Arris Golden
East Lansing, MI 48824
ABOUT
Dr. Arris Golden is the Assistant Director of Bands and Associate Director of the Spartan Marching Band at Michigan State University. In this capacity, Dr. Golden conducts the Concert Band, teaches academic courses in conducting and marching band techniques, coordinates Spartan Brass, and is coordinator of the MSU Performing Arts Camps.
Before her collegiate appointments, Dr. Golden had a distinguished 18-year teaching career in the public schools of North Carolina. In her last public school assignment, Dr. Golden conducted the premiere of three commissioned works that have become standards in the middle school band repertoire: “Kitsune: The Fox Spirits,” by Brian Balmages (2009), “The Machine Awakes” for young band and electronics by Steven Bryant (2012), and “The Cave Your Fear” by Michael Markowski (2014).
Dr. Golden maintains an active schedule with engagements throughout the United States and internationally as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. Dr. Golden has also shared presentations at the College Band Directors North Central Conference, the College Band Directors Athletic Band Conference, the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference, the Midwest Band, and Orchestra Clinic, the Michigan Music Conference, the Music For All Summer Symposium, the North Carolina Music Educators Conference, the Missouri Bandmasters Association Conference, the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, Wisconsin Music Educators Convention, and the Virginia Music Educators Conference based in her research interests: undergraduate music education preparation, conductor decision-making, Mindset in the music classroom, repertoire selection and programming, and the student teaching and mentorship experience.
Dr. Golden has worked with many notable composers in the preparation and performance of their works for the wind band medium. Recent and future artistic collaborations include Brian Balmages, David Biedenbender, Steven Bryant, Roger Cichy, Harrison Collins, Katahj Copley, Danielle Fisher, Tyler S. Grant, Michael Markowski, Tyler Mazone, Peter Meechan, Aaron Perinne, Alex Shapiro, Erika Svanoe, Omar Thomas, and Frank Ticheli. Dr. Golden’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association and the National Band Association (NBA). She serves as a member of the William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Contest Committee and as Chairperson of the National Band Association’s Music List Committee. A published author, chapters by Dr. Golden have been featured in Women in Wind Band (2023) and From Our Eyes & Ears (2021, 2nd Edition, in process).
Dr. Golden holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in wind conducting from Michigan State University as a 2014 recipient of a Michigan State University Distinguished Fellowship.
