Mike Perez is in his twenty-fourth year of teaching and is in his nineteenth year as Director of Bands at Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School in Fort Collins, CO.  Mr. Perez previously taught for five years in the Thompson School District at Erwin Middle School and Loveland High School with Sherree McLaughlin and Gary Hall.   

 

Mr. Perez graduated from Loveland High School and received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Colorado. While at CU, he studied percussion with Doug Walter, conducting with Allan McMurray and Rob Carnachan, earned a Downbeat Magazine Outstanding Jazz Combo Performance award and was a concerto competition finalist on marimba.  Mr. Perez received his Masters degree in Conducting from Southern Oregon University.  

 

Mr. Perez’s duties at Kinard Middle School include teaching over 250 students in three beginning bands, and three ensembles. Kinard’s Symphonic Band was the first Colorado middle school band selected to perform at the prestigious Music for All National Concert Band Festival in 2018 and has performed five times as an honor band at the Colorado Music Educators Association Convention.  The Symphonic Band and Honors Band at Kinard consistently earn superior ratings at local and state level festivals, typically represent one third of the Poudre School District Honor Band, and consistently have some of the most students accepted into the CU Middle School Honor Band. The Symphonic Band was demonstration group at the University of Northern Colorado’s Conducting Symposium with Richard Saucedo and at the Colorado Music Educators Association Clinic Conference with Dr. Matthew Arau.​

 

Mr. Perez maintains a healthy work-life balance by being an amateur 5K and 10K runner, hiking as many peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park as he can, snowboarding in Summit County, and cheering on his three high schoolers in sports and music activities.