About
NicholasBooker
About
Nicholas Booker is a Master of Music student at the University of Northern Colorado and an adjunct instructor at Morgan Community College. He graduated cum laude from the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2014 and since then has been active in the music education community as a music teacher at the Converge School and Day Treatment Center, a private music instructor in Northeastern Colorado, and a guest lecturer for Classics for Kids in Colorado Springs, CO and Fort Morgan Library.
As a performer, Nicholas performs regularly with the 101st Army Band, the 101st Army Dixieland Jazz Band, the Morgan Community College Jazz Combo, and All Those Who Wander, a folk music project he also manages and operates. He is currently conducting research primarily in the areas of American music and musical identities viewed both from pedagogical and musicological perspectives.
He currently serves on the Performing Arts Committee at the Center for Arts and Community Enrichment and volunteers with the Platte Valley Festival Band and Christ Congregational Church in Fort Morgan, CO. As a composer, he has written for solo instruments and chamber ensembles and had works performed throughout the state of Colorado at the University of Colorado, Boulder, the University of Denver, and elsewhere in Colorado Springs and Denver.
Specifics
Specific Areas
Nicholas is active in many parts of the musical community.
Specifics
1 - Performance
Nicholas is active in numerous performance roles including positions with the 101st Army Band, the 101st Army Dixieland Jazz Band, the 101st Army Woodwind Quintet, the Morgan Community College Jazz Combo, the Platte Valley Festival Band, Christ Congregational Church in Fort Morgan, CO, and freelance performances with organizations and ensembles throughout Colorado such as Augustana Arts, Covenant Presbyterian Church, the Wither Without Orchestra, and Temple Sinai in Denver. He works in management, publicity, booking, and performance with folk music project All Those Who Wander and has released an album and several singles with the group including What Is this World to Me in 2019. He has studied flute with Colorado Symphony principal flautist (retired) Pamela Endsley, Orchestra of Scottish Opera principal flautist Richard Blake, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic principal flautist Paul Nagem. He has performed in masterclasses with Robert Winn, Marianne Gedigian, Amy Porter, Karen Jones, Kate Hill, Caroline Hobbs-Smith, and others. He has also studied conducting with Doctors Richard Mayne and Kevin Padworski. His performance experience includes performances at venues around the world including the Sydney Opera House, the Auckland Town Hall, Civic Center Park in Denver, CO, the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley, CO, the Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs, CO, and on radio stations throughout Colorado and Nebraska. He currently enjoys traveling from his home in Fort Morgan, CO to perform regularly around the state of Colorado at the Capitol Building, the Governor's Residence at Boettcher Mansion, and wherever he can find opportunities to make music of many kinds.
2 - Research
Nicholas has written primarily on the subjects of jazz and American folk music and is conducting research for his Masters thesis concerning the relationship between instructor and student musical identities in academic music classes. He developed his interest in research primarily through work with Doctors Mark Montemayor, Nancy Glen, Brian Casey, Jittapim Yamprai, Sarah Morelli, Jack Sheinbaum, and Richard von Foerster. He serves on the Performing Arts Committee at the Center for Arts and Community Enrichment and volunteers with various other organizations in his community. As a performer, Nicholas performs regularly with groups including the 101st Army Band, the 101st Army Dixieland Jazz Band, the 101st Army Woodwind Quintet, the Morgan Community College Jazz Combo, and folk music project All Those Who Wander. He enjoys seeing music from many perspectives and learning about it in the varied contexts of classes, concerts, and conferences.
3 - Education
Nicholas is committed to education in music. He is currently an instructor at Morgan Community College for the MCC Jazz Ensemble. He has taught K-12 and special needs instruction for the Converge School and Day Treatment Center. He has taught classes for Fort Morgan Library in music as well as teaching classes and delivering workshops for Classics for Kids in Colorado Springs. Additionally, he has over 10 years of experience in private music instruction and has taught all ove the state of Colorado in the areas of flute, guitar, and piano performance, musical composition and songwriting, and music theory and aural skills.