He received his bachelor and master degrees in music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and his Ph.D. in music education from the University of Kansas. Dr. Kelly has published in international and national research journals, and regularly presents papers and workshops at state, regional, national, and international conferences. He currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research on Music Education, Research Perspectives in Music Education, and the Florida Music Director and is the author of the textbook Music Education in American Society: A Social and Cultural Understanding of Music Education.