NC Music Educator Journal - Conference 2023

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I V I S I O N O F F I N E A R T S
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Jonathan Saeger
Jonathan Saeger is a professor of music and choir director
at Wayne Community College. He completed his doctoral
coursework in Music Education at Kent State University. He also
holds an M.M. in choral conducting from Illinois State University
and a B.M. in music education from Millikin University in Decatur,
Ill. He has been teaching at the collegiate level for seven years
following 12 years of teaching middle school and high school. He
has served as music director at churches in Illinois, New Mexico,
Ohio, and North Carolina.
Tami Draves
Tami Draves is professor of music education at UNC
Greensboro, where she teaches graduate music education courses
and advises masters and doctoral students. She has a strong
commitment to pre-service and in-service teacher mentoring and
support. As a public school teacher, she taught middle school and
high school band in South Carolina, New Mexico, and Georgia.
Dr. Karen Thomas
Dr. Karen S. Thomas is a visiting assistant professor of
music education in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian
State University. She earned a Ph.D. in music education, postbaccalaureate
certificate in ethnomusicology, M.M. in music
education, and B.A. in music from UNC Greensboro. Prior to
her current position, she served as an adjunct instructor of music
education at Appalachian State University, adjunct faculty in the
music department at Winston-Salem State University, and assistant
professor of general music education at The University of Utah.
Before teaching at the university level, she taught middle school
chorus (one year) and elementary general music (12 years) in
the North Carolina public schools. She taught for nine years as a
clarinet instructor at the Music Academy of North Carolina. She
has performed as a clarinetist with the Piedmont Wind Symphony,
and also enjoys playing piano, ukulele, guitar, and mountain
dulcimer.
Ty Matson
Ty Matson graduated from East Carolina University with a
Bachelor of Music Education in 2018. He is in his fifth year of
teaching as the band director/music teacher at Tarboro High
School. His duties include directing the fall marching band and
spring concert band, as well as teaching music appreciation. He
also performs trombone with the Tar River Swing Band, based in
Rocky Mount.
Philip Riggs
Phillip Riggs, 2016 Grammy Music Educator of the Year,
retired after teaching for more than 30 years in North Carolina.
He is a music instructor emeritus at the N.C. School of Science
and Math. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award
and the Exceptional Contribution in Outreach Award presented by
the UNC Board of Governors. He currently serves as a conductor
with the World Adult Wind Orchestra Project held in Austria
each summer. He is a co-founder and conductor of the N.C.
Youth Wind Ensemble, and is a past president of NCBDA. He
has also served as the Southern Division Representative on the
NAfME Council for Band and the NC chair of the National Band
Association.
B R E V A R D
C O L L E G E
Audition Dates:
December 9th, 2023
February 10th, 2024
For more information visit
www.brevard.edu/music or reachout
March 16th, 2024
to us at musicinfo@brevard.edu
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