Associate Instructors
Meet our students; read about their backgrounds, professional engagements, teaching positions, and educational histories.
Doctor of Music in Wind Conducting candidates
Master of Music in Wind Conducting candidates
Jason H. Nam is pursuing the Doctor of Music degree in Wind Conducting and serves as an Associate Instructor in the Department of Bands at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He holds a B.M. degree in Music Education and a M.M. in Conducting from the University of Redlands.
From 2006-2010 Mr. Nam taught in the Santa Barbara Unified School District serving as Director of Bands at both La Colina Junior High School and San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, California. Under his direction, both programs received consistent unanimous Superior ratings at numerous jazz, band, and orchestra festivals. Also, during his four years as director of the San Marcos High School Marching Band, the ensemble placed in the top two in their division every year at SCSBOA Field Championships, receiving the gold medal in 2007 and 2008. He also served as a lecturer in the Department of Music at California State University San Bernardino, where he taught brass methods to undergraduate music education and composition majors. Prior to coming to the Jacobs School of Music, Mr. Nam served as a graduate assistant in the department of bands as a student of Dr. Eddie R. Smith at the University of Redlands School of Music, and was part of the first class ever to be awarded a degree in Conducting from that institution. Mr. Nam holds professional memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association, and the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society, as well as being a proud member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Brett A. Richardson currently serves as an Associate Instructor in the Department of Bands/Wind Conducting at Indiana University where he is pursuing the Doctor of Music in Wind Conducting degree. He also serves as the Associate Conductor of the Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble, a community band based out of Bloomington, Indiana. He holds a B.M. in Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University and a M.M. in Wind Conducting from Texas A&M University-Commerce. His primary professional mentors include Fred J. Allen, Stephen W. Pratt, Dave C. Woodley, Brad Kent, Jeff Gershman, David Campo, Eric Smedley, Steve Smith, Julie Jezek, Jimmy Clark, Deb Scott, Melvin B. Montgomery, Kevin Sedatole, Brian Sedatole, and Kelly Kading.
Prior to his arrival at Indiana University, Mr. Richardson served as the Assistant Director of Bands and an Instructor of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas where he conducted the Symphonic Band, served as Associate Director of the Lumberjack Marching Band, taught courses in music education, brass methods and instrumental conducting, and directed the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Bands. In addition, Mr. Richardson also served as a music educator in Texas as part of the Clear Creek and Lewisville Independent School Districts. Mr. Richardson has had the privilege of conducting several junior high and high school All-Region and All-City Honor Bands in Texas and will conduct the Indiana Bandmasters Association South Central Junior High All-Region Band this fall. He has also presented sessions and guest conducted at both the Midwest Clinic and Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention. Some of his professional memberships include Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma (honorary), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (honorary), and Pi Kappa Lambda. He is a proud native of Houston, Texas.
Trae Blanco finished his fourth year as Director of Bands at Las Cruces High School. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from New Mexico Sate University and will continue his studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he will be studying instrumental conducting. As a young director Mr. Blanco continues to seek out learning both as an educator, conductor and church musician.
While serving as the Director of Bands at Las Cruces High School the program has become a well recognized program in the state as well as the southwest. Under his direction both concert bands, The SHOWCASE Marching band, two jazz bands, Avant Guard Winterguard and the Las Cruces Percussion Group have received superior ratings at New Mexico festivals as well as two gold ratings at Heritage Festivals in San Diego, CA as well as Anaheim, CA. Under his direction the Jazz Band One was selected in 2010 as the New Mexico All State Honor Jazz Band and the Symphonic Winds selected in 2011 as the Honor Concert Band by the New Mexico Music Educators Association.
As an active conductor of new music, Trae has worked with local educators in promoting the performance of contemporary music for the wind ensemble. In February 2012 Trae was the sound engineer for NMSU Symphonic Winds performance of Steven Bryant's Ecstactic Waters. Trae has worked on classroom technology projects with composers via Skype such as Jonathan Newman. In January of 2011 Trae worked with composer/guitarist James (Jim) Bonney on his composition Chaos Theory for Wind Ensemble and electric guitar culminating in a performance at the Popejoy Auditorium at the University of New Mexico with the composer playing solo guitar, recorded live.
Trae is the recipient of the New Mexico Music Educators New and Emerging Teacher Award for 2010. He is a member of the New Mexico Music Educators Association as well as the Percussive Arts Society. He has continued conducting studies with New Mexico State University professors as well as local professional conductors appearing with the New Mexico State University Symphonic Winds twice during the 2012 concert season.
Paul De Cinque is pursuing the Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting and serves as an Associate Instructor in the Department of Bands/Wind Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
Paul completed his Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Bachelor of Music Education at the University of Western Australia in 2003 and 2006 respectively. He has worked for the Instrumental Music School Services sector of the Department of Education in Western Australia from 2004 as an instrumental teacher, ensemble director and administrator at a number of public schools in the Perth area. He has directed wind ensembles at Churchlands Senior High School, John Curtin College of the Arts and Perth Modern School, three of the specialist music programmes in Western Australia.
Christopher R. Dortwegt is pursuing the Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting and serves as an Associate Instructor in the Department of Bands/Wind Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He also is the director of the IU Crabb Band.
From 2007-2012, Dortwegt served as Assistant Director of Bands at Plainfield South High School in the suburbs of Chicago. While at Plainfield South he served as a member of the school improvement team, taught AP Music Theory, conducted the pit orchestra, and co-directed the concert and marching bands. In his tenure, he was instrumental in expanding the band program from 2 to 3 concert bands, implementing a comprehensive 4-year curriculum in performance music classes, adding AP Music Theory to the curriculum, and starting a percussion course.
Dortwegt received his BME degree from Indiana University where he studied flute with Professor Thomas Robertello. In 2007, he was selected as one of five Indiana University Education students to receive the Outstanding Future Educator Award given by the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
