Associate Professor, Music Theory & Jazz Piano, Spencer Hall

Office: Spencer 112 - pford@adrian.edu

Degrees

Indiana State University, M.A.

Specialties

music theory
jazz studies

Biography

Associate professor of music Pete Ford teaches Music Theory, Class Piano and Jazz Piano. Mr. Ford also conducts one of the two Adrian College Jazz Ensembles. He holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Theory from Indiana State University. A published composer, his saxophone quartet piece Ulterior Motives is on the High School Class "A" content list in Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida. His composition Nahamasa (a choral fanfare for Asa Mahan) received its world premiere in May 2010 at Carnegie Hall in New York City in a performance by the Adrian College Choir. Pete also plays jazz piano gigs around the region both as a freelance musician and with his own group, The Pete Ford Trio. In addition to his instructional duties at Adrian College, he occasionally teaches music classes at Mercy College of Northwest Ohio. pete is a member of Professional Musicians of Northwest Ohio (Local 15-286) and is the primary musical arranger for the saxophone quartet Sax 4th Avenue. He has performed with the likes of jazz trombone legend J. J. Johnson, prominent jazz historian and author Mark Gridley, seminal rock drummer D. J. Fontana, the Adrian Symphony (at jazz concerts) and with may gifted regional artists too numerous to mention. His musical background is eclectic, with experiences inlcuding composition, arranging and recording of commercial boradcast jingles.

Pete lives in toledo with his wife Shannon Ford (Adrian College's instructor of saxophone and clarinet) and four cats.

You may visit Pete Ford's personal website at petefordtheory.com.