The Legacy of John L. Whitwell: A Life Shaping Wind Band Conducting and Music Education - A Conversation
Clinic Synopsis:
This presentation will explore the life and career of John L. Whitwell, a distinguished wind band conductor and music educator. Whitwell’s impact includes leading university band programs, commissioning new works, and contributing to key music organizations. Through an interview with Whitwell and colleagues, the presentation will highlight his influence on the wind band community and his lasting legacy in shaping future generations of music educators and conductors.
J.T. Womack
- Biographical Information
Dr. JT Womack is the Director of Bands/Low Brass Instructor and Assistant Professor of Music at Mars Hill University in Mars Hill, North Carolina. Prior to his appointment at MHU, he served as the Director of Bands and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. He received his D.M.A. in Wind Conducting from the University of Iowa, where he studied with Dr. Richard Mark Heidel and Dr. Eric Bush. His doctoral thesis research details the life and career of Professor John Whitwell. Prior to his enrollment at the University of Iowa, Dr. Womack was the Director of Bands at Greenbrier Middle School and the Assistant Director of Bands at Greenbrier High School in Greenbrier, TN from 2008-2018. Dr. Womack holds two degrees from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. In 2005, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education, where he studied trombone with Susan K. Smith and graduated Cum Laude. In 2007, he earned a Master of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting where he studied with Mr. Bob Lee, Dr. Gregory Wolynec, Dr. Douglas Droste, and Dr. Andrea Brown. Prior to his career as a Music Educator in the state of Tennessee, Dr. Womack held an international career as a Professional Trombonist. In 2007, he was appointed as the Principal Trombonist of the Rome Festival Orchestra in Rome, Italy. Additionally, in 2007, he won the position of Principal Trombonist for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Grandeur of the Seas.
Patricia Brumbaugh - Biographical Information
Patricia J. Brumbaugh received her BA degree in Music
Education from Olivet College in 1976 and an MM from the University of Michigan
in Music Education in 1986. She is A.B.D. in a Doctoral Program in Horn
Performance at the University of Memphis. Pat currently conducts the
Northwestern Michigan College Concert Band. After retiring from public school
teaching in 2013, as director of Bands at Traverse City West S.H., Pat returned
in 2017-18 to again serve as Director of Bands at Traverse City West S.H. until
a new conductor could be found. Prior to teaching at Traverse City West (2000 -
2013), Pat served as Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of
Memphis, conducted the Germantown Symphony (Tennessee), served as assistant
conductor of the Memphis Youth Symphony (TN) and created and conducted the
Memphis Area Youth Wind Ensemble (TN). Pat also served for four years as
Director of Bands at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and
taught for 12 years in the public schools of Ann Arbor Huron High School,
Northwest High School (Jackson), and Central Montcalm Public Schools in Stanton,
Michigan. In 1984, Pat was voted “Outstanding Young Band Conductor” in the
nation by the American School Band Directors Association and in 2006, she was
voted “Outstanding Band Teacher of the Year” in Michigan. In 2013, Pat was
awarded the Outstanding Person in Education Award by the Traverse Bay Area
Intermediate School District and in 2018, she received the Olivet College
Alumni Award for Outstanding Leadership for Individual and Social
Responsibility. Her bands & orchestras have performed at several State
& National conferences. Pat is a member of the Michigan School Band and
Orchestra Association (Emeritus) and has recently been appointed to the
executive board of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. She has
conducted All-State Bands in Texas, Florida, Kentucky and Indiana and continues
to serve as a clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor. Besides conducting
the NMC Concert Band, Pat has volunteered at Reining Liberty Ranch (a ranch
dedicated to veterans of the U.S. Military) since 2013, where she helps take
care of 17 horses, 7 goats and one very stubborn miniature donkey. She enjoys
hiking in the woods with her wife (V. Flournoy Humphreys), 4 Miniature
Schnauzers and 1 Black Lab (not all at once!). Pat is also a woodworker who
enjoys making furniture for her house, other band directors, friends, &
Reining Liberty Ranch.
Eric Wilson - Biographical Information
J. Eric Wilson, Professor of Ensembles and Conducting, has been Director of Bands at Baylor University since 2006. He provides administrative leadership for all aspects of the band program, conducts the Wind Ensemble, and teaches and oversees undergraduate and graduate conducting curricula. Dr. Wilson is Past-President of the Big 12 Band Directors Association and current President of the College Band Directors National Association Southwestern Division. He was recently elected into the American Bandmasters Association and honored as Outstanding Professor for Tenured Teaching by Baylor University in 2014. Dr. Wilson is in high demand as conducting clinician and adjudicator. He has directed numerous honor bands and conducted his own groups at TMEA, CBDNA, and The Midwest Clinic conventions. Prior to joining the Baylor faculty, he served twelve years on the faculty of Abilene Christian University. Dr. Wilson holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from ACU. Prior to his university appointments, Dr. Wilson taught in the Texas public school system.
Jeffrey Grogan - Biographical Information
Jeffrey Grogan is an internationally acclaimed conductor and music educator, recognized for his passionate dedication to young musicians and transformative work in music education. In 2025, he returns to Baylor University as the Mary Franks Thompson Professor of Orchestral Studies in the School of Music—coming full circle to the university where he taught from 1997 to 2002. Grogan most recently served as Director of Orchestral Activities at Oklahoma City University’s Bass School of Music and Artistic Director of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras. Under his leadership, both programs flourished, earning reputations for artistic excellence, collaboration, and community engagement. His conducting career has taken him to many of the world’s great stages, including the Musikverein in Vienna, the Sydney Opera House, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, and major venues in Bangkok and Singapore. He has led performances at national festivals and collaborated with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic’s YOLA program at Walt Disney Concert Hall. A committed advocate for music education, Grogan founded TeachMusic, a national initiative to recruit and support future music educators. This coalition—backed by over 40 leading music companies and organizations—addresses the growing shortage of music teachers nationwide. He is also a Yamaha Master Educator and serves on advisory boards and committees of the Midwest Clinic, Music for All, ASTA, and the League of American Orchestras. Grogan has worked closely with composers such as Omar Thomas, Eric Whitacre, Amanda Harberg, Lowell Liebermann, and Scott McAllister, and with renowned performers including clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, flutist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, violinist Sheryl Staples, the Canadian Brass, the Boston Brass, and the Ahn Trio. His recording of Mark O’Connor’s March of the Gypsy Fiddler—featuring the Ahn Trio and the New Jersey Youth Symphony—has been featured on classical radio stations nationwide. Earlier in his career, Grogan spent more than a decade as Education and Community Engagement Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and directed three major youth orchestra programs in the New York/New Jersey region. He has also held faculty appointments at the University of Michigan and Ithaca College. Whether in a rehearsal room or on a global stage, Grogan brings an infectious enthusiasm to every ensemble he leads. His return to Baylor marks a new chapter in a career defined by creativity, connection, and a deep belief in the power of music to shape lives.
Gregory Wolynec - Biographical Information
Dr. Gregory Wolynec is the newly appointed Director of Orchestral Activities at The University of Southern Mississippi. He directs the nationally recognized USM Symphony and the Southern Opera & Musical Theatre Company as well as oversees the MM and DMA program in Orchestral Conducting. Wolynec also serves as the Music Director of the Gateway Chamber Orchestra in Clarksville, TN, which has been lauded by national and international press. He has conducted on recordings for the Summit and Delos labels, including the upcoming release of Osvaldo Golijov's massive La Pasión según San Marcos in audio, video, and virtual reality formats. He previously served on the faculty at Austin Peay State University.
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