Music Education Department

Stephen Pratt

Director of Bands

Stephen W. Pratt is Professor of Music and Director of Bands at the Indiana University School of Music. He conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches graduate conducting as well as other courses in the wind conducting program. Professor Pratt is in constant demand as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator of bands and orchestras in many states, and as a faculty member of conducting clinics and workshops. Mr. Pratt also serves as Director of the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic.
Mr. Pratt holds degrees from Indiana University and The University of Michigan. He joined the IU faculty in 1984 and was honored as a faculty member of the highest distinction in 1988 by the combined honor societies on campus. In 1993 he was the recipient of the Distinguished Service to Music Medal awarded by Kappa Kappa Psi, the national collegiate band honorary organization. In 1998 he was honored with the Outstanding Bandmaster award by the Gamma chapter (Indiana) of Phi Beta Mu and in 2001 honored with the Outstanding University Music Educator Award, presented by the Indiana Music Educators Association. He serves the CBDNA North Central Division as president, and has served as president of the Indiana Bandmasters Association and as a member of the Indiana Music Educators Association Board of Directors. He was Music Director and Conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra from 1995-2000. Mr. Pratt has a number of years of experience teaching bands and orchestras in the public schools of Sturgis, Michigan, where he conducted groups of national recognition.

Guest conducting appearances:

As a guest conductor he has traveled extensively. Recent invitations have included: The New Jersey All-State Wind Ensemble, the Rutgers University Wind Ensemble, the Indianapolis Symphonic Band, Sturgis Wind Symphony, Sturgis, Michigan, the South Jersey Wind Ensemble, Rowan University (New Jersey), Mid-Prairie Honor Band, Aurora, Illinois, Pope Symphonic Band, Atlanta, Georgia, Howard County Band Festival, Kokomo (Indiana), Eastern Illinois University Honor Band and Symphonic Wind Ensemble, University of Minnesota/Duluth Honor Band, the Kentucky All State Band, the Augustana College Band and Honor Band (Illinois), University of Tennessee Honors Band, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra (professional orchestra); Tri-State Honor Band (Wisconsin), IMEA District VII Honor Band (Illinois), the New Hampshire All-State Band, Dover (New Hampshire), Augustana College, Rock Island (Illinois), University of Wisconsin Indianhead Arts Center Festival Band and faculty wind ensemble, Shell Lake (Wisconsin),  TMEA Honor Band, Dallas (Texas), All-City Honor Band, South Bend (Indiana), District X MSBOA Honor Band, Grand Rapids (Michigan), MSBOA All-State Honor Band, Kalamazoo (Michigan), Wyoming Park HS Wind Ensemble at the MSBOA convention, Ann Arbor (Michigan), Marshall University HS Festival Band and Faculty Chamber Winds, Huntington (West Virginia), University of South Carolina Festival Band, Columbia, (South Carolina) Carthage College Wind Ensemble, Kenosha (Wisconsin), Youngstown State University Wind Ensemble, Youngstown (Ohio), Olivet Nazarene University Band, Kankakee (Illinois), Bloomington All-City High School Band (Indiana); Bloomington All-City High School Orchestra (Indiana), Indianapolis All-City High School Honor Band, and Indiana All-State Band, Indianapolis (Indiana).
 

Conducting clinic lectures:

"Conducting and Rehearsing Sensitive Musicians,"  Clinic Session at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, Chicago, Illinois.

"Golden opportunities: recommendation of conducting/rehearsal improvement activities for conductors who want to improve their skills,"  National Band Association National Newsletter, no. 12.

 "On conducting,"  Ohio State University Graduate Conducting Seminar.

"String teaching methods in the public schools," Indiana University MENC Student Chapter.

"The effective conductor," The Tri-State Honor Band Conducting Clinic, 

"The effective conductor," University of Wisconsin/Superior.

"Tools for effective conducting, The University of Tennessee Band Festival Conducting Clinic. 

 "Rehearsal techniques for the effective conductor," Augustana College Honor Band Festival Conducting Clinic.

"The conductor/clinician - making music beyond judgment,"  IMEA Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana

"Conducting sensitive musicians," MENC North Central/IMEA Convention, Indianapolis, IN 

"The musical rehearsal," District 200 Teacher In-service, Wheaton, Illinois. 

"Effective rehearsal techniques,"  Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois. 

"Communication of music through rehearsal," "The conductor/clinician - making music
beyond judgment," District 214 Teacher In-service, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. 
 

