Teachers enter rehearsals with goals to accomplish. In addition to instrumental technique, there is repertoire to learn and performances to prepare. It is easy to lose sight of the reasons motivating our engagement with music as human beings. Rarely are these reasons cited as the primary motivation for rehearsal. We believe that every student should leave rehearsal a better musician, but more, they should leave every rehearsal inspired by their experience in ways that affect their entire lives.
Jeffrey Grogan
- Biographical Information
Jeffrey Grogan is an internationally-acclaimed conductor and teacher, currently serving as Director of Orchestral Activities at the Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University. In 2018, he was invited by the LA Philharmonic to conduct alongside Gustavo Dudamel at Disney Hall, a part of the National Take A Stand Festival. Recent work includes conducting at the Sydney Opera House, Harpa Concert Hall in Iceland, and venues in Bangkok and Singapore. Grogan serves as a Master Educator for the Yamaha Corporation of America and also on the Advisory Committees of the Midwest Clinic and Music for All. He previously served eleven seasons as Education and Community Engagement Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and as Conductor and Artistic Director of the NJSO Youth Orchestras, the InterSchool Orchestras of New York and the New Jersey Youth Symphony. Grogan taught for over a decade at the University of Michigan, Ithaca College, and Baylor University. He is also the former Associate Director of Bands and Marching Band Director at the University of Michigan and Baylor University.
In the 2019-20 school year, Dr. Raiber will start his 38th year as a professional music educator. He began his career in St. Louis, Missouri as the Assistant Director or Bands and Orchestras at Normandy High School. After three years, he moved to Broken Arrow Oklahoma where he taught 10 years as the Director of Bands at North Intermediate High School. After completing his residency for his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma, Raiber was appointed the Associate Director of Bands at Oklahoma State University where he directed the Cowboy Marching Band, University Concert Band, and OSU Jazz Ensemble in addition to teaching courses in music education. In 2000, Dr. Raiber accepted a position at The University of Oklahoma in music education. He taught undergraduate and graduate courses in music education at OU for 14 years while also conducting and administrating the OU New Horizons Band. In 2013, Dr. Raiber accepted a position as Professor of Music Education at Oklahoma City University. In addition to this position, Raiber also served as the Director of Teacher Support and conductor of Orquesta Esperanza at El Sistema Oklahoma. In 2019 Dr. Raiber is returning to his roots as a public school music educator and had opened Central Middle School in Mustang Oklahoma as the inaugural Director of Bands. Dr. Raiber's degrees are from the University of Tulsa (BME & MME) and the University of Oklahoma (Ph.D.).