Board
Members
Danny
Jordan - MIAJE Executive Board Member (2005-2009)
In Memoriam
We fondly salute our former MIAJE
President Danny Jordan,
who passed away May 27, 2009, from leukemia, age 64.
Jordan was formerly the Coordinator of Jazz and the
Coordinator of Music Theory for the Department of Music, Theatre and
Dance at
Oakland University. He directed the OU Jazz Band and the
OU Jazz Singers, and twice performed in
Varner Recital Hall for the Professional Artist Series. Jordan
was also the
pianist
for the MIAJE Reading Band, which performed many times at state
music education special events, including the
2008 Detroit
International Jazz Festival and the 2008 Michigan Music Conference in
Grand
Rapids.
Visit
our Tribute
Page and make a donation in his name.
For all MIAJE education
issues, send an e-mail to: miajeinfo
[at] miaje [dot] org.
Bill Sears - President-Elect
Since 1987 Bill Sears
has served as the director of jazz studies at the famed Interlochen
Arts Academy, nestled in the cozy confines of northwest lower Michigan
outside Traverse City. During this time the jazz program has
expanded to include two levels of jazz improvisation, a daily jazz
history class and one combo in addition to the award winning 17-piece
jazz ensemble. The department is recognized as one of the top
jazz programs in the country. It has been honored as the
recipient of 11 �DB� awards from Downbeat magazine during the previous
15 years and the jazz ensemble has twice been named a finalist at the
�Essentially Ellington� competition at Lincoln Center (1998, 2003).
A saxophonist, Sears
came to Interlochen from the Chicago area where he led an active career
as a freelance musician and teacher at the American Conservatory of
Music. He has toured the U.S. and Europe with the Ray Charles band
(1986) and shared the stage with, among other, jazz luminaries Dizzy
Gillespie, Joe Williams, Art Farmer, Geoff Keezer, Rick Margitza and
saxophonist Bill Evans.
An active performer,
Sears has two recent recordings, �Chasin� The Goal� with fellow tenor
great Rick Margitza, and �With One Accord�, his latest CD with his
current 7 piece group, the Arts Center Jazz Collective. Each of
these CD�s features not only his engaging saxophone style but also
several of his compositions. Having great respect for the heritage of
the tenor saxophone, Sears' playing encompasses the entire spectrum of
this tradition from lush ballads reminiscent of the great swing and
bebop masters to the searing intensity of today�s music. Sears is
a performing artist/clinician for the Selmer Corporation of Elkhart, IN.
Contact:
Bill
Sears
Interlochen
Arts Academy
Conductor
of Jazz Ensembles and Instructor of Jazz Saxophone,
Jazz
Studies Department
P.O.
Box 199
Interlochen,
MI 49643
Ph:
(231) 276-7200, 276-7894
e-mail:
searswa [at] interlochen [dot]
org
Bob Nixon - Vice
President
Bob Nixon is a music
educator in the Grand Rapids Public School System (Riverside Middle
School) and at Aquinas College, while remaining an active adjudicator
for MSBOA. His career has spanned 25 years as an educator,
performer, and clinician in West Michigan. Nixon received his
Bachelor of Music Education and Jazz Studies/Woodwind Performance
degrees, and Master of Music degree from Morehead State University
(Morehead, KY). Nixon has taught music education at the
Cincinnati Public Schools, Grand Rapids Public Schools, and Aquinas
College (Grand Rapids). His career performance credits includes
stage time with The Henry Mancini Orchestra, The Tommy Dorsey
Orchestra, Lou Rawls, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Vinton, The Temptations, The
Bee Gees, Bob Hope, and Mickey Rooney. In addition, Nixon
continues to work as a freelance musician, contracting and leading
orchestras for major shows in the Grand Rapids area.
Contact:
Bob Nixon
Grand Rapids, MI
e-mail:
nixonr [at] comcast [dot] net
Kevin
Dobreff - Treasurer
Kevin
Dobreff, Performing Arts Department Head, has been with Grand Rapids
Community College since 1991. He is a graduate of Bowling
Green State University where he received a music education degree in
1978. Dobreff pursued graduate studies in Choral Conducting
and Literature at Marshall University where he was subsequently hired
as a faculty member. After leaving Marshall, Kevin taught
at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. He came
to Michigan in 1989 to complete his doctoral studies at Michigan State
University in Choral Conducting and Literature. After
leaving Michigan State, Kevin was hired by Grand Rapids Community
College where he teaches Music Theory, Aural Comprehension, Music
History, Applied Voice and conducts the Madrigal Singers.
Contact:
Kevin
Dobreff
Grand
Rapids Community College
Performing
Arts Department
100
Music Center
Grand
Rapids, MI 49503-3295
Ph:
(616) 234 3940
e-mail:
kdobreff [at]
grcc [dot] edu
Scott
Cowan
- Secretary
Western
Michigan University
B.M. New England Conservatory
M.M. New England Conservatory
D.M.A. Miami (FL)
A jazz specialist at Western Michigan University, Scott
Cowan
directs the University Jazz Orchestra, coaches jazz combos, and teaches
applied
jazz brass as well as jazz theory, improvisation, arranging, and
appreciation.
His previous experience includes faculty positions at the New England
Conservatory, Berklee College, Longy School of Music, and Florida
International
University. Cowan has performed with the Ron Miller Ensemble, the
Artie
Shaw Orchestra, the Palm Beach Pops Orchestra, and as a guest artist at
the
Glenn Miller Festival.
Cowan has appeared with entertainers including Jack Jones, Vinny
Falcone, The
George Shearing Quintet, Steve Lawrence, Edie Gormé, Vince
Damone, Michael
Feinstein, Bobby Rydell, Diahann Carroll, and Billy Eckstein, and as a
studio
musician for celebrities such as Mike Wallace, Chris Everett, Donald
Trump,
Regis Philbin, and Chevy Chase. His jazz compositions have been
premiered
at jazz education conferences and the Boston Globe Jazz Festival, and
his big
band
compositions/arrangements are published by UNC Jazz Press.
He is a clinician-artist for Bach and Selmer. As a recording
artist
he has
performed with the Ken Shaphorst Big Band, Robert Cogan, Bob Moses, the
Duke
Ellington Repertoire Orchestra, and the True Colors Big Band.
Contact:
Scott
Cowan
School
of Music, Western Michigan University
1903
West Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo,
MI 49008-5434
Ph:
(269) 387-3904
e-mail:
scott.cowan [at]
wmich [dot]
edu
|
