Dr. Brent M. Johnson, Director of University Bands
Dr. Brent Johnson was appointed Director of Bands in June of 2022 and Director of Racer Band at Murray State University beginning in the fall of 2020. In May of 2021, Dr. Johnson completed his doctoral studies and the University of Kentucky and received a DMA in Instrumental Conducting. Prior to moving to Lexington, he spent 5 years as the Director of Bands at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Washington. While at Evergreen, the concert bands showed tremendous growth and garnered much attention for their improvement in quality and literature. The Wind Ensemble was selected to perform in the 2018 Music For All National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, IN. This is the first national honor the band program at Evergreen has received. In 2017, the Wind Ensemble was invited to perform at the Pacific Northwest Concert Band Festival at the University of Washington in Seattle. Also, the Evergreen Marching Band grew from 90 members to 130 members in one year and earned 2nd place in the Pacific Northwest Championships held at the University of Oregon. In 2019, the Evergreen High School Wind Symphony performed at the NAfME All-Northwest Division Conference in Portland, OR.
Previous to moving to the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Johnson spent one year as Director of Fine Arts for the Harlandale Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas. His roles and responsibilities included overseeing all aspects of the Fine Arts Programs, K-12, including Music, Drama, Dance, Visual Art, Mariachi, and Spirit. Harlandale ISD is made up of 14 square miles on the south side of San Antonio, Texas and services nearly 15,000 students.
Before becoming Director of Fine Arts, Mr. Johnson spent eleven years as a High School Band Director in both Kentucky and Texas. Under his direction, Mr. Johnson's bands have received consistent Sweepstakes ratings both on the marching field and on the concert stage. In 2002 and 2006 Mr. Johnson led the Elizabethtown High School Band (KY) and the Daviess County High School Band (KY), respectively, to the state finals of the Kentucky Music Educators Association State Marching Band Championships. In 2007, the Daviess County High School Band was a finalist and 3rd place overall at the Bands of America Tennessee Regional in Clarksville, TN. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Johnson's concert bands were consistently named to Exemplary Performance Status by the Kentucky Music Educators Association for their distinguished performances at both region and state Concert and Sight Reading Contests. In 2008, the Kentucky Chapter of the Phi Beta Mu National Bandmasters honor society named Mr. Johnson "Outstanding Young Band Director" at the KMEA Convention. In the summer of 2008, Mr. Johnson was named Associate Band Director of the Winston Churchill High School Band in San Antonio, TX. While at Churchill, the band program was a finalist at the Houston Bands of America Regional and the Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional for two years. In 2008, the Churchill Band was named a 5A State Finalist at the UIL State Marching Band Championships. The Churchill Band was also invited to perform at Pearl Harbor as a commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the bombing. In 2010, Mr. Johnson was selected to become the Head Band Director and Fine Arts Department Chair at Douglas MacArthur High School, a sister school to Churchill. While at MacArthur, the band program grew from 150 to over 260 students in two years. All three concert bands consistently earned sweepstakes ratings during his tenure, and in 2011, the MacArthur Band was selected to perform a feature concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Mr. Johnson received the Master of Music in Music Education Degree from New Mexico State University. Prior to NMSU, Mr. Johnson is a 2001 graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. He is proud to have studied with such wonderful teachers as John Fannin, Dennis Johnson, Ray Conklin, Dr. Christopher Hughes and Dr. James Shearer. Mr. Johnson is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Washington Music Educators Association, the National Band Association and the Kentucky Music Educators Association.
Previous to moving to the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Johnson spent one year as Director of Fine Arts for the Harlandale Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas. His roles and responsibilities included overseeing all aspects of the Fine Arts Programs, K-12, including Music, Drama, Dance, Visual Art, Mariachi, and Spirit. Harlandale ISD is made up of 14 square miles on the south side of San Antonio, Texas and services nearly 15,000 students.
