Erik W. Richards, 2024, Associate Professor (tenure track), PhD in Music Education – Florida State University, MM in Music Education and Conducting – Virginia Commonwealth University, BS in Music Education – Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Erik W. Richards is the Director of Athletic Bands and an Associate Professor of Music at The University of Arkansas at Monticello. In this capacity, Dr. Richards directs The Pride of Southeast Arkansas “Boll Weevil” Marching Band, teaches studio saxophone and clarinet, and other classes within the UAM Division of Music. Dr. Richards comes to UAM from Delta State University, where he served for nearly a decade as the Director of Bands, Associate Professor of Music, and Coordinator of Music Education.
Dr. Richards appears throughout the country as a guest conductor and adjudicator. He has presented clinic sessions for the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, Louisiana Music Education Association, Alabama Music Education Association, Pennsylvania Music Education Association, and Tennessee Music Education Association on topics within band and instrumental music education pedagogy.
Dr. Richards's academic journey is a testament to his commitment to music education. Dr. Richards’s original research has additionally been published in Contributions to Music Education and Research Perspectives in Music Education. He also contributes to the GIA Teaching Music through Performance in Band series and the Teaching Music through Performance in Middle School Band series. He is a member of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, and the National Association for Music Education. Dr. Richards is also an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and an Artist/Clinician for Jupiter Band Instruments, Inc.