Sarah McKoin

Dr. Sarah McKoin is the Director of Bands and Professor of Conducting at Texas Tech University.  Her responsibilities include Conductor and Musical Director of the TTU Symphonic Wind Ensemble, administrating the graduate program in wind conducting, teaching conducting and wind literature, and overseeing all facets of the University band program, which includes 5 concert bands, the 400 member Goin' Band from Raiderland, and other athletic bands.

Under Dr. McKoin's direction, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform for the third time at the 2017 Texas Music Educators Association Conference, and has been featured at the Southwest Regional Conference for the College Band Director's National Association in Las Cruces, NM.  Dr. McKoin's ensemble has recorded world premiere recordings of the wind music of Chen Yi on the Naxos label released in 2015, as well as Narong Prangcharoen's work Chakra on his compilation CD entitled “Phenomenon,” released on the Albany label.

Dr. McKoin maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and clinician and has traveled extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Recently, she served as a clinician for a band festival in Thailand, and has worked for the Asian Pacific American School Honor Band in Guangzhou, China comprised of 100 students from Korea, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Kuala Lampur, Shanghai and other Southeast Asian cities.  She has guest conducted in Taipei, Taiwan and has traveled to Tel Aviv, Israel to serve as producer for the world premiere recording of Roberto Sierra's Fantasia Correliana with the Castellani-Andriaccio guitar duo.

Prior to her appointment at Texas Tech, Professor McKoin was the Director of Bands at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and held appointments at the State University of New York at Buffalo and SUNY Fredonia. Additionally, McKoin spent nine summers in residence on the conducting faculty at the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, North Carolina as the Director of the Transylvania Wind Ensemble, and has taught at the Interlochen Arts Academy. 

Dr. McKoin holds her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin as well as degrees from Wichita State University and Michigan State University. She has served as President of the Southwest Division of the College Band Director's National Association as well as President of the Big 12 Band Director's Association.  She is a member of TMEA, TBA, Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda and holds honorary memberships in Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.