John Wasson Director of Jazz Ensembles
- Faculty
From his arrangement of Caravan heard in the final scene of the Academy Award-winning motion picture “Whiplash” to his orchestrations performed by the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra and the Dallas Symphony, John Wasson's music has been heard and performed around the world.
Born and raised in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, John journeyed to the University of North Texas where he earned degrees in music theory and trombone performance. Since college, he has toured with the Stan Kenton and Woody Herman Orchestras and performed with dozens of major entertainers. He has composed and produced music for such organizations as National Geographic, the United Way, and the American Prairie Reserve. John currently directs the Jazz Ensemble and teaches Music Theory at A&M University-Commerce. He also leads and performs in his own Strata Big Band and CoolBrass Jazztet. John is a XOBrass performing artist.
Educational Background
- M.M., Trombone Performance, University of North Texas, 1983
- B.M., Music Theory, University of North Texas, 1980
Featured Courses
- MUS 100J – Jazz Ensemble II
- MUS 300 – Jazz Ensemble I
- MUS 351 – Minor Applied Arranging
- MUS 416 – Orchestration I
Professional Organizations
- American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
- International Trombone Association
- Jazz Educators Network