Assistant Professor of Music
Director of Bands
Conductor, Wind Ensemble
- D.M.A., University of Colorado
- M.M., Northwestern University
- B.M.E., University of Northern Iowa
Karen Fannin is Assistant Professor and Director of Bands at Hendrix College, where she leads the Wind and Percussion division, conducts the Wind Ensemble, and teaches conducting, low brass, and courses in twentieth-century music and fundamentals of music. In 2008, she founded the Festival of Winds Honor Band for high school musicians held at Hendrix College each May. Dr. Fannin is also Music Director and Conductor of the Little Rock Wind Symphony, an ensemble of professional and semi-professional musicians. Dr. Fannin holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado, where she studied with Allan McMurray. She received a Master of Music in Conducting from Northwestern University, where she was a student of Mallory Thompson and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa, where she studied euphonium with Jeffrey Funderburk. Upon graduation from UNI, Dr. Fannin was awarded the Purple and Old Gold Award for Conspicuous Achievement in Music.
Prior to her studied at CU, Dr. Fannin served as Director of Bands at Lockport Township High School in suburban Chicago, where she instituted a composer-in-residence program. A native of Iowa, Dr. Fannin also held the position of Director of Bands in the Lynnville-Sully Community Schools.
Dr. Fannin maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and clinician. Her paper "Tracing the Lineage of Nadia Boulanger through American Wind Repertoire" was selected for presentation at the 2007 National Convention of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has also been selected to present her research in creating a behind-the-scenes concert at a Creativity Across the Curriculum conference of the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE) in Salem, Oregon in October 2008. Dr. Fannin has presented on topics such as communication in music as well as parallels between the ensemble and business. She will also be a contributing author to the seventh volume of the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series published by GIA.
Dr. Fannin's professional affiliations include Pi Kappa Lambda, College Band Directors National Association, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Music Educators National Conference, Arkansas Bandmasters Association, Arkansas Music Educators Association, and the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association.
Areas of Instruction
- Wind Ensemble
- Conducting
- Low Brass
- Coordinator of wind and percussion area:
Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion
Affiliations
- Pi Kappa Lambda
- College Band Directors National Association
- World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles
- Music Educators National Conference
- Arkansas Bandmasters Association
- Arkansas Music Educators Association
- Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association
Educational Background
- Bachelor of Music in Music Education, University of Northern Iowa, 1996
- Master of Music in Conducting, Northwestern University, 2001
- Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting and Literature, University of Colorado, 2005
Links