Transform your ensemble through unified fundamentals and intentional time management. This session dives deep into Strategic Repertoire Selection: learn to look beyond publisher "grades" to assess your group’s unique strengths, navigate technical factors like tessitura, and master the "stretch" piece. Walk away with a proven roadmap to move students from a "first-read disaster" to a polished performance. Don't just manage your band—program for their growth.
Jamal Duncan
- Biographical Information
Jamal Duncan is associate director of bands and associate professor of instrumental conducting at Arizona State University. His primary responsibilities are conducting the Wind Symphony and teaching conducting classes. Duncan also serves as assistant director of undergraduate music studies. Duncan’s research interests include conducting pedagogy, wind literature, and redefining the concert experience. He has presented on these topics at various state and international conferences, including the Midwest Clinic, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and the College Band Directors National Association. Duncan is a passionate advocate for expanding the repertoire of wind bands and chamber ensembles, actively commissioning new works from both established and emerging composers. His commitment extends to programming music that reflects the rich tapestry of different cultures, with a deliberate focus on highlighting the voices of diverse composers who bring these stories to life. A winner of the American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble conducting, Duncan has also been a fellow at the Reynolds Conducting Institute. In addition, as a Conn Selmer Educational Clinician, Duncan has conducted and adjudicated ensembles of all levels throughout the United States and internationally. Duncan taught in the public schools of Lansing, Michigan, for seven years, serving first as director of bands at C.W. Otto Middle School, then at Dwight Rich Middle School.