James M. Lind, D.M.A.
Department Chair
Assistant Professor of Music
Specialties: Director of Bands and Brass Studies Coordinator
Education:
- D.M.A. – University of North Texas
- M.M. – University of North Texas
- B.A. in Music – Texas Wesleyan University (Summa cum laude)
Contact:
719-587-7703 Or 719-587-7059
jlind@adams.edu
A Colorado transplant, James M. Lind currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Bands and Brass Studies Coordinator at Adams State University. He conducts the ASU Wind Symphony and ASU Brass Choir, teaches applied music for all brass instruments, Brass Methods, Conducting Methods, and general music classes. Previously, Lind served as Lead Music Faculty at Otero College in La Junta, Colorado. There, he guided the development of a growing, multi-faceted and comprehensive music program. A passionate educator committed to student success, Lind devotes one-on-one attention to meet the needs of each individual student and help each grow as a learner and musician.
As a performer, Lind enjoys a varied career as a trumpet player and music director. Currently, he performs with the Pueblo Symphony as Principal Trumpet and free-lances with various chamber groups throughout Colorado. Previous performance credits include, the Dallas Opera Orchestra (banda musician, on-/-off stage roles), North Texas Chamber Orchestra (principal trumpet), Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra (second trumpet), Holy Moly (country/cowpunk band), the Lab Bands at the University of North Texas. In addition to performing, Lind served as Associate Conductor of the Greater Fort Worth Community Band in Texas.
Lind graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Texas Wesleyan University. He pursued graduate studies at the world-renowned University of North Texas College of Music, earning both the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Trumpet Performance. His primary teachers include John Holt and Keith Johnson (classical trumpet), Jay Saunders and Rodney Booth (jazz trumpet). He studied conducting at the University of North Texas with Dennis Fisher (Faculty Emeritus) and Eugene Corporon (Director of Wind Studies and Regents Professor of Music). He has undertaken additional studies with John Haynie (Faculty Emeritus, University of North Texas), Ronald Romm (Founding Member of the Canadian Brass), and Nicholas Althouse (Baroque Trumpet).
In his spare time, Lind enjoys hiking, watching sports, and spending time with his wife Allison and two children, Charlotte and Joseph.
Lind is a Trumpet Artist for S.E. Shires Co., Custom Brass Instruments (Holliston, MA) and performs on Pickett Brass mouthpieces.
Amy C. Johnson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Music
Specialties: Voice; Vocal Pedagogy; Diction
Education:
- Ph.D. – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- M.M. – Cleveland Institute of Music
- B.M. – Cleveland Institute of Music
Contact:
719-587-7422
ajohnson@adams.edu
Amy C. Johnson, originally from Indianapolis, IN has been teaching voice for many years, working with students of all ages in both classical and musical theatre styles. Her students have performed in opera and musical theatre productions, given successful recitals, and been finalists in various competitions. Amy has also worked extensively as a musical director, teaching artist, and accompanist. She created curriculum for elementary and middle school musical theatre classes, composing music for several productions. She directed and produced the Nebraska premiere of J. Eyre, a new musical by Paige Scott.
As a performer, Amy is equally at home on the opera, recital, and musical theatre stage. She performed regularly with Cleveland Opera, appearing in The Magic Flute (Papagena, Queen of the Night), Elixir of Love (Adina), The Barber of Seville (Rosina), The Pirates of Penzance (Mabel), and Die Fledermaus (Adele). Other favorite roles include Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Kate in Kiss Me, Kate!, and Sophie DePalma in Masterclass. She has been the featured soloist in many concerts and recitals. Due to her love of new music, Amy recently made the North American premiere of Six chants d’amour by Nicolas Chevereau and Chants d’amour by Nicolas Bacri.
Amy has Bachelor’s degrees in Choral Music Education and Vocal Performance with continued graduate studies in Voice at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She received her Ph.D. in vocal pedagogy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2024. Her research on acoustics in singing with emotions was presented at the International Symposium on Performance Science (ISPS) and at the The International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT) in Vienna, Austria. Her dissertation research on singing and acting has been accepted for presentation at conferences with both the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) in Austin, TX and at the ISPS in Warsaw, Poland.
