Spencer has a Bachelor's Degree in Music & Business from the world renown University of North Texas. He has a passion for all thingsmusic performance, production, and jazz history. From Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Roy Hargrove and Maria Schneider, Spencer has extensive knowledge of the evolution of jazz and its recorded history. In 2017, Spencer worked alongside the Toshi Clinch Big Band in recording Vesuvius, a 10-track jazz album recorded at Echo Labs in Argyle Tx. In his teaching, he loves to focus on establishing solid fundamentals (reading, tone, basic theory, history, and technique) while still making it engaging to young students and intermediates. In 2017, Spencer spent 3 days at Echo Labs to record Vesuvius, a 10-track jazz album with UNT alumni. Led by the arranging talents of Toshi Clinch and Drew Zaremba, this 26-piece band recorded a professional quality product covering various styles of jazz. While studying at UNT, Spencer was able to study under some of the best trumpet instructors in the country. This includes Jay Saunders, Mike Steinel, Rodney Booth, Tonya Darby, John Holt, and Allen Vizzutii. Spencer has also performed with multiple jazz ensembles including several lab bands, Latin Jazz, the Zebra Fusion Band, and several non-university bands. Spencer is looking to give back to the music community and is interested in teaching the next generation of musicians. With the knowledge gained by some of the finest, he hopes he can prepare young musicians with the skills they will need for college and a career in music. We are ecstatic to have Spencer on our Creative Soul Faculty!