Michael Parks

About Michael Parks

A native of Tennessee, Michael Parks holds a BM from Mercer University and an MM from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has composed or arranged over 300 published and recorded works for church and college choirs with hundreds more finding their way into recital halls and onto concert stages across the country. His music has been performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Erich Kunzel, the Macon Symphony Orchestra, and scores of community and international chamber ensembles. From he conducted the Sounds for Hope benefit concert series at Cincinnati\'s storied Music Hall, featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, guest artists, and a 150 voice chorus. In the last decade the demand for his arrangements has grown dramatically among high school show choirs across the Midwest. From 19••••12 he was an annual recipient of the ASCAP Composition Award. Educationally, Mr. Parks has served as an adjudicator and clinician for the Georgia State Literary Meets Music Division and the Ohio All State Choir selection committee. Always an innovator, he created the Academic Honors Option course for upper level choir students in the Northwest Local School District, Cincinnati, OH, and developed a curricular music program for special needs students. His papers on learning processes and musical philosophy have been published in scholarly journals and in the curriculum of leading research universities. As an adjunct at the College of Mount St. Joseph, Mr. Parks taught conducting, orchestration, and directed the College Chorale. He was the Northwest Local Schools 2013 Educator of the Year, and along with his wife, Randie, directed the nationally acclaimed Colerain High School \"Show Cards.\" Together, Michael and Randie Parks were recipients of the 2018 Aspire Award, a national accolade for lifetime achievement in music education. Now retired from teaching, Mr. Parks stays busy as a composer, arranger, and orchestrator. On the fun side, Mr. Parks enjoys his dogs and life as a grandfather, and is a member of Mensa.

Experience

1. Composed and or Arranged Music for Recording, Publication, and Live Stage

   Composer

   Nov 1974 — Present · US

   Composed and arranged music for various choral publishers, recordings, and live symphony and chamber performances, as well as church and college choirs. Arranged music and show design for competition show choirs nationally. Guest lecturer and conductor, and administrator of a school of music. Served as music director in various churches in Tennessee, Georgia, and Ohio.

Education

• Mercer University

  Bachelor of Music

  1991 — 1994

• University of Cincinnati

  Master of Music

  1994 — 1996

Skills

• Composing/Arranging Music, Organization, Attaining Results
• Vocal
• Ensemble
• Teaching
• Orchestration
• Music Theory
• Composition
• Music
• Conducting
• Orchestral Music
• Music Performance
• Band
• Choral Conducting
• Chamber Music
• Music Composition
• Accompaniment
• Public Speaking
• Bands
• Recording
• Music Education
• Choral