Hunter Bown is originally from Houma, Louisiana, where he first joined band and fell in love with the marching arts. After high school, he attended the University of North Texas to study music education with a concentration in trumpet. During his time at UNT, he served as Drum Major of the Green Brigade and earned the Outstanding Member Award and Outstanding Leader Award. He also founded the Marching Arts Forum, an organization focused on bringing lecture and clinic experiences in the marching arts from top educators to students at the university-level. During the summers, he participated in Drum Corps International as Drum Major of the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps in 2012 and as Drum Major of the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps for the 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons, earning the organization’s first World Class gold medal in 2013. 

 

He served as public school music educator for seven years following graduation and enjoyed a dynamic career at Timber Creek High School and later Independence High School. As an assistant band director at Timber Creek High School in Keller, TX, he led the marching band to its first Bands of America regional finals appearance and regional championship and instructed four different levels of non-varsity concert bands, earning consistent sweepstakes awards. Seeking the guidance of the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s most experienced music educators, he earned a Masters of Music in Music Education from Southern Methodist University. He credits this experience to learning a variety of useful pedagogical information for all wind instruments and a significant expansion of wind literature knowledge. As Director of Bands at Independence High School in Frisco, TX, he led the organization to its first appearance at the highly competitive Area B Marching Contest. In this role, he collaborated closely with the Director of Orchestras Lindsey Titus to co-found the Symphony Orchestra and perform advanced orchestral literature, earning placement as a State Honor Orchestra Finalist in 2022. 

 

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