About
Bryan Helsel is Lecturer of Audio and Music Production at Youngstown State University, where he teaches courses in music technology and Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), operates the Dana Recording Studio, and administers student programs, including assisting senior projects and supervising recording internships. He earned his Ph.D. in Music Education from Kent State University, which featured additional emphasis on choral conducting and curriculum design. His research interests include music ensemble travel, music technology, and music literacy. His case study on ensemble tourism was published in the journal Excellence in Performing Arts Research,and he has been published multiple times in the Pennsylvania Music Education Association's (PMEA) Journal. He also holds a master’s degree in piano performance from Duquesne University and a bachelor’s degrees in music education and piano performance from Westminster College. He studied piano under David Allen Wehr and Dr. Nancy Zipay DeSalvo. His conducting teachers have included Dr. Scott MacPherson, Dr. Jerry Blackstone, Dr. James Jordan, Dr. Rollo Dilworth, and Dr. Paul Rardin.
Before joining the YSU faculty, Helsel taught music in Pennsylvania public schools for 26 years, serving as choir director at Butler Area Senior High School for 24 years, where he also taught piano, music theory, and guitar, and created new curricula for courses such as recording and songwriting. Under his direction, the choirs received superior ratings at assessments and were invited twice to perform at the PMEA State Conference. He was also a quarterfinalist in the nominee process for a Grammy Award for music education. Additionally, he served two terms as music department chair for the Butler district. Active in the arts in Western Pennsylvania, Dr. Helsel plays piano in the Butler Symphony Orchestra, organ at various churches, trumpet in chamber settings and large ensembles, and he can be found playing recitals locally or playing jazz and pop music at Pittsburgh area venues and private functions. He is listed in “Who’s Who among America’s Educators” as well as “Who’s Who in America.” His professional affiliations include PMEA, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Technology in Music Education (TI:ME), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and the Audio Engineering Society (AES).
Helsel has composed several choral works and has released albums of his own contemporary music. He has appeared on public radio as a pianist, most recently on NPR’s From the Top(May 2023). He has been the conductor for the community choir of Butler County, and he is in demand as accompanist and guest conductor at county and district festivals, most recently in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina. He has also presented research, technology, entrepreneurship, and rehearsal strategies at regional and state conferences in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio. He has appeared as guest artist in concertos with regional symphonies and bands, playing selections such as Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue," "Concerto in F," "I Got Rhythm" Variations, and Saint-Seans’ "Carnival of the Animals." As a pianist and singer, Helsel has shared the stage with the likes of Shirley Jones and Garrison Keillor. Aside from teaching, performing, and conducting, he owns and operates Helsel Music, a full production recording studio. He resides in Butler, Pennsylvania, with his wife Heather and children, Colin and Elyse.
