Alex Parker Music

Reviews

Alex Parker is not only a great musician, but also a wonderful mentor. His positive influence goes well beyond the rehearsal hall and stage and has helped shape the values of every student who has been a part of Baylor Jazz, including myself.

Josh Holmes (BA '06, JD '09)
Assistant County Attorney
Bryan, Texas

An inspirational educator and role model.
"Alex Parker is an inspirational educator who provides great insight and connectivity to the jazz genre. He is an excellent role model who guides his students well, instilling confidence in even the most hesitant performer. While under his direction in the Jazz Ensemble at Baylor University, I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about jazz techniques and music pedagogy. I was also blessed to learn from the world-famous musicians that Mr. Parker invited in to work with the students. Now, as a young band director, I often reflect upon musical concepts and pedagogical approaches that were exhibited by Mr. Parker. With his leadership and encouragement, I was able to develop the first jazz ensemble program in my school district.” - Alex Baczewski, Associate Director of Bands, Decker Middle School, Manor, TX

Biography

Instills confidence in his students.

A Bit about alex...

"As someone who has never performed with a jazz ensemble and is now pursuing a PhD in musicology, people are often surprised when I list "jazz improvisation" as one of my favorite classes that I took at Baylor. Alex Parker's classes helped me become a stronger and more confident musician, but perhaps more importantly he never stopped encouraging me to think outside the box. I still use the skills I gained in his classes on a daily basis, not as a jazz musician but as a performer of Renaissance music."   Kate Sutton, Former Student, PHD Candidate

An inspirational educator and role model.
"Alex Parker is an inspirational educator who provides great insight and connectivity to the jazz genre. He is an excellent role model who guides his students well, instilling confidence in even the most hesitant performer. While under his direction in the Jazz Ensemble at Baylor University, I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about jazz techniques and music pedagogy. I was also blessed to learn from the world-famous musicians that Mr. Parker invited in to work with the students. Now, as a young band director, I often reflect upon musical concepts and pedagogical approaches that were exhibited by Mr. Parker. With his leadership and encouragement, I was able to develop the first jazz ensemble program in my school district.” - Alex Baczewski, Associate Director of Bands, Decker Middle School, Manor, TX

Experienced

Music Educator

ALEX PARKER is the director of Jazz Studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

He currently serves as the Director of the Baylor Jazz Ensemble, the Baylor Concert Jazz Ensemble, jazz combos, jazz string quartets and he teaches undergraduate and graduate students in several jazz disciplines.

Before coming to Baylor, he was assistant band director and then (beginning in November 2000) head band director at Pflugerville High School.

Prior to his position in the Pflugerville Independent School District, he served as band and orchestra director at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida.

The high school bands with which he has been associated have been sweepstakes winners in both the Texas University Interscholastic League and the Florida Bandmasters Association.

In 2010, he received the Baylor University Outstanding Professor Award for Teaching.

Alex Parker was born in Terrell, Texas in 1972. 

He grew up in San Antonio. 

An avid musician from the start, Alex began taking

guitar lessons at 9 years old and added the piano a

year later.  In 7th grade, he found his true passion for

music in the trumpet.  He was a two time All-state

Concert and Jazz Ensemble player. 

He was a full scholarship recipient at the University of

Miami, where he studied jazz with Whit Sidner and

conducting with Gary Green.  He was also a merit

scholarship recipient at the Eastman School of Music,

where his principal teachers were Fred Sturm, Bill

Dobbins (jazz) and Barbara Butler (trumpet).

His background is in jazz writing, performance and pedagogy, as well as trumpet performance and instrumental teaching. 

Mr. Parker is a founding director of the Texas Jazz Educators Association and he now serves as the Executive Officer of TJEA. He is also the editor of the Texas All-State Jazz Etudes.  He is a past president of the Texas Chapter of the International Association for Jazz Education

and he is a charter member of the Jazz Educators Network.