Josef Hanson
Manager of Music Performance Programs
Advisor, BA/MA programs in Music Education and Ethnomusicology
Director, UR Brass Choir
Courses: Elements of Music
207 Todd Union
josef.hanson@rochester.edu
Phone: (585) 273-5157
Fax: (585) 273-5337
M.A., Eastman School of Music
www.josefhanson.com
A member of the College Music Department community since 2002, Josef M. Hanson is the Manager of Music Performance Programs on the River Campus of the University of Rochester, handling the coordination of all performance-related activity for the College's music ensembles and lessons program. In addition, Hanson teaches in the music theory sequence (MUR 101- Elements of Music), directs the University's Brass Choir (MUR 170), and serves as the College's advisor for the combined BA/MA programs in music education and ethnomusicology. Hanson also teaches a multitude of music courses at The Highlands of Pittsford and Ferris Hills at West Lake retirement communities, and is also a faculty member at the Hochstein School of Music and Dance extension program in Canandaigua, NY. A native of Maryland, Hanson graduated summa cum laude from Towson University in Baltimore with a Bachelor's degree in music education and also received a Master's degree in music education from the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music. His M.A. thesis discusses the development of a contextual Internet-based teaching application for beginning instrumental music instruction. A born and bred percussionist, Hanson switched to trombone in high school and went on to concentrate in trombone performance and music history as an undergraduate music education major. He studied trombone with Wayne Wells of the Annapolis Brass Quintet and MU1 David Perkel, lead trombone with the U.S. Navy Commodores jazz ensemble. At the Eastman School, Hanson studied under the guidance of Richard Grunow and Christopher Azzara. A former music educator in the Frederick County (MD) Public Schools, Hanson has taught instrumental, choral, and general music courses in a wide variety of settings, with students aged kindergarten through adult. He is also a former executive director and conductor of the Frederick Symphonic Band, a regional honor band in suburban Maryland. More recently, Hanson has been invited to share his love of music through speaking engagements sponsored by the Friends of Wood Library in Canandaigua, Finger Lakes Forum in Geneva, and Chatterbox Club in Rochester. An active musician, he has performed on trombone in Rochester this year with Sinfonia CorDancia and the Finger Lakes Choral Festival. During the summer of 2010, Hanson served as the orchestra director for Everyone's Theatre Company's production of The Wiz, and at the conclusion of the show's run, was recognized by the Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS) with the Excellence in Orchestra Directing merit award. He currently resides in Fairport, NY with his wife Katy and dog Cammie.
