He received a BA in music (piano) from St. John’s University (Collegeville, Minnesota), as well as a masters and PhD in musicology from the University of Kansas. Prof. Bushard’s research interests are in contemporary American music with a special focus on jazz, blues, and film music. At UNL he teaches courses in jazz history, film music, world music, American music, and an introduction to undergraduate studies in music for first-year music majors.