Justin J. West, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Music and Human Learning in the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. He was previously assistant professor of music education at LSU, where received a 2021 Rising Faculty Research Award. Dr. West teaches courses on children’s musical development, qualitative research, and law and policy in arts education.

Dr. West is a scholar of teacher learning and professional development. Using qualitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies, he studies music teacher learning comprehensively, from national perspectives on professional development participation and policy to inquiries into how certain professional development models (e.g., conferences, coaching) affect teacher practice. His research has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Journal of General Music Education, and Arts Education Policy Review, among others. In 2022, he co-edited an International Journal for Research in Education special issue on pandemic-era professional development. He was from 2019-2023 facilitator of the Professional Development for Music Teachers working group in the Society for Music Teacher Education. As a professional development provider–researcher, Dr. West has designed, led, and studied reciprocal peer coaching programs for music teachers in Louisiana and Texas. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Music Education and the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing. At UT Austin, his research has been funded by fellowships to the Sandra E. New Endowed Professorship in Music Education and the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music Endowment as well as grants from the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Dr. West holds degrees in music education from the University of North Texas (PhD), Columbia University (MA), and Lamar University (BM). A native Texan, he taught choir, AP music theory, and piano in the Houston area and has Texas principal and teacher certifications. Dr. West, a longtime church choir director, pianist, and organist, is director of music at Calvary Episcopal Church in Bastrop, TX.

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