Before becoming Director of Fine Arts, Mr. Johnson spent eleven years as a High School Band Director in both Kentucky and Texas. Under his direction, Mr. Johnson's bands have received consistent Sweepstakes ratings both on the marching field and on the concert stage. In 2002 and 2006 Mr. Johnson led the Elizabethtown High School Band (KY) and the Daviess County High School Band (KY), respectively, to the state finals of the Kentucky Music Educators Association State Marching Band Championships. In 2007, the Daviess County High School Band was a finalist and 3rd place overall at the Bands of America Tennessee Regional in Clarksville, TN. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Johnson's concert bands were consistently named to Exemplary Performance Status by the Kentucky Music Educators Association for their distinguished performances at both region and state Concert and Sight Reading Contests. In 2008, the Kentucky Chapter of the Phi Beta Mu National Bandmasters honor society named Mr. Johnson "Outstanding Young Band Director" at the KMEA Convention. In the summer of 2008, Mr. Johnson was named Associate Band Director of the Winston Churchill High School Band in San Antonio, TX. While at Churchill, the band program was a finalist at the Houston Bands of America Regional and the Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional for two years. In 2008, the Churchill Band was named a 5A State Finalist at the UIL State Marching Band Championships. The Churchill Band was also invited to perform at Pearl Harbor as a commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the bombing. In 2010, Mr. Johnson was selected to become the Head Band Director and Fine Arts Department Chair at Douglas MacArthur High School, a sister school to Churchill. While at MacArthur, the band program grew from 150 to over 260 students in two years. All three concert bands consistently earned sweepstakes ratings during his tenure, and in 2011, the MacArthur Band was selected to perform a feature concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Mr. Johnson received the Master of Music in Music Education Degree from New Mexico State University. Prior to NMSU, Mr. Johnson is a 2001 graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. He is proud to have studied with such wonderful teachers as John Fannin, Dennis Johnson, Ray Conklin, Dr. Christopher Hughes and Dr. James Shearer. Mr. Johnson is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Washington Music Educators Association, the National Band Association and the Kentucky Music Educators Association.
Dr. Todd E. Hill, Director of Jazz Studies
Dr. Todd E. Hill is Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. He directs the Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Band, Jazz Lab Big Band, three Jazz Combos, and teaches courses in music education, musicianship, and jazz history for the Honors College. Under his leadership, the Murray State Jazz Orchestra has played at numerous state conferences, won “Outstanding Big Band Performance” at the famed Elmhurst College Jazz Festival, and performed at the prestigious Mid-West International Band Clinic in 2014. The Murray State Jazz Orchestra’s 2015 CD release Why We CAN Have Nice Things is available on Mark Records, and their latest release Live and On the Air is available as well. Dr. Hill founded both the Murray State-Jamey Aebersold Jazz Festival and the v Town & Gown Community Band, which he has directed since 2007 and 2012, respectively. He holds Bachelor and Master of Music Education degrees from Murray State, and the Doctor of Education (EdD) from Boise State University. Hill has been active as guest clinician and conductor for regional and all-state concert and jazz bands in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Idaho, Washington, Montana, Oregon, and Nevada.
Hill has lead his own professional jazz groups (The Todd Hill Orchestra and Quintet) for thirty-five years. As a free-lance pianist, he has performed with Doc Severinsen, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Gary Morris, Denise LaSalle, Stella Parton, The Moody Blues, Byron Stripling, Allen Vizzutti, Chris Vadala, Ron Wilkins, Jamey Aebersold, Denis DiBlasio, Buddy Childers, Greg Abate, Rich Matteson, and the Paducah (KY) and Jackson (TN) Symphony Orchestras. He held previous teaching positions at Milan (TN) Middle and High Schools, Northwest Mississippi Community College, Boise State University, and the University of the Cumberlands. His arrangements and compositions for tuba-euphonium ensembles and trombone choirs are published by Cimarron Music Press and his arrangements for jazz bands are published by Walrus Music/eJazzLines. In addition to multiple album appearances as pianist/arranger in a variety of genres, he has recorded a solo gospel piano CD, and three jazz CD releases with his Quintet and Orchestra under his own name.
