Damascus, MD
Michael Kamuf enjoys a multifaceted music career as an active educator, composer, arranger, and performer. Michael has taught instrumental music for Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) since the fall of 1992. He has been in his current teaching position since 1995 as the Director of Bands and Orchestras and Music Department Chairperson at John T. Baker Middle School (Damascus, MD). Under his direction, the Baker ensembles consistently receive high ratings at music festivals and have commissioned numerous works for both young concert bands and orchestras. In 2007, Mike received the MCPS Superintendent’s Above and Beyond the Call of Duty (ABCD) Award for his efforts in involving students in the commissioning process and has directed MCPS’ Senior Honors Jazz Band, Junior Honors Band, and All County Junior Band as well as honors ensembles throughout many states including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Ohio, and California. He has been a jazz faculty member at Youngstown State University and Montgomery College (Rockville, MD). Mike has served on the faculty the Maryland Summer Jazz Consortium for over twenty-five years. He has presented music education workshops for teachers at numerous state professional development conferences as well as The Midwest Clinic and The Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference.
Michael is an exclusive composer and arranger for the Belwin Division of Alfred Music with titles in the jazz, string orchestra, and concert band catalogs. He also has compositions for jazz ensemble published by UNC Jazz Press, the Neil A. Kjos Music, and the FJH Music Company. Several of Michael's arrangements have been featured in the educational textbook series Teaching Music Through Performance in Jazz (GIA Publications). Michael's compositions and arrangements have been performed by numerous jazz artists and ensembles including the Woody Herman and Glenn Miller Orchestras, the USAF Airmen of Note, the US Navy Commodores, James Moody, Eddie Daniels, Sean Jones, Terell Stafford, Bill Watrous, and Nick Brignola to name a few.
Michael has performed with the Woody Herman and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras as well as the Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra. He served as assistant principal trumpet of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra under Maestro David Effron and has been a freelance trumpet player in the Baltimore/Washington DC area for three decades. Currently, Mike leads his own jazz octet, the Little Big Band, comprised of some of the region’s most outstanding jazz musicians.
Michael holds Bachelor of Music degrees in both Jazz Performance and Music Education from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University (Youngstown, OH) and a Master of Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting from George Mason University (Fairfax, VA). His professional affiliations include the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP); the National Association for Music Education (NAfME); Jazz Education Network (JEN); and the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composer (ISJAC).
Please visit Michael's website at: www.mikekamuf.com.
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Jazz Notation: A Panel Discussion
Friday, January 5, 2024
12:00 PM – 12:50 PM CST