BGSU Middle School Honor Band

Kenneth Thompson

Dr. Kenneth Thompson currently serves as professor and chair of the Department of Music Education in the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.  Additionally, he serves on the conducting staff of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Wu Family Academy where he directs the DSO Civic Wind Symphony and the CYE Philharmonic Orchestra. A graduate of Limestone University (SC) with a double major in music education and trumpet, Thompson received a master's degree in music education and doctorate in conducting from The University of Iowa. Previous professional appointments include Artistic Director and Conductor of the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras and associate conductor of the St. Louis Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds.  He has conducted numerous performances of world premieres, commissions, television and radio broadcasts and critically acclaimed recordings.

With publications in the Journal of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Journal of Band Research, Journal of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, School Band and Orchestra Magazine, Journal of the Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association, The Instrumentalist, Bandmusic PDF Archives and the BCM International Web Archive, Dr. Thompson maintains a reputation as both a scholar and performer.  He has appeared as a guest conductor, lecturer or clinician for the International Society for Music Education, the National Conference of the College Band Directors National Association, the National Conference of the MENC, the Texas, Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, West Virginia, Ohio and Missouri Music Educators Association conferences, the Missouri Bandmasters conference, the Midwest Composers Symposium and the Iowa Center for New Music.  In demand as a guest conductor and lecturer, Thompson maintains an active schedule with engagements throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia.

Dr. Thompson is an advocate of new music and expanding the repertoire available for wind bands and orchestras. He has been involved in numerous commissions and/or premiere performances for both bands and orchestras. Along with commercial recordings receiving votes in the Grammy™ Entry List appearance for Album of the Year; Best Engineered Album, Classical, and Best Orchestral Performance, critics have written the following about Dr. Thompson’s work:

“First impressions matter, and BGSU’s wind symphony makes an overwhelmingly positive one. Unison playing is completely silken, and tone clusters are tuned perfectly. The ensemble playing within sections is remarkable, and the band as a whole is balanced evenly.”

Laura K. Hicken

Laura K. Hicken, Assistant Professor of Music Education, joined the faculty of Bowling Green State University in 2024 as an instrumental music education specialist. Prior to her appointment at BGSU, Hicken was on the faculty at Towson University in Maryland. Hicken earned her Ph.D. in Music and Human Learning at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, her Master of Music degree in Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her Bachelor of Music Education degree at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Prior to teaching at the collegiate level, Hicken taught high school and middle school band, middle school general music, and elementary music in South Carolina and Florida.

As an active clinician, Hicken presents sessions at state and national teacher in-service conferences and at professional development meetings for local school districts. Hicken’s research is in the area of music teacher cognition. She is especially interested in teacher attention and decision making during various teaching situations and uses eye-tracking data to study these processes. Hicken is also interested in teacher perceptions and practices of including students with disabilities in music classes. She has presented her research at state, national, and international conferences, and is published in The Orff Echo, The Journal of Music Teacher Education, and The Journal of Research in Music Education.

Hicken’s professional memberships include the International Society for Music Education (ISME), The National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Society for Research in Music Education, and the Society for Music Teacher Education.