April 4, 2025–Missouri Western State University’s School of Fine Arts Music Area will host Dr. Michael Parkinson for the Music Convocation at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 in Potter Hall room 112.
The topic of Dr. Parkinson’s hour-long session will be The Entrepreneurial Mindset For Musicians. The focus will be the ever-evolving career options available to students in the arts, including performance, stagecraft, music therapy, recording and producing, musicology promotion, manufacturing, librarianship, entertainment law or administration of arts programs.
Dr. Parkinson is a KHS America Education Artist and an XO Professional Brass Artist in metro Kansas City. He has served as a performer, conductor, clinician or educator at events such as MUSICFEST USA and the Greater Southwest Music Festival and at schools and festivals across the United States, Poland and China. He has directed ensembles for conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, the International Association for Jazz Education and the National Association for Music Education. Dr. Parkinson has also served as the Artistic Director of the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland for 10 years.
Dr. Parkinson previously served as the Director of the School of Music at Middle Tennessee State University. He also served as administrator for the Ohio University School of Music, Webster University Music Department, and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.
This appearance of XO Brass Artist Michael Parkinson has been made possible, in part, through an educational grant from the KHS America Academic Alliance and XO Professional Brass. Michael performs exclusively on XO trumpets.
Special thanks to local sponsor, Lanham Music owner Aaron Old.
Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit missouriwestern.edu.