Gary W. Adam
Assistant Professor of Music Education
D.M.A., University of South Carolina
M.M.E., The University of Southern Mississippi
B.M.E., The University of Southern Mississippi
E-mail: Gary.Adam@usm.edu
Phone: 601.266.4085
Dr. Gary Adam, Professor of Music Education, holds the degrees of bachelor and master of music education from The University of Southern Mississippi and the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of South Carolina, where he was a student of Dr. William J. Moody. At The University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Adam teaches Instrumental Methods, Percussion Methods, Instrumental Administration, Undergraduate Conducting, and Graduate Conducting.
Prior to his appointment at The University of Southern Mississippi in July 1996, Dr. Adam served as Director of Bands at North Forrest High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi from 1987 to 1996. During his tenure, his bands enjoyed highly successful evaluations in the Mississippi High School Activities Association's state marching, concert, and sight-reading festival and regional festivals that include Disney's Magic Music Days. In 1988, Dr. Adam was recognized in the Outstanding Young Men of America program and in 1986 was awarded the Mississippi Economic Council's Star Teacher Award for North Forrest High School.
In July, 1996, Dr. Adam was hired as Assistant Director of Bands-Assistant Director, The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band. From 1996-2002, his responsibilities included overseeing the Band Graduate Staff, The Pride Guard, and assisting Dr. Steven R. Moser, Director, The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band 1990-2002. In March, 1998, Dr. Adam toured Ireland with The Pride in their second visit to the St. Patirck's Day Parade held annually in Dublin. During the summer 2002, Dr. Adam assumed the directorship of The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band. During his tenure as director, The Pride participated in three post-season bowl games, including The Houston Bowl, Houston, Texas, The New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans, Louisiana, and The Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tennessee, and in March, 2005, The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band was the featured ensemble for The Edinburgh Easter Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dr. Adam is also active as a marching band and concert band adjudicator as well as a guest clinician. Marching adjudication venues include The Illini Marching Band Festival, Champaign, Illinois and Arizona State University Band Day, Tempe, Arizona. Concert Adjudication includes Alabama State Concert Festival, South Carolina State Concert Festival, and Louisiana State Concert Festival. He has served as a guest clinician for The University of South Carolina Band Clinic, Columbia, South Carolina, South Central District Clinic Band, Mooresville, North Carolina, and the Texas Bandmasters Association-National Band Association Convention, San Antonio, Texas.
Memberships include MENC, Phi Beta Mu, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Tau Beta Sigma, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.