Mel Morse
Instructional Assistant Professor of Music and Assistant Director of Bands
Biography
A native of Irvine, California, Mel Morse earned a bachelor’s (1998) and master’s (2001) degree in music education fro the University of Mississippi. During his time at Ole Miss, he served as drum major for the Pride of the South Marching Band for three years and as a graduate assistant for one year. For twenty-two years, Mr. Morse directed band programs throughout Mississippi in Houston, Lewisburg, and Oxford. His bands have consistently seen unparalleled growth in band membership and the number of students selected for the Mississippi Lions All-State Band. Under his direction, the bands demonstrated a high level of excellence on both the marching field and concert stage, including winning three Mississippi State Marching Championships, a Mississippi Indoor Association Wind Championship, Sweepstakes, and repeatedly receiving all-superior ratings.
Mr. Morse is the 2002 recipient of the A.E. McClain award, given to the most outstanding young band director in Mississippi. He worked on the Mississippi Lions All-State Band staff twice, including serving as head director in 2011 when the band won the international championship in Seattle, Washington. Currently an active member of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, Northeast Mississippi Band Directors Association, Phi Beta Mu, and the United States Band Directors Association, he has served as president of the Mississippi Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu and the Northeast Mississippi and I-55 Band Directors Associations. Mr. Morse is an active adjudicator and clinician throughout the Southeastern United States.
Education
BM Music, The University of Mississippi (1998)
MM Music Education, The University of Mississippi (2001)