, IL (pp. 303-314): GIA. 

Wind, S. A., Wesolowski, B. C., & Jones, E. (2026). Rater connectedness affects student achievement estimates and ordered rankings in formal music performance assessments. Journal of Research in Music Education, 74(1), 110- 131. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294251363327

Athanas, M. I., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2023). The development and validation of a scale to measure the quality of pre-service music educators’ verbal feedback in large ensemble teaching. Research Perspectives in Music Education, 23, 63-85. https://doi.org/10.55814/6d83f93e 

Wesolowski, B. C., Allsop, M., Athanas, M. I., & Dean, L. (2022). On the quality of professional development in the United States: Examining music educators’ experiences, sentiments, and emotions. International Journal of Music Education, 40(1), 26-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/02557614211019149

Wesolowski, B. C. (2022). From data to decisions in music education research: Data analytics and the general linear model using R. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003200475

Wesolowski, B. C. (2021). An examination of differential item functioning in a rubric to assess solo music performance. Musicae Scientiae, 25(2), 161-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864919859928

Musselwhite, D. J., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2021). Evaluating the psychometric qualities of the edTPA in the context of pre-service music teachers. Research Studies in Music Education, 43(1), 39-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X19872232

Wesolowski, B. C. (2020). “Classroometrics”: The validity, reliability, and fairness of classroom music assessments. Music Educators Journal, 106(3), 29-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432119894634

Wesolowski, B. C., McDaniel, B. C., & Powell, L. M. (2020). Assessing what is valued: An ecological framework for school music assessment. In T. Brophy 7th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education (ISAME), Honoring culture, diversity, and practice, Gainesville, FL (pp. 493-510). Chicago, IL: GIA.

Athanas, M. I., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2020). Opportunity-to-learn and your music classroom: Concepts, standards, and considerations.  In T. Brophy 7th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education (ISAME), Honoring culture, diversity, and practice, Gainesville, FL (pp. 77-92). Chicago, IL: GIA.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2020). Analyzing music classroom assessment data. In K. Parkes and F. Burrack (Eds.), Developing and applying assessments in the music classroom (pp. 133-160). New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429202308

Wesolowski, B. C. (2020). Validity, reliability, and fairness in classroom music assessments. In K. Parkes and F. Burrack (Eds.), Developing and applying assessments in the music classroom (pp. 82-102). New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429202308

Wesolowski, B. C., & Payne, P. (2020). Developing outcomes, assessment tasks, and scoring. In K. Parkes and F. Burrack (Eds.), Developing and applying assessments in the music classroom (pp. 45-81). New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429202308

Wesolowski, B. C. (2020). The development of a supervised machine learning model for predicting opportunity-to-learn typologies. Reston, VA: National Association for Music Education.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2019). Predicting operational rater-type classifications using Rasch measurement theory and Random Forests: A music performance assessment perspective. Journal of Educational Measurement, 56(3), 610-625. https://doi.org/10.1111/jedm.12227

Wesolowski, B. C., & Wind, S. A. (2019). Pedagogical considerations for examining rater variability in rater-mediated assessments: A three-model framework. Journal of Educational Measurement, 56(3), 521-546. https://doi.org/10.1111/jedm.12224

Wesolowski, B. C., & Wind, S. A. (2019). Investigating rater accuracy in the context of secondary-level solo instrumental music performance. Musicae Scientiae, 23(2), 157-176. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864917713805

Edwards, A. S., Edwards, K. E., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2019). The psychometric evaluation of a wind band performance rubric using the multifaceted Rasch partial credit measurement model. Research Studies in Music Education, 41(3), 343-367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X18773103

Payne, P., Burrack, F., Parkes, K. A., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2019). An emerging process of assessment in music education. Music Educators Journal, 105(3), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432118818880

White, C. & Wesolowski, B. C. (2019). Exploring the effect of rhythmic interventions on first- and second-grade music students’ oral reading fluency scores. Visions of Research in Music Education, 33. Available at: https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/vrme/vol33/iss1/5

Elam, C., Musselwhite, D. J., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2019). Exploring the relationship between rhythm-reading ability and sight-singing self-efficacy in middle school choral students. Research Perspectives in Music Education, 20(1), 2-20.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2019). Item response theory and music testing. In T. Brophy (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of assessment policy and practice in music education (pp. 479-503). New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190248093.001.0001

