Composer Spotlight: Michael Crawford

DR. MICHAEL CRAWFORD is an active musician, educator, and adjudicator based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area metroplex. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Texas (UNT) where he teaches the Percussion Methods course for undergraduate music education majors and supervises band student teachers. Dr. Crawford holds a B.M. in Music Education, an M.M. in Percussion Performance, and a Ph.D. in Music Education.

Prior to his appointment at UNT, Dr. Crawford maintained a 10-year teaching career as a Texas public school band director and percussion coordinator. His previous collegiate teaching experiences include a three-year appointment as Lecturer of Percussion at Tarleton State University (2011-2014) and serving four years as Drumline Instructor/Arranger for the Baylor University Golden Wave Marching Band (2013-2017).

Dr. Crawford has performed throughout the United States and Europe with the Waco Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Chorus, Lone Star Wind Orchestra Percussion Ensemble, and the Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps. He has presented featured clinics, showcase concerts, and research projects at the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy (NCPP), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), and Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA) conferences.

Dr. Crawford’s scholarly work has been published in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, The PAS Rhythm! Scene magazine, and The Instrumentalist. He is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Education Committee, a certified Smithsonian Folkways World Music Pedagogy educator, and a Pearl Drums/Adams Regional Marching Percussion Artist.