Dec. 20, 2021
CWU Director of Bands Featured in Inaugural Yakima Arts Podcast, SCENE Magazine
"CWU Excellence:" T. André Feagin, DMA, director of bands leads the Wildcat Marching Band
Central Washington University’s Director of Bands T. André Feagin, DMA is the first featured guest of the podcast, Yakima Arts Talk, launched last week by the Yakima Herald-Republic (YHR). Episode 1: The Love of Music is the Love of People, is available on Apple and Spotify podcasts.
“My initial reaction to the invitation was humility and confusion,” says Feagin, when asked what his reaction was to being featured on the program. “I was deeply humbled that someone wanted to hear and document my story and experiences as it relates to the work I do at CWU. My confusion exists as a response to my internal question of ‘Why me?’”
Vanessa Ontiveros, YHR education reporter and the podcast host stated, “I had heard such great things about CWU’s Music program, and I know he’s [Feagin] a personable guy. I knew he would be someone interesting to report about…he’s not just a professor, he’s involved with a lot of different groups as well.”
Feagin is the first African American band director in CWU’s history; starting his tenure with Central in July 2020. As director of bands, Feagin guides both the artistic and educational vision of the band area. He serves as administrator for the band program which includes the wind ensemble, symphonic winds, symphonic band, basketball band, and the Wildcat Marching Band within the Department of Music. Feagin is also a professor of music and has extensive international and national exposure in music, conducting, and performance.
Ontiveros spent several days on the Ellensburg campus, to interview and capture various aspects of the music program and Feagin within the classroom, on the practice field and the sideline of a home football game. Captured are the sounds, feel, and passion that makes up the environment and atmosphere within the program at CWU.
According to the podcast, Feagin speaks about “diversity and inclusion in music education, how music can form leaders, and the connection between love of music and love of others.”
“My mentor used to say, ‘that life was about—and is about—the music we make and the people we make it with; at the heart of what we do is people,’” Feagin states in the podcast opening.
Feagin and the music program will also be the feature of a full-length profile in the December 20, 2021 issue of SCENE Magazine—with Feagin on the cover.
Learn more about Professor Feagin--his love of teaching, people, and music--by reading the feature article in SCENE Magazine, listening to the first episode of Yakima Arts Talk podcast, and meeting him in person by enrolling in CWU or attending the Department of Music performances.
About Professor T. André Feagin, DMA
T. André Feagin holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in wind conducting from the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music. He also earned a Master of Music in instrumental wind conducting and a Bachelors of Music from the University of Memphis.
Feagin has appeared as a guest conductor with numerous All-state, regional honor bands, and professional bands and orchestras throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Southeast Asia. As a passionate educator and champion for music education in secondary schools, he has served as an invited clinician and speaker on diversity and inclusion in music education, conducting, and leadership at numerous conferences throughout the United States and around the world.
Feagin is twice a national finalist (2020 & 2021) in the professional/college wind band division of the American Prize in conducting. In 2011, he was honored with a proclamation of “Professor T. André Feagin Day” from the Mayor and City Council of El Paso, Texas.
About Central Washington University
Central Washington University is located in Ellensburg, Washington, and is the only university in Washington to receive the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award seven of the last eight years. Among CWU’s signature programs are Music, Business, Law and Justice, and Education. CWU has the largest and most diverse musical program in the Pacific Northwest. Take full advantage of our world-class concert hall and practice facilities, internationally renowned professors, and global opportunities.
Media contact: Dawn Alford, Department of Public Affairs, 509-963-1484, dawn.alford@cwu.edu.