Joseph Parisi is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance where he serves as chair of music education and associate director of bands. His teaching opportunities include the Conservatory Wind Ensemble, undergraduate conducting and methods, technology for teaching music, and improvisation methods for the music curriculum. Prior to his appointment at UMKC, he taught middle and high school band in the public school system of Georgia for over ten years. He has international experience as a conductor, performer, and adjudicator while also maintaining a profile as a presenter and researcher at state, regional, national, and international meetings of groups such as Music Educators National Conference, College Band Directors National Association, and the International Association for Jazz Education. His work has been published in various professional journals and books including the International Journal of Research in Music Education, the Jazz Education Journal, the College Band Directors Journal, GIA Publications: Teaching Music Through Performance in Jazz and the Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education where he currently serves as the editor.

Parisi is also the conductor of Kansas City’s Fountain City Brass Band. Previously the groups’ solo cornettist, Parisi was invited to become the musical director and conductor of the group in the fall of 2006. Since that time, the group has been recognized as one of the world’s top brass bands with consecutive wins at the North American Brass Band Championships in 2007 and 2008, and a win at the U.S. Open Brass Band Championship in 2007. Fountain City also became the first American band invited to the prestigious All England Masters International Brass Band Championships in 2007, being the highest finishing band in US history among bands from England, Scotland, Belgium and Holland. As a result of Parisi’s work within the brass band world, he has been nominated for the 2007 “conductor of the year” award and will travel to the United Kingdom in the spring of 2009 to conduct brass bands and teach at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Parisi received a bachelor’s degree in music education from the State University of New York at Potsdam (Crane School of Music); a masters degree in trumpet performance from the Florida State University and a PhD in Instrumental Conducting / Music Education from the Florida State University. Dr. Parisi is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, the College Band Directors National Association, Music Educators National Conference, Missouri Music Educators Association, International Trumpet Guild, Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi and currently serves as the Conservatory’s CMENC chapter advisor. While at the Conservatory, Parisi has been nominated for the Kauffman Excellence in Teaching Award, Research Award and received the Outstanding Service Award in 2005.