School of Music Faculty
Gordon Brock
Professor Emeritus, Instrumental Conducting
Dr. Gordon R. Brock is Professor Emeritus of Music and former Director of Bands at the University of North Florida’s School of Music in Jacksonville, Florida, where he conducted the Wind Symphony, instructed courses in conducting and woodwind performance and coordinated the UNF Conducting Symposium. Earning his B.S.E. from Dickinson State University, M.M. from Michigan State University, and D.M.A. from the University of Colorado-Boulder, Dr. Brock’s career as a music educator encompasses elementary through university levels.
Under Dr. Brock’s leadership as chair (2002-12), the Department of Music was awarded an elite flagship designation (Music Flagship Program) and emerged as a program of prominence recognized throughout the region for its renowned faculty, dedication to student learning, and engagement with the community as it continues to garner recognition as one of the fastest growing and leading performance-based programs in the country. Under Dr. Brock’s direction, the UNF Wind Symphony has performed at prestigious events and venues including the annual Upbeat Pink: A Musical Tribute to Breast Cancer Survivorship concert series in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, the Florida Music Educators Association State Conference, Carnegie Hall, and Alice Tully Hall-Lincoln Center.
Before joining UNF, Dr. Brock was Director of Bands at the University of North Dakota, conductor of the Greater Grand Forks Youth Symphony, and the Grand Forks Chamber Ensemble. Under his direction, the UND Wind Ensemble performed at two North Dakota Music Educators Conferences, the Ohio Music Education Association/North Central MENC Professional Conference, and a joint concert series in Great Britain with the Central Band of the White Russian Army. In addition to an annual CD project dedicated to recording the best in traditional and contemporary wind literature, Dr. Brock instituted an annual Conducting Symposium, which attracted both regional and international participants. Having been twice honored by the Alberta Provincial Government for his nationally recognized ensembles and contributions to music education throughout Canada, Dr. Brock was also included in the fifth edition of “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.” He has served as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States and Canada, including Japan and Israel. In 2006, he was acknowledged as a Distinguished Alumnus of Dickinson State University and as the UNF Gerson Yessin Professor (2010-12).
Dr. Brock has performed with a broad spectrum of internationally recognized organizations within the mediums of chamber music, jazz, wind band, theater, dance, and orchestra. He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association (state chair, 2003-2005), Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Beta Mu, National Association for Music Education, Florida Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, and the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. A chapter contributor to the GIA publication, The Art of Interpretation of Band Music, Dr. Brock continues to serve as a Research Associate and author for the instrumental music education series Teaching Music through Performance in Band, a series that now serves as a primary text in more than 300 universities in the United States and 20 countries.
Contact: (904) 620-2961 | grbrock@unf.edu