Adam Collins recently finished his Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance at Eastern Michigan University and is currently the Director of Bands at Independence High School, in Mint Hill, North Carolina. He previously served as Director of Bands at Ypsilanti Community High School (Ypsilanti, Michigan), and Berkley High School (Berkley, Michigan). Adam has performed in several local, national, and international ensembles, including the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps, the Life Sciences Orchestra at the University of Michigan, the Kappa Kappa Psi/Tau Beta Sigma National Intercollegiate Band in Boston, Massachusetts and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the World Youth Wind Orchestra Project in Schladming, Austria.

Adam is a founding member of ...And We Were Heard, an initiative that seeks to “connect underrepresented composers with wind band conductor-educators to foster equitable programming practices through collaborative recording and digital dissemination.”

Adam has recently begun working with composers and music educators to bring greater knowledge and awareness to the teachers and public educators that mold the lives and experiences of today’s children. He is an active advocate for the purposeful choice to create inclusive, diverse, and inviting musical programs as well as classroom environments for people of all genders and skin colors to feel welcomed, and thrive in a creative setting.

Personal Philosophy

The world is a complicated place. That is not something that can be overstated. Throughout my life, I have experienced a great deal of moments that have shaped and molded how I view the world, and my role within it. We are all learning how to function in our circles of society, whether that is the societies that we are embedded in, our role within our community, our responsibilities in our personal and professional lives, or simply figuring out the best way to continue our own existence and find some sense of meaning. We are constantly moving throughout these roles, mentally changing the channels of our focus depending on how ready and capable we are to take on the challenges of the situations we encounter each and every day.

As I have grown as a student, a teacher, and human being, I have found a running theme in everything that I do, and how I approach my life - there is never a time when I have learned enough; that is to say that I have never found myself saying “that’s all there is to know about that - what’s the next thing?” I have found this unending pursuit of knowledge and understanding to be the driving force behind what it is that I do every day, be it a performance, a lesson taught, a fruitful experience with friends and family, or a hardship that has to be overcome. I have found that when I am the most successful in my life is when I am approaching every day with the mindset that there is something to be learned from it, and it is my daily goal to figure out what that is.

As a teacher, I found that my primary objective has been to help others find their way, whether that be in a musical mindset, or just as a basic means of human survival. Some of my most profound interactions with my students have been away from the music itself, simply a connection to the life of another, and making sure that those individuals know that who they are matters to me, and that I care about them. As our world becomes increasingly burdened by egocentric social media, apathetic news, and perpetual stress, I have found it to be increasingly important that we re-engage in the most simple and straightforward aspects of human interaction - showing that we care, and being there for each other.

This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. I cannot sit here and explain in explicit terms the means to which I apply this mindset. What I have learned over my years of teaching and interaction with others is that taking a broad concept and then applying specific details and words to each individual moment is how I have seen the most success in my endeavors. There is a growing demand in my own mind to make sure that the lives of others are understood and respected; the struggles and obstacles that others face are different but no more or less important than our own; and that each of us are living in our own version of reality, completely dependent on the interpretations of the experiences that shape our lives. If there is one thing that we can take away from one another, it is that we all have something of value and importance to offer the rest of the world. And it is my goal and aim to help as many people as possible to understand and value that.