Bowie State Welcomes Michael Simmons as New Assistant Band Director

Band Ranks Swell by Fifty Members

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Saxon, jsaxon@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-3607

(BOWIE, Md.) –  The sounds of song echo through FPAC and beyond as the Bowie State University band gears up for another academic year and also welcomes a plethora of new faces including a new assistant band director, Michael Simmons.

Simmons, who got his start in music as a youth in his church band and choir, is a graduate of Florida A&M University. He has taught music from elementary school to the university level though most of his experience comes from teaching middle school, where he also served as the band director. Simmons composed and arranged music for multiple levels of school bands prior to arriving at Bowie State. He is a trumpet player by trade and draws on a wide spectrum of music to gain creative inspiration.

“I try to listen to a lot of different types of music, and I allow that to be my influence,” said Simmons, who lists classical, jazz, gospel, contemporary music and even movie and video game soundtracks as sources of inspiration. “If you look at my playlist, it’s going to have a lot of stuff, some of that stuff is going to be weird.”

Simmons applied for the assistant director position after coming across the job announcement online and took the chance to submit his application without putting hard expectations on the outcome. He eventually connected with band director Billy Bennet, which led to a series of talks over a couple of months. Simmons was patient but couldn’t quite read into the tea leaves as the process went on, until one day he received his answer via email.

“Next thing I know, I got an email saying, ‘Hey, we want you to come be the assistant band director at Bowie State,” he said. “That’s the way it went down. Looking at the position, it was something I couldn’t pass up. It’s one of the nicer HBCU campuses I’ve been on. I’ve seen some nice facilities here.”

Bennett noted that Simmons’ experience as a musician in FAMU’s band instilled in him a mindset that promotes solid musical fundamentals over simply training to play one’s instrument the loudest. That’s the mentality Bennett was looking to add to Bowie State’s program, which allows the Symphony of Soul to achieve the effect of connecting with audiences instead of just blowing out their eardrums. 

“He’s a superior band director,” said Bennett. “He taught a middle school program with over 260 students in the band. We now have the dream team in place at Bowie State.”

Picking up and moving from Atlanta, GA to Maryland has been a whirlwind for Simmons.  He finally got his first experiences working with the band during move-in week ahead the start of classes.

“I kind of hit the ground running,” said Simmons. “The second day I was on campus, Mr. Bennett asked me to rehearse the band. There’s a lot of potential here, and I’m really excited to work. The students are hungry to learn and very receptive.”

In addition to Simmons, the Symphony of Soul experienced a sizable increase over the summer. Bennett estimates the band has grown by 40-50 people and hovers at just over 90 members. With Simmons on board for the year, Bennett can’t wait to unleash the band’s sound in such a way that it touches folks at their core and moves them in a way they won’t forget.

“We mix it up and make sure there’s at least one song for every person in that stadium,” said Bennett. “The individuals watching us, they should be able to feel everything we do.”

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.