From blues and punk to rock and roll, Arthur White has at one point in his life played in nearly every kind of band, but now he believes he has finally found “the perfect gig.” As the director of MU’s Jazz Performance Studies program and Assistant Professor in the School of Music, White now handles all things jazz at MU.

From selecting charts and arrangements to planning the nitty-gritty details of rehearsals, considerable work goes into preparing for concert performance. “Sight reading is a very important skill,” remarks former director Leibinger, “and the more you sight read, the better you are going to get.” Being able to take a brand new score, and breathe life into the notes on the page is a wondrous thing. After a few weeks, they begin focusing on the harder parts. As concert day nears, the director and band must quickly determine how to spend the remaining practice time.