Brandon Kelley
Dr. Brandon Kelley provides saxophone instruction, specializing in the topics of integrating body-mind awareness and vocal-tract movements during the production of notes in the altissimo register. He trains music educators on effective practice behaviors, performance memory, and a guaranteed guru system for beginning band instruction. He has presented topics at North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Conferences and at the University of North Texas (UNT). Notable performances have occurred with the McKinney Philharmonic, Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra, Dallas College Jazz Faculty Recitals, and recitals with Dr. Xiao Wang.
In 2019 his recordings were awarded First Place in the American Protégé Concerto Competition and Gold Medal in the 4th Manhattan International Music Competition. As a UNT doctoral candidate he was given the Pi Kappa Lambda Graduate Scholarship.
Brandon has instructed undergraduate and graduate saxophone majors at Dallas College and UNT. After relocating to Rochester, NY to be closer to his daughter, he accepted a position directing music at a church, which has been a passion of his since high school. He performs regularly and is endeavoring into several entrepreneurial adventures.
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Principles of leadership guide the way I interact and communicate expectations, seeking to understand before being understood. People will often remember how you made them feel more than what you said or did. Students feel better when they make tangible incremental progress by consistently conquering bite-sized issues. This motivation to keep reaching short-term goals creates anticipatory effort. Structured lesson planning and teaching effective practice-behavior patterns make this all possible. It becomes transformative. Assessing ourselves through any means necessary gives us an objective lens through which to see the reality of our impact. If we treat people as they ought to be, as if their potential exists in the present moment, we help them become what they are capable of.
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I always feel like I'm in professional and personal development.
I would like to see professional development sessions include the actionable-tangible use of real resources, plans, pdfs, instruments, sheet music, and software. Planning time is limited. To simply teach a "concept" such as those discussed in my philosophy is not adequate for PD. For example, if the district wants its music teachers to teach ukulele then have the software and/or curriculum ready with all resources so that the teachers may simply learn to use it live in-person at the PD. Then for the latter portions of the PD, the teachers can mock teach a lesson using pre-scripted language and the software. Other teachers would provide feedback. The philosophical-concept oriented PD does not contain enough present-moment actionable steps. This causes teachers to think into the future. Future casting causes anxiety. Living in the past causes depression. Taking action in the present moment release a calm. This will help teachers become confident.
