Craig McKenzie
Craig McKenzie
Director of Athletic Bands
Asst. Director of Bands
408-924-4643
craig.mckenzie@sjsu.edu
MUS 248
Biography
Craig McKenzie is the Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at San José State University. His responsibilities at SJSU include directing the Spartan Marching Band and Spartan Basketball Band, working with the Symphonic Band, teaching within the Music Education department, and supervising student teachers.
Dr. McKenzie is currently completing a D.M.A. at the University of Miami, Frost School of Music where he studies instrumental conducting with Robert M. Carnochan. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Music with an emphasis in conducting from San José State University. During his time at San José State as a student, Dr. McKenzie also taught conducting classes and directed the Symphonic Band.
With sixteen years of middle school, high school, and college teaching experience, Dr. McKenzie most recently taught at Abraham Lincoln High School, a visual and performing arts school in San José, CA. His teaching duties included Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Concert Band ensembles, Mariachi, the Lion Pride Band, and two Jazz Bands. In addition, he directed the pit orchestra for each of the two musicals produced by Lincoln High School every year.
Dr. McKenzie is a long-standing member of the California Music Educators Association, the California Band Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the College Music Society. He was honored with the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Lincoln High School Foundation in 2012 and was recognized as Teacher of the Year by Lincoln High School in 2013.
Dr. McKenzie enjoys returning to the San Bernardino mountains of California each summer to visit Arrowbear Music Camp where he has directed the Intermediate Session Band every year since 2002. He credits Arrowbear Music Camp with an influential portion of his musical education and attended as a camper in his childhood.
When not on the podium, Craig resides in San José, CA with his wife Andrea and their dog Freya. He enjoys traveling, exploring new cities via their restaurants, and searching for lost retro, vintage, and Polynesian Pop artwork to add to his collection.
Dr. McKenzie believes that music and the arts are an integral part of a well-rounded education and that training the next generation of music teachers is of paramount importance.
For more on Dr. McKenzie, visit him on his personal website below.
