BIO
Dr. Vern Weygandt holds a DMA in Music Education from the University of Georgia, an MM in trombone performance from Winthrop University, and a BA in Music Education from Limestone College. After touring the Eastern U.S. as a jazz/R&B performer, he directed band in York and Union South Carolina, and served on the faculties of Limestone College, Converse College, and the University of South Carolina Upstate, where he taught courses in music education, music theory, composition, jazz studies, commercial music, and applied low brass. From 2012-2015, he served as a graduate TA at the University of Georgia, lecturing in elementary and secondary music education, brass methods, and practicum supervision. In 2020, he retired from public school teaching as the Director of Bands at McCracken Middle School in Spartanburg, SC., where he taught 6th - 8th grade band, as well as the Spartanburg HS Jazz Ensembles. Dr. Weygandt is a member of the International Trombone Association.
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During his tenure, the bands of McCracken Middle School were awarded multiple Superior with Distinction recognitions at CPA festivals, as well as multiple seats in both SC Region and All-State Bands. In this time, Dr. Weygandt was also fortunate enough to receive numerous awards for teaching excellence, such as the MMS Teacher of the Year, the Spartanburg District 7 Teacher of the Year, the WYFF-TV Golden Apple Award, the WYFF-TV Golden Apple Teacher of the Year finalist, and a regional Life Changer of the Year.
Performance Credits
Dr. Weygandt has had the opportunity to share the stage with popular artists such as Ray Charles, Archie Bell, Delbert McClinton, Jeffrey Osbourse, Percy Sledge, the Embers, the Fabulous Kays, and Cream of Soul; with jazz artists such as Marcus Printup, Jim Snidero, Chris Vidala, Roger Pemberton, Rick Simerly, the New York Voices, Jon Thornton, the Half Dozen Brass Band, the Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble, the Greenville Jazz Collective, and the UGA Dawg Bones; and with classical ensembles such as the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Converse College Faculty Brass, the Converse College Orchestra, the UGA Trombone Choir, and the UGA Jazz Ensembles. He has also performed in the pit orchestra for musicals such as Sweeney Todd, the Full Monty, South Pacific, Anything Goes, and A Chorus Line.
Recording/Writing/Arranging Credits
Dr. Weygandt's compositions and arrangements have been performed by school concert and marching bands, community bands, and professional ensembles throughout the Carolinas and Georgia. Recently, He wrote and recorded horn arrangements for the album "Shades of Grey" by Elliot Ratgen. Dr. Weygandt has been fortunate to appear as both a performer and writer/arranger with the Embers, the Fabulous Kays, Cream of Soul, the Windjammers, the St. Louis Jazz, James Reese, and Shane Pruitt.
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Scholarship
Dr. Weygandt has presented and published articles in the fields of music education, music theory, and jazz pedagogy. His dissertation, "The Effect of Incorporating the Principles of Comprehensive Musicianship into High School Band Warm-Ups" (University of Georgia, 2015), is a pretest/posttest experiment that places focus on both theory fundamentals pedagogy and performance expression in secondary school band. Other highlights include "The Young Jazz Combo: Building a Stylistic and Improvisational Foundation for the Secondary School Jazz Ensemble" (Georgia Music News, 2012), "Just J/K: The Historical Impact of the JJ Johnson/Kai Winding Quintet" (lecture/recital, 2013 Georgia Trombone Summit), "Slide Area: Colloquialisms of the Jazz Trombone" (lecture/recital, 2014 USC Upstate), and "Elementary Music in the Post-NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Era" (presentation, 2015 SCMEA Conference). In addition, he has been a guest lecturer for various college/university CNAfME organizations and a guest clinician for both high school and middle school jazz ensembles and low brass sections. In 2017, Dr. Weygandt published his first book Handbook for Prospective Music Majors through Amazon Publishing.
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Currently, Dr. Weygandt is an Adjunct Music Instructor for Converse University, USC Upstate, and Spartanburg Community College. He has several works published through Hal Leonard's Sheet Music Plus website, including arrangements of popular jazz standards soared specifically for middle school. In addition, he maintains a YouTube channel that features trombone oriented arrangements, such as "Brick" by Ben Folds and the "Blood Theme" from the TV series Dexter.
