Faculty & Staff
Office Manager: Alice Sluss
Email asluss@nmc.edu
Phone: (231) 995-1325
Office: Founders Hall F 124, Main Campus (#8 on the Front Street Campus map)
Contact Information »
Jeffrey Cobb
Director Of Music Programs, Choral Director
Jeffrey Cobb is the Director of Music Programs and Choirs at Northwestern Michigan College, Artistic Director of the NMC Children’s Choirs, and Director of Music at Traverse City Central United Methodist Church. He holds a M.M. in Choral Conducting from Oakland University and a B.A. in Music Education from Western Michigan University. Jeffrey has held positions at Traverse City Central High School, Judson ISD in San Antonio, Texas; Parchment Schools in Parchment, Michigan; and the Leysin American School in Leysin, Switzerland. Choirs under his direction have toured throughout Michigan, Texas, Chicago, New York, Salzburg and Vienna and have been invited to perform at State and National Conferences including the Michigan Music Conference, the Michigan Youth Arts Festival, the ACDA Michigan Conference, and the ACDA National Convention. In addition to his work as a conductor, Jeffrey is also a regularly commissioned composer. His pieces have won several awards including honors from the Ithaca Choir Composition Contest, the New York Virtuoso Singers Choral Composition Contest, the Vanguard Premieres Choral Composition Contest, the Summit Chorale’s Composition Contest, the Outside the Bachs International Choral Music Competition, the C7Prize, and the Composition Competition of the Chiayi City (Taiwan) International Band Festival. Jeffrey’s choral works are published through G. Schirmer, Santa Barbara Music, Walton Music, Colla Voce, and Roger Dean Publishing.
Sam Boase-Miller
Audio Technology Instructor
Sam Boase-Miller started his professional career after graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy. This included teaching, performing, and studying at Ithaca College, DePaul University, and Western Michigan University. As the former Associate-Principal Cellist of the Manhattan Symphonie, Sam toured China twice and performed regularly in the great venues of New York City, including Lincoln Center, Bargemusic, and Carnegie Hall.
While in New York, Sam founded Marsfall LLC with his three best friends Erik Saras, Dan Lovley, and Brian Goodheart. Sam resides in beautiful northern Michigan where he writes, produces, composes, and records music and voice over for his current projects, and the award-winning sci-fi podcast Marsfall.
David Chown
Audio Tech, Applied Jazz Piano
David has been playing piano professionally in the Traverse City area for over 25 years. He has released 7 CD’s on his own label. David owns and operates “Lookout Music Productions” studio in building 50 at the Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City, where he records and teaches piano lessons. David plays concerts, weddings, and club gigs with popular Traverse City singer/songwriter Miriam Picó. They have appeared the last 5 years at the acclaimed “Little White House” concert series in Key West Florida. David received a Bachelors of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University in, and a Bachelors of Music in Piano Technology from Michigan State University. In between his college stints, David toured Europe for a year, playing concerts and clubs. David performed for three years at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Michigan. David resides in Acme with his wife Janet, son Dawson, and daughter Kaysen, and cat “Millie”.
Jack Conners
Milliken Auditorium Manager, Audio Tech
Jack Conners has worked in professional audio for more than 40 years in recording studios, live sound, and system design. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI. Artists Jack has worked with include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, violinist Joshua Bell, pianist Bob James, and drummer Peter Erskine. Jack is currently teaching audio technology at Northwestern Michigan College, and operates Perfect World Studios, an audio services company in Traverse City, MI.
Patrick Niemisto
Audio Tech
Patrick Niemisto is a music educator with over 30 years of experience working with students from Kindergarten to College. As a public school Music Teacher, he fostered programs focused on individual discovery. As the proprietor of “Holy Wah!” Recording Studios, Patrick holds engineering and production credits for many local and regional CD releases. With a primary focus on folk and traditional acoustic styles, he has worked with many of the finest players and singer-songwriters in the area. As a musician, he has been on the regional scene since the early 1980’s. Playing with New 3rd Coast, Luunappi, Goodboy!, along with a variety of other interesting configurations of players, Patrick is frequently out making music as a side guy, and solo. As a songwriter, Patrick has 2 records of music for children and families, as well as contributing material appropriate for for releases, by New 3rd Coast, Northern Michigan Songwriters in the Round, music for theater, radio, and other.
Jonah Powell