Brian J. Wagner-Yeung

Brian J. Wagner-Yeung is the Neurodiversity & Accessibility Chairperson for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA). He is a music educator for New York City Public Schools, where he was a finalist for the NYC Big Apple Awards in 2019. In addition, he is an adjunct faculty member at CUNY Brooklyn College, where he currently teaches the course Music in Special Education, to preservice undergraduate and graduate students. He completed his BA and MSED in Music Education from CUNY Queens College, and an Advanced Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders from CUNY Brooklyn College.

Throughout his teaching experience, he has mainly taught music in a center-based special education program, in addition to inclusion classrooms, and a gifted and talented program. He has taught K-8 general music, 6-12 adaptive string orchestra, and K-8 musical theatre. His teaching philosophy is to incorporate a strength-based learning environment for all students, in addition to utilizing Universal Design for Learning (UDL). He has spent his teaching career developing a curriculum and music program that is meaningful, empowering, enriching, inclusive, and diverse. Through adapted and accessible content, he has seen significant success for all learners.

In addition, he has taken on leadership roles within the music education professional community. As Neurodiversity & Accessibility Chair for NYSSMA, he is responsible for bringing on current clinicians at the annual winter conference, in addition to providing resources and professional development to music educators across New York State. He was previously on the executive board of the Music Educators’ Association of NYC (MEANYC), where he was the membership chair, professional development chair, the District 75 teaching representative, and the editor of the digital journal Presto!

As an independent educational consultant, he has presented workshops and published articles at the local, national, and international levels. He has presented for NAfME National Conferences, NAfME Eastern and Western Division Conferences, ABLE Assembly, The Kennedy Center, NYSSMA, NJMEA, MMEA, CMEA, PMEA, OMEA, collegiate music education programs, non-profit organizations such as Wharton Arts, ZUMIX, and Segerstom’s Center’s Arts School for All Abilities - and virtually to Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the Arts. His publications can be found in NAfME’s Music in a Minuet, School Music News, DARTS Newsletter, and Tempo Magazine.

Brian’s work focuses on empowering all students to find success through music-making, and giving music educators the resources, strategies, and tools to allow their own music classrooms and programs to become accessible for all. He aims to give music educators strategies that will create a sense of true inclusion and belonging for all.