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Dr. Bryan Powell is Associate Professor of Music Education and Music Technology, and Coordinator for the Recording Arts and Production degree at Montclair State University where he teaches classes in music education, music technology, popular music, and directs the Montclair State University popular music ensemble. Bryan is also the Chief Program Officer for the non-profit organization Music Will. Prior to joining Montclair State, Bryan worked as the Director of Programs for Amp Up NYC, a partnership between Berklee College of Music and Little Kids Rock. A former NYC public school music teacher, Bryan has served as the Executive Director of the Association for Popular Music Education since 2013, an organization dedicated to promoting and advancing popular music at all levels of education.

Dr. Powell is the Past-Chair for the National Association for Music Education’s Special Research Interest Group for Popular Music Education, and is a current member of the International Society for Music Education’s Committee for the Popular Music Education Special Interest Group. Bryan is an in-demand clinician, having delivered modern band and popular music workshops at over 50 colleges and universities across the globe, as has presented at over 100 music education conferences, including providing keynote addresses at the 2015 Research in Popular Music Education Symposium in Huddersfield, England, the 2018 Mountain Lake Symposium, and the 2019 Iowa Music Educators Association conference. Bryan is also in demand as a modern band ensemble director, serving as Director for the 2022 NAfME All-National Honors Modern Band Ensemble, the 2023 NAfME All-Eastern Division Honors Modern Band Ensemble, the 2022 New York City All-City Honors Modern Band Ensemble, the 2022 PMEA District 7 and 2023 PMEA District 8 All-District Honors Modern Band Ensemble, the 2023 Missouri MEA All-State Popular Music Collective, the 2024 New Jersey honors Modern Band, and the Maryland All-State Commercial Music Band. In 2025, Bryan will direct the 2025 Oklahoma All-State Collective Ensemble.

Bryan is a widely published researcher and author. He is the founding co-editor of the Journal of Popular Music Education, a peer-reviewed, academic journal. Bryan has co-edited several books including the Bloomsbury Handbook of Popular Music Education (Bloomsbury), Places and Purposes of Popular Music Education: Perspectives from the Field (Intellect), Teaching Instrumental Music: Perspectives and Pedagogies for the 21st Century (Oxford University Press), and The Modern Band Handbook (OUP). Bryan also co-authored multiple books including Popular Music Pedagogies: A Practical Guide for Music Teachers (Routledge) as well as The Music Learning Profiles Project: Let’s Take this Outside (Routledge). He has published over a dozen articles in peer-reviewed journals including: International Journal of Music Education; Journal of Music Teacher Education; International Journal of Community Music; Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education; Research Studies in Music Education, Music Education Research, Journal of Music, Technology and Education; Journal of Historical Research in Music Education; Update: Applications of Research to Music Education; Visions of Research in Music Education; @IASPM Journal; Education 3-13; Music Educators Journal; Arts Education Policy Review; and Action Critique and Theory in Music Education. He also has authored multiple chapters in Oxford and Routledge Research Handbooks.

Bryan has a Bachelor of Music degree from Pepperdine University, a Master’s degree in Teaching from Chapman University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University. His research interests include popular music education and music technology education.

Specialization

Popular Music Education, Music Technology, Informal Learning, and Urban Education.

Resume/CV

Office Hours

Fall

Tuesday

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Thursday

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Friday

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Links

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