James T. Decker
James
T. Decker, Associate Professor of Trombone, holds the Master
of Music Education degree from Herbert H. Lehman College,
the Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, and
the Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School.
He has performed with a wide range of ensembles, including
the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, where he served as
Principal Trombonist for 17 years, the Britt Festival
Orchestra, the Tucson and New Mexico Symphony Orchestras,
and various brass chamber groups. Mr. Decker solo career has
included several recitals at premier universities throughout
the United States as well as several solo performances of
significant works with ensemble accompaniment, including the
Samuel Jones Trombone Concerto “Vita Accademica” and the
John Mackey “Harvest Concerto”. His commercial
experience includes performances with Wycliffe Gordon, Diana
Krall, Michael McDonald, Al Jarreau, Toto, Ray Charles, Burt
Bacharach, Toni Tennille, Lou Rawls, Sammy Davis Jr.,
Natalie Cole, The Temptations and Christopher Cross.
His teaching experience is extensive, with experience as an
instructor of trombone, euphonium, jazz, and full symphonic
band at the elementary, junior and high school levels in
addition to private studio and classroom teaching at the
college level. His principal teachers were Joseph Alessi,
Steve Norrell, Jim Pugh, Edward Herman, Vincent Penzarella,
and Jerome Callet. You can find the Texas Tech
Trombone studio home page at
http://www.texastechtrombones.com
To contact Mr. Decker, you may email him at
james.decker@ttu.edu