Michael D. Worthy

Michael D. Worthy teaches instrumental music education courses and directs the Collegians jazz ensemble. Dr. Worthy taught music education courses and conducted the Wind Ensemble at Castleton State College in Vermont for five years before joining the faculty of the University of Mississippi in 2002. Dr. Worthy earned his bachelor of music education and master of music education at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Prior to earning his Ph.D. in music education at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Worthy was a successful public school teacher in Oklahoma. Concert bands, jazz ensembles, and string orchestras under his direction have earned public acclaim as well as professional recognition. In 1999, he established the Lakes Region Wind Ensemble, an ensemble comprised of outstanding high school musicians from Vermont and upstate New York, and conducted the ensemble for three concert seasons. Dr. Worthy has published research on improving ensemble tone quality and intonation in the Journal of Research in Music Education and the MENC publication Teaching Music. He has also presented research on effective rehearsal techniques at state, regional and national conferences. He has been a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator in Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey. Dr. Worthy is also active as a jazz trombonist and has performed extensively throughout New England.