Wesolowski, B. C., & Wind, S. A. (2019). Validity, reliability, and fairness in music testing. In T. Brophy (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of assessment policy and practice in music education (pp. 437-460). New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190248093.001.0001

Wesolowski, B. C. & Wind, S. A. (2019). Examining parent perceptions of self-regulatory learning behaviors, self-determinative screen-time use, and engagement with screen-based personal learning environments for adolescents participating in private music lessons. Los Angeles, CA: Guitar Center, Inc.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Examination of the psychometric properties of the Model Cornerstone Assessments. In K. A. Parkes and F. Burrack (Eds.), Applying Model Cornerstone Assessments in K-12 Music: A research-supported approach (pp. 151-180) Lanham, MD: Roman and Littlefield. Available at https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/applying-model-cornerstone-assessments-in-k12-music-9781475837384/ 

Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Methodology for examining the psychometric properties of the Model Cornerstone Assessments. In K. A. Parkes and F. Burrack (Eds.), Applying Model Cornerstone Assessments in K-12 Music: A research-supported approach (pp. 141-150) Lanham, MD: Roman and Littlefield. Available at https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/applying-model-cornerstone-assessments-in-k12-music-9781475837384/  

Hurley, C., Musselwhite, D. J., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). The effect of aural preparation on music literacy rhythm skills of second-grade students. Research and Issues in Music Education, 14(1), article 4. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/rime/vol14/iss1/4

Musselwhite, D. M., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Evaluating the psychometric qualities of a rating scale to assess pre-service teachers’ lesson plan development in the context of a secondary-level music performance classroom. Journal of Research in Music Education, 66(2), 224-245. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429418793645

Wind, S. A., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Evaluating differential rater accuracy over time in the context of solo music performance assessment. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 215, 33-55. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.215.0033

Wesolowski, B. C., Athanas, M., Burton, J., Edwards, A. S., Edwards, K. E., Goins, Q., Irby, A., Johns, P., Musselwhite, D. M., Parido, B., Sorrell, G., Thompson, J. (2018). Judgmental standards setting: The development of objective content and performance standards for secondary-level solo instrumental music assessment. Journal of Research in Music Education, 66(2), 224-245. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429418765482

Edwards, K. E., Edwards, A. S., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Evaluation of a string performance rubric using the Rasch Measurement Model. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 215, 7-31. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.215.0007

Wesolowski, B. C., Wind, S. A., & Engelhard, Jr., G. (2018). Evaluating differential rater functioning over time in the context of solo music performance assessment. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 215, 75-98. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.215.0033

Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). A crisis of measurement in music: Is a revolution needed for improved inferences in latent construct development? In T. Brophy Context Matters: the 6th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education (ISAME), Birmingham, UK (pp. 373-391). Chicago, IL: GIA.

Wesolowski, B. C., Burrack, F., & Parkes, K. A. (2018). Phenomenography: Bringing together theory and practice through the process of national standards development and measure construction. In T. Brophy Context Matters: the 6th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education (ISAME), Birmingham, UK, (pp. 363-371). Chicago, IL: GIA.

Musselwhite, D. M., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Old wine in new bottles: A methodology for developing and validating performance measures using modern measurement theory. In T. Brophy Context Matters: the 6th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education (ISAME), Birmingham, UK, (pp. 353-361). Chicago, IL: GIA.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Model-data fit. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (Ed. B. Frey). Thousand Oaks, CA. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139

Musselwhite, D. J., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Normal distribution. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (Ed. B. Frey).  Thousand Oaks, CA. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139

Musselwhite, D. J., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Standard error of measurement. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (Ed. B. Frey). Thousand Oaks, CA. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139

Musselwhite, D. J., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2018). Variance. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (Ed. B. Frey). Thousand Oaks, CA. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139

Hofmann, A., Wesolowski, B. C., & Goebl, W. (2017). The tight-locked rhythm section: Production and perception of synchronization in jazz trio performance. Journal of New Music Research, 26(4), 329-341. https://doi.org/10.1080/09298215.2017.1355394

Wesolowski, B. C. (2017). Exploring rater cognition: A typology of raters in the context of music performance assessment. Psychology of Music, 45(3), 375-399. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735616665004