Melinda A. Leoce, D.M.
Assistant Professor of Music
Specialties: Percussion; Percussion Ensemble; Jazz Ensemble; Music Business
Education:
- D.M. – Indiana University
-
M.M. – The Florida State University
-
B.M.E. – University of Central Florida
Contact:
719-587-7702
mleoce@adams.edu
Melinda Leoce, D.M., is Assistant Professor of Percussion at Adams State University. Before joining the faculty at A.S.U., she served as the Instructor of Percussion at Graceland University in Iowa. She is also an active performer who has appeared with groups including the Des Moines Symphony, Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps, and at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.
As an educator, Professor Leoce’s passions include percussion chamber ensemble performance and pedagogy, marching percussion, Brazilian music, steel pan, and pop music culture. As a music educator, she believes in respecting and cultivating her students’ past and present musical endeavors while also exposing them to new genres, instruments, and experiences that illuminate future paths of study. Professor Leoce believes that the music classroom should be vibrant, collaborative, and diverse.
Melinda received her Doctorate in Percussion Performance from the University of Indiana in 2024. Prior to that, she studied Percussion Performance at Florida State University and Music Education and Percussion at the University of Central Florida.
Professor Leoce is thrilled to be teaching in the beautiful San Luis Valley where she can pursue two of her favorite hobbies, skiing and hiking with her dog.
Dr. Richard Galbreath, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Music
Specialties: Woodwinds and Music Education
Education:
- D.M.A. – University of Kansas (Clarinet Performance)
- M.M. – University of Kansas (Saxophone Performance)
- Graduate Certificate – University of Kansas (Clarinet Performance)
- M.M. – Colorado State University (Clarinet Performance)
- B.A. – Nicholls State University (Music Education)
Richard Galbreath is an active clarinetist, saxophonist, and educator recognized for his versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. As a passionate advocate for contemporary music, he is dedicated to expanding the clarinet repertoire through commissioning, collaboration, and performance. He is a founding member and clarinetist of the Red Room Chamber Ensemble, whose performances have been featured throughout the United States and internationally. Recent highlights include appearances at World Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan, the Chamber Fellows Concert at the 2025 Cortona Sessions for New Music in Ede, Netherlands, and the finals of the 2024 North American Saxophone Alliance FLEX Chamber Competition.
As a soloist, Galbreath gave the Japanese premiere of Tom Davoren’s Concertino on Irish Themes at World Expo 2025 Osaka with the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, following the work’s world premiere with the ensemble earlier that year. Additional solo appearances include performances with the MidAmerica Nazarene University Wind Ensemble and the Lawrence City Band. As an orchestral musician, he has performed with ensembles including the Westwood Ensemble, the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine, and the Lawrence Community Orchestra.
An enthusiastic champion of living composers, Galbreath has commissioned and premiered numerous works for clarinet. His collaborations include projects with composers Tom Davoren, Imogen Ferdinando, Amber Sheeran, Joel Love, and Brendan Sweeney, serving in roles as commissioner, consortium leader, and premiering performer. Through these partnerships, he continues to expand the contemporary clarinet repertoire while fostering meaningful collaborations between performers and composers.
Equally committed to teaching, Galbreath has held faculty appointments at MidAmerica Nazarene University, Benedictine College, and Missouri Western State University, where he taught applied woodwinds, music theory, world music, and woodwind techniques. He has also presented masterclasses, clinics, and guest lectures throughout the United States and has taught at numerous summer music camps and academies. His teaching emphasizes technical excellence, artistic curiosity, and helping students develop as confident, thoughtful musicians.
Originally from Houma, Louisiana, Galbreath holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance, a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance, and a Graduate Certificate in Clarinet Performance from the University of Kansas, where he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the clarinet studio. He also earned a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Nicholls State University. His primary teachers include Stephanie Zelnick, Robert Walzel, Wesley Ferreira, Geoffrey Landman, and Michael Bartnik. His artistic and scholarly interests center on contemporary clarinet repertoire, collaborative commissioning, and bringing new works to audiences through performance.
