David Becker

Chair, Department of Music
Senior Lecturer in Music/Director of Bands

department: Music
office: 015 Evans Center
phone: 503-768-7464
e-mail: dbecker@lclark.edu

David M. Becker, Director of Bands at Lewis & Clark College since 1982, conducts the Wind Symphony, coaches the orchestral wind section, oversees wind and percussion activities, supervises student teachers, and teaches courses in music education, conducting, and jazz.

Becker has adjudicated or conducted over 200 music festivals in 19 states and Canadian provinces. His appearances as a conductor or clinician at state, regional, and national conferences include conducting several all-State bands. He has been one of the conductors of the Oregon Symphonic Band, Portland’s premiere adult band, for many years and recently served for two years as acting director of bands at Oregon State University. He has led over 1200 high school musicians on biennial European concert tours as music director of Oregon Ambassadors of Music and will lead another tour in 2007.

He is a past president of the Oregon Music Educators Association, College Band Directors National Association NW Division, and Oregon Alliance for Arts Education. He was the first president of the Oregon Band Directors Association and is currently chair of their adjudicator certification committee. He helped create and continues to be involved with the Oregon School Activities Association’s State High School Band & Orchestra Championships and is responsible for Oregon’s required band contest literature list.

He and his wife, Kathy, will lead twenty-one fine arts students on an overseas program based in London throughout spring semester, 2006. This biennial program, offered through Lewis & Clark’s Office of Overseas and Off-Campus Study, focuses on the fine arts and was designed and first led by Becker in 1992.

He holds degrees from the University of Oregon and has teaching experience in the Oregon public schools at South Eugene, South Salem, Silverton, and Lakeview High Schools. He is a bassoonist and avid salmon fisherman.