Conducting clinic workshops:

1993-96 University of Wisconsin Indianhead Arts Center, Shell Lake, WI: Five-day workshops for graduate credit.

Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, IN: Three day workshops done for many years.  Selected lecture topics include:

Conducting Psychology in Rehearsal
The Music of Persichetti and Grainger
OK! You've Got the Notes - Now What?
Marches - The Myth of Spontaneous Generation
Instrumental Rehearsal Techniques
The Development of Musical Nuance From the Podium
The Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams' English Folk Song Suite
Communication of Music Through Rehearsal
Conducting and Rehearsing Sensitive Musicians
Conducting Gestures - Special Techniques for Music Making
Conducting Body Language
Rehearsal Techniques and Interpretation - The Score and Music
Rehearsing and Conducting for Musical Independence
Conducting Thoughts - Some Simple and Some Profound
Marshall University Dept. of Music, Huntington, WV: Five-day conducting workshop  

Selected band and orchestra clinics:

2000: North Augusta Academy Band, Indianapolis, IMEA festival, bands and orchestras, West Lafayette, Indiana, GMEA District XII Band Festival, Atlanta, Georgia - clinician, Valparaiso High School Concert and Symphonic Bands, Valparaiso, Indiana, Pike HS Wind Ensemble, Indianapolis, Mishawaka HS Wind Ensemble, Symphonic and Concert Bands and Elkhart Concord HS Symphonic Band, Mishawaka, Indiana, Lawrence Central Festival in Indianapolis; band and orchestra clinician, Evansville Central HS Band and Orchestra, Evansville Reitz Wind Ensemble, Castle HS Symphonic Band, Evansville, Indiana, Columbus East HS Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble, Columbus, Indiana, Batesville HS Band, Batesville, Indiana, Winchester HSBand, Winchester, North Central HS Orchestra, Indianapolis, Indiana, Maine West HS Band, Park Ridge, Illinois, Morris HS Symphonic Band, Morris, Illinois.

1999: Pope HS Band Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, Willowbrook HS Wind Ensemble, Illinois, North Augusta Academy Band, Indianapolis Howard County Band Festival in Kokomo - Four high school bands, Pike HS Band, Indianapolis, Winchester HS, Winchester, Bloomington HS North Concert Band, Bloomington, IMEA Clinic in Shelbyville - Several high school and middle school groups.  Whitko HS Band, South Whitley, Bloomington HS South Orchestra, Bloomington, North Central HS Orchestra, Indianapolis, Bloomington HS North Orchestra, Bloomington, North Central HS Wind Ensemble, Indianapolis, Reitz HS Wind Ensemble, Evansville, Sturgis HS Symphonic Band, Sturgis, Michigan.

1998: Lawrence Central HS Band, Indianapolis, North Augusta MS Band, Indianapolis, Pike HS Band, Indianapolis, Penn HS Band, Mishawaka, Bloomington HS NorthConcert Band, Bloomington, Lawrence Central HS Orchestra, Indianapolis, North Central HS Orchestra, Indianapolis, Washington HS Band, Washington, Columbus North HS Band, Columbus, Bloomington HS North Symphonic Band, Bloomington, Bloomington HS South Choir, Bloomington, Reitz HS Wind Ensemble, Evansville, The Ohio State University Symphonic Band, Columbus, OH, The Ohio State University Concert Band, Columbus, OH. 
 

Selected adjudication:

2000: Bloomington Symphony Concerto Competition Auditions, Ford Hall, MSBOA State Solo & Ensemble, Ypsilanti, Michigan, ISSMA District Band Festival Adjudicator, Gibson County, Indiana, Kentucky State Fair Band Contest, Louisville, Kentucky, Evansville Reitz Band Invitational, Evansville,Indiana.

1999: Bloomington Symphony Concerto Competition Auditions, Ford Hall State Solo & Ensemble, Indianpolis, MSBOA District XI orchestras, Portage, Michigan, MSBOA District VIII bands and orchestras, Grand Ledge, Michigan, MSBOA State Solo & Ensemble, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1998: BSO Youth Concerto Competition, Bloomington, MSBOA District XI Solo & Ensemble, Kalamazoo, MI, Indiana State Solo & Ensemble, Indianapolis, All-State Band Final Auditions, MSBOA District XIII Band & Orchestra, Adrian, MI, State Solo & Ensemble, Howell, MI, Kentucky State Fair Concert & Marching Festival, Louisville, KY.