University of South Florida

School of Music

USF College of Design, Art & Performance

Jennifer Bugos

Professor of Music Education

Email: bugosj@usf.edu
Phone: (813) 974-2753

bugos-jennifer

Dr. Bugos directs the NEA Funded Research Lab, Cognition and Coordination in Music Across the Lifespan (CALM Lab) where she mentors interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate students from across the USF campus.

Dr. Bugos’ research examines the neurological basis for music perception and cognition with regard to human development, lifelong learning, and cognitive transfer. Her interests have led to the development of new music education programs for healthy and clinical populations of children (Multimodal Music Training), and for adults (Keys to Staying Sharp; Piano for Parkinson’s).

Dr. Bugos taught piano, general music (PreK-5), choir, and recorder ensemble for many years in Orange and Seminole County, Florida. While pursuing her doctorate, she served as a secondary caregiver for her grandparents which led to an interest in gerontology. She wrote and facilitated an Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Research Grant to examine the effects of individualized piano instruction on cognitive abilities in older adults. To further pursue these interests, she completed post-doctoral work in the Clinical-Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory under the direction of William Perlstein.

 Dr. Bugos has obtained research support from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Institutes of Health, The GRAMMY Foundation, and the American Orff Schulwerk Association. She has numerous publications in journals such as Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, Aging and Mental Health, Music Perception, Brain Sciences, Psychology of Music, Musicae Scientiae, Music Education Research, Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education, Music Educators Journal, and Research Perspectives in Music Education. In 2018, she was recipient of the USF Outstanding Research Achievement award. In 2019, she received a USF Women of Leadership and Philanthropy award. She was the recipient of the Fulbright Research Chair Award in Psychology (2023-2024) at York University in Canada.\

Current Studies:

  • NEA Research Labs 
  • The Impact of Music Training on Cognitive Functions in Adults (60+) 
  • A Novel Woodwind Program on Cognition, Respiration, and Quality of Life
  • Music and Visual Art Training on Memory Performance in Children (8-12)
  • Piano Training on Memory Performance and Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Cancer