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Daniel Cook is delighted to be joining the Ithaca College community as Director of Bands and Conductor of the historic Ithaca College Wind Ensemble. He comes to IC from the University of North Texas faculty, where he conducted the Wind Ensemble; taught courses in wind band literature, graduate, and undergraduate conducting; and served as Director of Athletic Bands. In this capacity, he was proud to lead the 435-member Green Brigade Marching Band.
Cook earned Doctor of Musical Arts with program honors and Master of Music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied with Dr. Mallory Thompson. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from the University of Georgia in Athens. There, he was also recognized as a Theodore Presser Scholar. Cook’s ensemble performances have received acclaim, most recently by such composers as Bryant, Daugherty, Del Tredici, Gotkovsky, Higdon, and Schwantner. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Florida and Texas state music conferences, Bands of America events, the Texas UIL State contest, as well as at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival. The UNT Wind Ensemble has won first-place recognition for the collegiate American Prize in Wind Ensemble Performance.
In addition to his work at UNT, Cook is honored to have held educational positions with the award-winning Dallas Brass Band and Santa Clara Vanguard. Cook is an active clinician, adjudicator, speaker, and guest conductor. His lecture interests focus on the adaptation of trends in positive psychology to enhance the efficacy of music classroom instruction, and he has delivered talks regarding these topics at state conventions, band director association gatherings, and at the Midwest Clinic. Cook has also participated in prestigious masterclasses, such as the inaugural Reynolds Conducting Institute at the Midwest Clinic, and as a winner/invited conductor for the Young Conductor/Mentor Project sponsored by the National Band Association. He is published in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series. Prior to graduate work, Cook began his career as a public school band director in Florida, and ensembles under his direction received accolades for their achievements. He was a member of the Florida Bandmasters Association and chaired numerous concert and marching band events. Additionally, Cook served as staff pianist and organist at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Daytona Beach. His current professional affiliations include the Collegiate Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, New York State School Music Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.