Luis Palacios
Position
Director of Applied Instrumental Performance/Music Theory/Saxophone Faculty
Dr. Luis Palacios has been active nationally as an educator and performer for the last sixteen years. He
completed his undergraduate work at the University of North Florida where he graduated summa cum
laude with a Bachelor of Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. At UNF Dr. Palacios
performed with the Wind Symphony, Jazz Combos, Flute and Clarinet Choir, and the premier Jazz
Ensemble in prestigious venues such as the Florida Music Educators Conference, Savannah Jazz Festival,
and Carnegie Hall. He was also featured on the live DVD “April Green” alongside internationally
renowned pianist Lynne Arriale. In Jacksonville, Florida, he worked with the Jacksonville Symphony
Orchestra as a featured soloist and shared the stage with world-renowned artists including Chuck
Bergeron, Idina Menzel, Shelly Berg, and Pattie Austin. As a soloist he has performed alongside
prominent artists such as Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano, the Clayton Brothers, Vincent Herring, Richard
Stoltzman, Gary Burton, Bobby Floyd, Jimmy Cobb, Chuchito Valdez, Greg Parnell, and Terrence
Blanchard to name a few.
Dr. Palacios earned a Master of Music with a dual concentration in Instrumental Pedagogy and Jazz
Studies and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Studies at
George Mason University. During his residence at Mason he taught several music courses and assisted in
various outreach programs at the local and national level. He was the founder and director of the Mason
Jazz Saxophone Ensemble which holds the distinct honor of being invited to perform at the 36th
International Saxophone Symposium, the 2013 Virginia Music Educators Conference, and the 2014 Jazz
Education Network Conference. In Virginia he was also featured as a soloist with the Metropolitan Jazz
Orchestra and the American Festival Pops Orchestra.
As an educator, Dr. Palacios is active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. He presented
research and strategies to improve the impact on student learning at the 24th International Conference on
College Teaching and Learning held in Ponte Vedra, Florida, in April 2013. The Florida Music Director
published his co-authored “Guide to Stylistic Interpretations of Big Band Jazz Music” in April of 2015.
Dr. Palacios’ “Developing a Pedagogical Method for Intermediate and Advanced Saxophone Studios
Based on the Analysis of Michael Brecker’s Unaccompanied Ballad Solos” illustrates a unique approach
towards developing jazz improvisation pedagogy based on the exceptional improvisation of saxophonist
Michael Brecker. In July of 2022 Dr. Palacios will be presenting three sessions at the Kansas
Bandmasters Association focused on developing an authentic jazz ensemble style and sound, helping
band directors teach effective fundamentals to their woodwind students, and selecting appropriate
literature for concert bands.
Dr. Palacios served as the Director of Instrumental Activities at Barton Community College from 2019-
2022 where he directed the instrumental music program. In this role he conducted the Prairie Winds
Concert Band and Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Pep Band, The Riff, and several chamber ensembles. At
BCC Dr. Palacios also taught music education courses, general music courses, music theory, and applied
woodwind, brass, and string lessons. During his time at BCC the Music Department experienced
significant growth in enrollment, higher than ever concert attendance, and the establishing of several
programs and initiatives for student success including a yearly trip with music students to the Kansas
Music Educators Association Conference in Wichita, Kansas. Most recently Dr. Palacios has joined the
faculty at Northwest Nazarene University as Assistant Professor of Instrumental Performance and Music Theory.
completed his undergraduate work at the University of North Florida where he graduated summa cum
laude with a Bachelor of Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. At UNF Dr. Palacios
performed with the Wind Symphony, Jazz Combos, Flute and Clarinet Choir, and the premier Jazz
Ensemble in prestigious venues such as the Florida Music Educators Conference, Savannah Jazz Festival,
and Carnegie Hall. He was also featured on the live DVD “April Green” alongside internationally
renowned pianist Lynne Arriale. In Jacksonville, Florida, he worked with the Jacksonville Symphony
Orchestra as a featured soloist and shared the stage with world-renowned artists including Chuck
Bergeron, Idina Menzel, Shelly Berg, and Pattie Austin. As a soloist he has performed alongside
prominent artists such as Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano, the Clayton Brothers, Vincent Herring, Richard
Stoltzman, Gary Burton, Bobby Floyd, Jimmy Cobb, Chuchito Valdez, Greg Parnell, and Terrence
Blanchard to name a few.
Dr. Palacios earned a Master of Music with a dual concentration in Instrumental Pedagogy and Jazz
Studies and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Studies at
George Mason University. During his residence at Mason he taught several music courses and assisted in
various outreach programs at the local and national level. He was the founder and director of the Mason
Jazz Saxophone Ensemble which holds the distinct honor of being invited to perform at the 36th
International Saxophone Symposium, the 2013 Virginia Music Educators Conference, and the 2014 Jazz
Education Network Conference. In Virginia he was also featured as a soloist with the Metropolitan Jazz
Orchestra and the American Festival Pops Orchestra.
As an educator, Dr. Palacios is active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. He presented
research and strategies to improve the impact on student learning at the 24th International Conference on
College Teaching and Learning held in Ponte Vedra, Florida, in April 2013. The Florida Music Director
published his co-authored “Guide to Stylistic Interpretations of Big Band Jazz Music” in April of 2015.
Dr. Palacios’ “Developing a Pedagogical Method for Intermediate and Advanced Saxophone Studios
Based on the Analysis of Michael Brecker’s Unaccompanied Ballad Solos” illustrates a unique approach
towards developing jazz improvisation pedagogy based on the exceptional improvisation of saxophonist
Michael Brecker. In July of 2022 Dr. Palacios will be presenting three sessions at the Kansas
Bandmasters Association focused on developing an authentic jazz ensemble style and sound, helping
band directors teach effective fundamentals to their woodwind students, and selecting appropriate
literature for concert bands.
Dr. Palacios served as the Director of Instrumental Activities at Barton Community College from 2019-
2022 where he directed the instrumental music program. In this role he conducted the Prairie Winds
Concert Band and Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Pep Band, The Riff, and several chamber ensembles. At
BCC Dr. Palacios also taught music education courses, general music courses, music theory, and applied
woodwind, brass, and string lessons. During his time at BCC the Music Department experienced
significant growth in enrollment, higher than ever concert attendance, and the establishing of several
programs and initiatives for student success including a yearly trip with music students to the Kansas
Music Educators Association Conference in Wichita, Kansas. Most recently Dr. Palacios has joined the
faculty at Northwest Nazarene University as Assistant Professor of Instrumental Performance and Music Theory.
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