Welcome to Arkansas State University!

Education

  • D.A., University of Northern Colorado: Trombone Performance, Jazz Pedagogy
  • M.A., California State University, Northridge; Trombone Performance
  • B.A., West Virginia Wesleyan College: Music, English

Teaching Specialties

  • Jazz
  • Music Technology

Research Interests

  • Composition
  • Computer-Assisted Instruction
  • Jazz Performance

Affiliations

  • American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
  • Association for Technology in Music Instruction
  • College Music Society
  • Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association
  • Music Teachers National Association
  • National Association for Music Education
  • Technology Institute for Music Educators

Biography

Don Bowyer is Professor of Music and Interim Director of the Fowler Center at Arkansas State University. Having previously taught at every level from kindergarten through university in the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Sweden, Bowyer received his Doctor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado, Master of Arts from California State University-Northridge, and Bachelor of Arts from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Active in the fields of composition, music technology, and performance, Bowyer has published more than 60 pieces of music, developed an educational computer program that has been used in at least 120 countries, and has performed as a trombonist in 40 different countries. Among other performing credits, he spent five years playing trombone on eleven cruise ships in the Caribbean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Gulf of Alaska. The first ten didn't sink. (See this link for an account of the eleventh.)

Bowyer and his wife have also served as foster parents, having provided a home to eighteen foster children between 2003 and 2010.