Michael Parkinson

Michael Parkinson is an Educational Specialist for trumpets. He has served as a performer, conductor, clinician or adjudicator at events such as MUSICFEST USA and the Greater Southwest Music Festival, and schools and festivals across the United States, Poland and China. He is the author of “BASIE, BEBOP, BALLADS & BLUES,” a nationally recognized jazz ensemble repertoire guide, and “BEYOND THE BLUES,” a guide to jazz ensemble score-part editing and rehearsal techniques. He presents clinics and workshops on ensemble techniques, improvisation, career development-entrepreneurship, personal musicianship, and brass techniques.

Dr. Parkinson most recently served as Director of the School of Music at Middle Tennessee State University. He performed with the MTSU Jazztet on tours of China in 2017 and 2018. He previously served as Director of the Ohio University School of Music and Music Department Chair at Webster University.  His teaching specializations include jazz studies, contemporary music, and entrepreneurship/music industry.

Dr. Parkinson has performed with American artists including Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Dobbins, Gary Foster, Bobby Watson, Gary Wittner, and Phil Woods, and Polish artists such as Marek Balata, Joachim Mencel, Janusz Muniak, Jacek Niedziela, Wlodek Pawlik, and Dominik Wania. He has is the founder of the Trinity Jazz Ensemble, that is in residence at MidAmerica Nazarene University and he has performed with groups such as the Paul DeMarinis Quartet, Jazz Spoken Here, Sweet Basil, and the Tennessee Jazz Collective.

For ten years, he served as Artistic Director of the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland, bringing American, Austrian and Polish artists together to work with talented students from Europe and the United States. In recognition of his service to education, he was named Amicus Poloniae by the Republic of Poland.