Dr. Hill was the Kentucky Music Educators Association “College-University Teacher of the Year” for 2016. He was named “College/University Music Educator of the Year” on four previous occasions and “Friend of Music” by KMEA’s District One Music Educators between 2006 and 2015. He was named outstanding member of the Murray State Music Faculty in 2015. In KMEA, Dr. Hill serves on the State Executive Board as College-University Representative. Dr. Hill frequently presents clinics at jazz festivals and music education conferences, and authored an article on jazz pedagogy for The Instrumentalist, and has been quoted in music education textbooks. He serves as a jazz radio host of Café Jazz for WKMS 91.3, and has authored and produced several special series including Diggin’ Duke, Benny Goodman, The Swing Era, and reconstructed and expanded Bobby Bryan’s The Black Cats Jump. Dr. Hill is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Sigma Alpha Iota (Friend of the Arts), Phi Beta Mu, Kappa Kappa Psi, NAfME, KMEA, ITEA, CBDNA, and is a Paul Harris Fellow in the Murray Rotary Club. He is the organist at First United Methodist Church in Benton, Kentucky.
Hill has lead his own professional jazz groups (The Todd Hill Orchestra and Quintet) for thirty-five years. As a free-lance pianist, he has performed with Doc Severinsen, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Gary Morris, Denise LaSalle, Stella Parton, The Moody Blues, Byron Stripling, Allen Vizzutti, Chris Vadala, Ron Wilkins, Jamey Aebersold, Denis DiBlasio, Buddy Childers, Greg Abate, Rich Matteson, and the Paducah (KY) and Jackson (TN) Symphony Orchestras. He held previous teaching positions at Milan (TN) Middle and High Schools, Northwest Mississippi Community College, Boise State University, and the University of the Cumberlands. His arrangements and compositions for tuba-euphonium ensembles and trombone choirs are published by Cimarron Music Press and his arrangements for jazz bands are published by Walrus Music/eJazzLines. In addition to multiple album appearances as pianist/arranger in a variety of genres, he has recorded a solo gospel piano CD, and three jazz CD releases with his Quintet and Orchestra under his own name.
Dr. Hill was the Kentucky Music Educators Association “College-University Teacher of the Year” for 2016. He was named “College/University Music Educator of the Year” on four previous occasions and “Friend of Music” by KMEA’s District One Music Educators between 2006 and 2015. He was named outstanding member of the Murray State Music Faculty in 2015. In KMEA, Dr. Hill serves on the State Executive Board as College-University Representative. Dr. Hill frequently presents clinics at jazz festivals and music education conferences, and authored an article on jazz pedagogy for The Instrumentalist, and has been quoted in music education textbooks. He serves as a jazz radio host of Café Jazz for WKMS 91.3, and has authored and produced several special series including Diggin’ Duke, Benny Goodman, The Swing Era, and reconstructed and expanded Bobby Bryan’s The Black Cats Jump. Dr. Hill is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Sigma Alpha Iota (Friend of the Arts), Phi Beta Mu, Kappa Kappa Psi, NAfME, KMEA, ITEA, CBDNA, and is a Paul Harris Fellow in the Murray Rotary Club. He is the organist at First United Methodist Church in Benton, Kentucky.
Racer Band Staff
Shane Melvin, Percussion Caption Head
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Shane Melvin is an in-demand percussion performer and free-lance music educator serving the Western Kentucky area. In addition to frequent performances with the Paducah Symphony Orchestra (KY), Mr. Melvin is currently employed at Graves County High School, Graves County Middle School, Murray High School and Murray Middle School. He works with all facets of these programs, including the marching band, jazz band, pep band, concert band, and percussion ensembles. Furthermore, Mr. Melvin offers private instruction and participates as an adjudicator for marching band contests and solo and ensemble festivals. He has instructed at other schools throughout Kentucky as well.
In 2010, Mr. Melvin helped the Marshall County (KY) High School winter drumline win 1st Place in Scholastic A class on the SCGC circuit. In 2009, Shane received his Bachelor’s of Music Education degree from Murray State University (Murray, KY). In 2013, he served as an instructor for his alma mater’s prestigious marching band, the Murray State University Racer Band. Shane and his wife Andrea reside in Mayfield, KY. |