June 15, 2021
Behind the music, beyond the podium
Dr. T. André Feagin serves as Director of Bands and Wind Ensembles and Associate Professor of Conducting at The Hartt School, University of Hartford. In this role, he provides the artistic vision, administrative leadership, and strategic direction for the conservatory's wind band program. He is the conductor and artistic director of The Hartt Wind Ensemble, the institution's premier wind ensemble. As head of the graduate wind band conducting program, Dr. Feagin mentors master's and doctoral conducting students, guiding the development of the next generation of wind band conductors.
His work is distinguished by a deep commitment to expressive performances and a dedication to helping students discover and develop their artistic voice through the study and performance of wind music. He is also committed to fostering collaborative, student-centered musical learning environments that emphasize musical integrity, artistry, and communication.
Dr. Feagin also serves as the conductor of the Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble through The Hartt School Community Division, where he works with talented young musicians from across the region in pursuit of musical and artistic excellence.
Prior to his appointment at The Hartt School, Dr. Feagin served as Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Central Washington University, where he led the band program, headed the graduate wind band conducting area and served as conductor of both the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, the university’s premier band.
Under his direction, the CWU Wind Ensemble earned national and international recognition, including featured performances at the College Band Directors National Association Western/Northwestern Division Conference (2022, 2026), as well as the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles International Conference in Gwangju, South Korea (2024). At CWU he was the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Humanities and received two President’s Diversity Awards in 2023, recognized in both the Faculty and Community categories. In addition, he served as Dean Fellow of Student Success, advancing initiatives centered on student achievement, access, and the cultivation of an inclusive and connected learning environment. Throughout his career, Dr. Feagin has gained extensive teaching experience at both the university and secondary school levels across the United States.
Dr. Feagin has appeared as a guest conductor with numerous all-state and honor bands, as well as professional ensembles throughout the United States, Canada, Central and Southwest Europe, and Southeast Asia. His work as a conductor, educator, and advocate for music education has led to invitations to conduct at Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and The Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. He has also collaborated with premier military ensembles, including the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, the United States Military Academy Band (West Point), "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, and the United States Coast Guard Band.
As a clinician and presenter, Dr. Feagin has been invited to speak on conducting, educational leadership, and broadening participation in music education at institutions and conferences across the United States and internationally. In 2022, he was a presenter at the WASBE International Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, and in 2024, an invited presenter and collaborator at a leadership summit for conductors within the United States Air Force Band program.
Dr. Feagin holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in wind conducting from the University of Arizona School of Music, where he studied with Gregg I. Hanson. His doctoral research focused on Spanish wind composer Bernardo Adam Ferrero and his work Homenaje a Joaquín Sorolla. He also holds a Master of Music degree in wind conducting from the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. Dr. Feagin is deeply grateful to the many mentors and teachers who have shaped his passion for conducting and music education. Among them are Gregg I. Hanson, Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Kraig Alan Williams, Thomas Cockrell, Bruce Chamberlain, Pat Morrow, Darry Pilkington, and Sallie Vines White.
Actively engaged in the professional music community, Dr. Feagin holds memberships in the National Association for Music Education, the College Band Directors National Association, and the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. He is a Patron of Mu Phi Epsilon and holds honorary memberships in both Tau Beta Sigma and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He currently serves on the Diversity and Research Committees of the College Band Directors National Association and is a member of the advisory board for Emergence: Research & Performance Topics in Black Music, the scholarly publication of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Incorporated.
Some of Dr. Feagin's honors and recognitions include the Drum Crops International (DCI) Jim Jones Leadership Award, the DCI Division III Director of the Year Award, an official proclamation designating “Professor T. André Feagin Day” in El Paso, Texas and contributions as an author to multiple volumes of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band published by GIA Publications. His performance and professional background also includes leadership roles with internationally recognized marching arts organizations as a performer, educator, administrator and adjudicator.