David S. Miller
David Miller is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Kentucky, where he teaches undergraduate instrumental music education and graduate research courses. Additionally, he supervises student teachers and oversees the New Horizons band and orchestra groups on campus. Miller earned a Ph.D. in Music Education with a cognate in Education Sciences from the University of Maryland, where he was a recipient of the prestigious Flagship Fellowship award and served as a graduate teaching assistant. He also received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Master of Music in Music Education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
As an educator, Dr. Miller has a range of experience teaching orchestra and band in North Carolina, including middle school, high school, summer camps, and youth orchestras. He frequently serves as a guest clinician and adjudicator for orchestras across the United States. A strong advocate for string education, Dr. Miller has previously served on the national board of directors for the American String Teachers Association, chaired the research committee, and was an editorial board member for the String Research Journal. His further professional memberships include the National Association for Music Education, International Society for Music Education, and the American Education Research Association.
Dr. Miller is recognized nationally and internationally for his research expertise in areas including equity in music and arts education, teacher labor markets, education policy, music perception and cognition, and creative musicianship in secondary ensemble classrooms. He frequently presents his research at various state, national, and international conferences and has published his research in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Arts Education Policy Review, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Music Education Research, String Research Journal, and the American String Teacher, among others. Additionally, he has served as a principal investigator, program evaluator, and quantitative research consultant and analyst for several grant-funded initiatives addressing topics such as arts educators in the United States, systemic barriers to equity for access to higher education, K–12 arts education access and outcomes, and music teacher professional development.
In July 2026, he was elected to a six-year term serving ASTA as the Editor-in-Chief of the String Research Journal. His research accolades include the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Council of Research in Music Education for his 2023 Dissertation titled “Music Teacher Labor Markets: Three Studies on Maryland Early-career Music Teachers.” He received the Outstanding Early Career Award in Music Education from the American Educational Research Association in 2024 and the Early-Career String Researcher Award from the American String Teachers Association in 2026. He holds editorial board positions with top international research journals Journal of Research in Music Education and Arts Education Policy Review.
When he is not actively involved in teaching, research, or performance, he enjoys spending his leisure time on culinary adventures. An avid baker, cook, eater, and consumer of all things coffee, he welcomes suggestions for restaurants, recipes, and coffee shops. Above all, he enjoys spending time with his spouse, Nicoletta, and their miniature goldendoodle, Clover.