Jonathan Hinkle joined the music faculty at Colorado Mesa University in 2012 as the first Director of Athletic bands and Associate Director of Bands, which included the responsibility of starting and directing the university's first marching band, the Maverick Stampede. In only a few seasons, this group grew to include 155 members and is now also housed in their very own rehearsal facility (turf field, storage/meeting room, and observation tower) known as the Stampede Center. In 2016, he also formed the Rowdy Brass Band, a small 21st Century ensemble performing both on and off campus and for professional engagements. Both groups are now in high demand throughout Colorado. In 2021, Hinkle was reappointed as Director of Bands, which includes directing CMU's Wind Symphony, overseeing the Best of the West festival each December, continuing to lead the Rowdy Brass Band, and overseeing the comprehensive band program. The CMU Concert Band, a second wind band, was formed in 2022, and in 2024, the Mesa Brass Band, a second commercial-like group, was also added to the line-up, both from continued program growth. As a result, the music education program and department of music as a whole at CMU has also continued to grow and strengthen. Dr. Hinkle also teaches courses in conducting and a full studio (10-13 members since 2017) of applied trumpet music majors and minors. He maintains an active schedule as a band clinician, adjudicator, and honor band conductor throughout the United States.
Before moving west, he was an active music educator, band director and trumpeter in the Southeastern United States. This experience included five years as a high school band and orchestra director at Sebastian River High School (Sebastian, FL) and Melbourne High School (Melbourne, FL), leading marching bands, concert bands, jazz ensembles and string orchestras to state and national recognition. These included performances at the Bands of America National Concert Band Invitational in Indianapolis, IN, and also the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. He returned to the Florida State University College of Music for the Master of Music Education degree earning a University Fellowship for his work starting and directing the Seminole Swing Machine, the first jazz big-band specifically designed for music education majors. Encouraged to continue his graduate work, he later earned the PhD in music education under the mentorship of Dr. Clifford Madsen. At FSU, Hinkle was responsible for teaching and leading various music courses as a graduate student and later as an adjunct faculty. As both an undergraduate and graduate student, he served as principal and lead trumpet with many of the university's top performing ensembles including the Wind Orchestra under the direction of Richard Clary and Jazz Ensemble I, under the direction of Leon Anderson, giving world premiere performances with both groups on national stages. Hinkle's professional performing experience also includes being a lead trumpeter at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, as the principal trumpeter with Orchestra Mia in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a member of the Colorado Mesa University Faculty Brass Quintet, Faculty Jazz Quintet, and in a variety of freelance appointments.
Colorado Mesa University Maverick Stampede
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