Welcome to the website of Dr. Joshua Burgos, a Ph.D. graduate in music education from Louisiana State University, who successfully defended his doctoral dissertation and walked in the winter graduation ceremony in 2023. He is a proud recipient of the esteemed Board of Regents Doctoral Fellowship and an SREB State-Doctoral Scholar Program Alumnus. 

Currently serving as the K-12 Music Teacher at Kohelet Yeshiva Lab & Middle Schools and High School, Dr. Burgos leads a comprehensive music education program. His journey into academia has been a rich exploration of classical music studies, teacher education, and the humanities. He has also formally engaged in conceptual and qualitative research methods, specifically focusing on elementary music education, as evidenced by his dissertation research. In this role, he teaches general music to Grades K-1 and string music education to Grades 2-5, extending his impact into the middle and high school years. Beyond the regular curriculum, he directs a performing arts club for grades 2-5 students and offers private lessons to dedicated students. 

A classically trained violist, Dr. Burgos imparts his expertise in both applied viola and violin, though he emphasizes the viola as his personal and central musical expression. Beyond teaching, Dr. Burgos actively develops innovative music teaching/learning curricula, backed by his research activity in conceptual and empirical methods.

Dr. Burgos’ passion for teaching, research, and musicianship extends beyond academics. He dedicates substantial time to teacher research, emphasizing the dynamic synergy between research, music, and teaching for continual growth and development for himself and his students. 

Before his appointment at Kohelet Yeshiva, Dr. Burgos had a significant contribution to music education. He was the instructor for the String Music Education Methods undergraduate course at LSU, building on his earlier role as an apprentice. Additionally, he worked with the Kids’ Orchestra in the Baton Rouge public schools, leaving a lasting impact as a string teacher and tutor to elementary students.

Dr. Burgos’s scholarly pursuits span educational and moral philosophy, music/music education philosophy, string pedagogy, interdisciplinary studies between music, religion, and languages, and qualitative/philosophical research. His commitment to advancing the field is evident in his co-authorship and presentation of an original qualitative study, “Nobody wants to be the first one to say anything about it: Opening up space for dialogues about healthy musicianship,” at the Society for Music Teacher Education (2021) and the Mid-South Music Education Research Symposium at the University of Mississippi (February 2022). This paper was recently published in Vision of Research in Music Education (2023).

Outside his research/professional endeavors, Dr. Burgos pursues additional studies at The Philadelphia Community Kollel, studying Torah within a chavrusa setting—a traditional rabbinic approach to learning.

Since his solo viola debut at the Kimmel Center, Dr. Burgos has continued performing for audiences in solo appearances, recitals, and chamber music performances in the Greater Philadelphia area. He maintains an active practice as a viola player, music teacher, researcher, and string music educator.

In his free time, Dr. Burgos enjoys savoring “good” food, practicing the viola, spending time in nature/bird watching, being with family, and gardening when he feels like it.