Our Artistic Director
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Dean McDowell studied conducting at the University of Michigan and received his B.A. in Music Education in 1975 from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. For eleven years, Mr. McDowell worked as an instrumental, choral and elementary school music teacher in Ohio. Dean also pursued his love for making music by directing community theatre productions as well as playing euphonium in the Capital Pride Band of Columbus which his partner Bob helped found. His ability to make things happen transitioned Dean’s career as a Music Educator to a specialized and sought after tour planner working with hundreds of high school music departments creating tours of a lifetime for literally thousands of students in the United States and abroad.Dean moved from Columbus, Ohio to the Coachella Valley in 2006. The Desert Winds Freedom Band was in need of a permanent artistic director and Dean was enthusiastically recruited for the artistic director position in 2007. Under his artistic direction, the band has flourished and grown into a highly esteemed, openly LGBT and LGBT-friendly musical group for the Coachella Valley. Eight years ago, Dean suggested broadening the educational outreach of the band by bringing in guest composer/conductors to be featured with the Desert Winds performing their compositions, sponsoring workshops with these prestigious composers for the local high school band programs and to date giving $28,000 in scholarships to deserving high school seniors accepted to major in music in college. |