Beth Robison, D.M.A.
Professor of Music
Specialty: Director of Choral Activities
Education:
- D.M.A. – University of Kansas
- M.M. – Ohio University
- B.M. – Ohio University
Contact:
719-587-7703
brobison@adams.edu
Dr. Beth Robison has been an active performer and choral music educator as Professor of Music at Adams State University, where she serves as department chair and Director of Choral Activities. In addition to conducting the Adams State choirs and teaching choral conducting and education classes, Beth has also directed numerous honor choirs throughout the region, including the annual Adams State University “Top of the Nation” Honor Choir Festival, and has been an active member of the American Choral Directors Association. In 2013, Beth was a recipient of the Adams State Presidential Teaching Award.
Prior to teaching at Adams State, Beth was a professional musician in the New York City metropolitan area for sixteen years where she performed and recorded a wide variety of ensemble and solo repertoire, including oratorio and opera. She has appeared numerous times at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and other major concert venues with various professional ensembles including Musica Sacra, the Gregg Smith Singers, Voices of Ascension, and the New York Virtuoso Singers.
Beth has toured both nationally and internationally premiering solo and chamber works by American composers. She has also worked with Dave Brubeck, Chanticleer, Ward Swingle, Garrison Keillor, Marilyn Horne and Ned Rorem. Some of Beth’s more diverse experiences in New York included recording for the World Wrestling Federation and appearing as a back-up singer for Andrea Bocelli on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Beth received her Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from Ohio University. She earned her DMA with honors in Choral Conducting from the University of Kansas where she conducted the early music ensemble, Collegium Musicum.
Matthew Schildt, Ph.D.
Professor of Music
Program Director, Master of Arts in Music Education
Specialties: Music Theory; Composition; Music Recording and Technology
Education:
- Ph.D. – Kent State University
- M.A. – Kent State University
- B.A. in Music – Lebanon Valley College
Contact:719-587-7606
mschildt@adams.edu
My name is Matthew Schildt and I have been teaching music theory, composition, music technology, and recording at Adams State University since 2005. Before teaching at Adams State, I taught at Kent State University, Hiram College, and the University of Akron. I received my Ph.D. in music theory and composition from Kent State University and my bachelor’s degree in music recording technology and composition from Lebanon Valley College.
My compositions have been performed at various conferences and festivals, including the Tutti New Music Festival, University of Alabama Huntsville New Music Festival, Colorado Composers Concerts, College Music Society conferences, and numerous Society of Composers conferences.
In 2016 my album This Little Light was released on Heart Dance Records and was in the top 50 albums on the Zone Music Reporter for five months, was listed among the “best of 2016” on the radio program Audiosyncracy, was listed as the #2 album on Gaia Prime Radio, and has been featured on radio stations in ten countries. Music of mine has been used in various animations, videos, and advertisements on youtube, including animations based on the popular video game Five Nights at Freddy’s, with videos using my music receiving over 80 million views. My compositions have also been heard in several films and theater productions, including the documentary A Shared Space: Learning from the Mustard Seed School. In 2006 and 2008, I performed piano on two PBS documentary soundtracks by songwriter Don Richmond.
I have presented on diverse topics at various music conferences, including the International Conference on Twentieth-Century Music in Brighton, UK. My favorite bands are Marillion and Radiohead and I enjoy going to concerts and listening to all sorts of podcasts.
Dr. Mira Walker, D.M.A.
Specialty: Piano
Education:
- D.M.A. – University of Michigan (Piano Pedagogy and Performance)
- M.M. – Indiana University (Piano Performance)
- B.A. in Music – University of Alabama-Birmingham
Kara Van Gieson
Administrative Assistant
kvangieson@adams.edu
Affiliate Instructors
- Mr. Marc Eaton | Guitar
Ensemble Directors
- Director of Choral Activities | Dr. Beth Robison
- Director of Bands and Grizzly Pep Band | Dr. James M. Lind
- Jazz Ensemble and Combo | Dr. Melinda A. Leoce