Wesolowski, B. C. (2017). A facet-factorial approach towards the development and validation of a jazz rhythm section performance rating scale. International Journal of Music Education, 37(1), 17-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761415590524

Wesolowski, B. C., Amend, R., Barnstead, T., Edwards, A., Everhart, M., Goins, Q., Grogan, R., Herceg, A., Jenkins, S., Johns, P., McCarver, C., Schaps, R., Sorrell, G., & Williams, J. (2017). The development of a secondary-level solo wind instrument performance rubric using the Multifaceted Rasch Partial Credit Measurement Model. Journal of Research in Music Education, 65(1), 95-119. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429417694873

Wesolowski, B. C., & Hofmann, A. (2017). There’s more to groove than bass in electronic dance music: Why some people don’t dance to techno. PLOS ONE, 11(10), e0163938. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0163938

Wind, S. A., Engelhard, Jr., G., & Wesolowski, B. C. (2016). Exploring the effects of rating designs and rater fit on achievement estimates within the context of music performance assessment. Educational Assessment, 21(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2016.1236676

Wesolowski, B. C. (2016). Assessing jazz big band performance: The development, validation, and application of a facet factorial rating scale. Psychology of Music, 44(3), 324-339. https://doi.org/10.1177/030573561456770

Wesolowski, B. C. (2016). Timing deviations in jazz performance: The relationships of selected musical variables on horizontal and vertical timing relationships- a case study. Psychology of Music, 44(1), 75-94. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735614555790

Wesolowski, B. C., Wind, S. A., & Engelhard, Jr., G. (2016). Examining rater precision in music performance assessment: An analysis of rating scale structure using the Multifaceted Rasch Partial Credit Model. Music Perception, 33(5), 662-678. https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2016.33.5.662

Wesolowski, B. C., Wind, S. A., & Engelhard, Jr., G. (2016). Quality control of rater analyses in music performance assessment: Application of the Many Facet Rasch Model. In T. Brophy Connecting Practice, Measurement, and Evaluation: The Fifth International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education, Williamsburg, VA (pp. 335-356). Chicago, IL: GIA Publications.

Wesolowski, B. C., Wind, S. A., & Engelhard, Jr., G. (2015). Rater fairness in music performance assessment: Evaluating model-data fit and differential rater functioning. Musicae Scientiae, 19(2), 147-170. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864915589014

Wesolowski, B. C. (2015). Tracking student achievement in music performance: Developing student-learning objectives for growth model assessments. Music Educators Journal, 102, 39-47. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432115589352

Wesolowski, B. C. (2014). Documenting student learning in music performance: A framework. Music Educators Journal, 101, 77-85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432114540475

Wesolowski, B. C. (2013). Cognition and the assessment of interaction in jazz performance. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, 23(4), 236-242. https://doi.org/10.1037/pmu0000016

Wesolowski, B. C. (2013). A microstructural investigation into jazz syncopation: The effects of selected musical variables on note dynamics. In A. Williamon & W. Goebl. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science 2013. Paper presented at the International Symposium on Performance Science, Vienna, Austria (pp. 195-199). Belgium, Association Européenne des Conservatories.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2013). Toward a pedagogy of “swing”: The microstructure of jazz rhythm- a literature review. Research Perspectives in Music Education, 15, 31-44.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2013). Focus on instruction: Band. Georgia Music News, 73(3), 34.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2012). Understanding and creating rubrics for the assessment of music performance. Music Educators Journal, 98(36), 36-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432111432524

Wesolowski, B. C. (2012). Recruitment and retention: Knowing the research and making an informed plan. Georgia Music News, 73(1), 32-35.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2012). Critical listening for the jazz ensemble, Florida Music Director, 65(8), 14-17.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2012). Back to basics: Revisiting the pedagogical strategies of Jamey Aebersold, David Baker, and Jerry Coker. Florida Music Director, 65(7), 36-38.

Wesolowski, B. C. (2011). An analysis of Michael Brecker’s microtonal variation and mirroring within the melodic jazz line. The Saxophone Symposium, 34, 23-55.

Contact Information

bwes@uga.edu

Other Information

Professional Website: ResearchGate, Google Scholar, Github, Music Research Nexus

View Directory