Low Brass Workshop
Sunday, April 19, 2026
The UNI Tuba/Euphonium and Trombone Studio will host this one-day event that focuses on low brass performance and pedagogy. Events will include masterclasses and performances by attendees, and guest artists. Open to students in grades 9-12. Registration for this event is $25 and includes a t-shirt. Please contact Anthony.Williams@uni.edu or Brett.Copeland@uni.edu to learn more.
Registration deadline: April 6, 2026 at 5 p.m.
Scroll down to find...
Guest Artists
Dan Hinman
Dr. Dan Hinman is Assistant Professor at Kansas State University where he teaches applied trombone, the KSU Trombone Choir, and other academic music courses.
Prior to this appointment he served as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies in Music at University of Mary (ND). As a performer, his experience spans a diverse spectrum. He is currently principal trombone of the Salina (KS) Symphony and has had recent appearances with the
Kansas City Symphony as a substitute musician. As a soloist he has performed at the International Trombone Festival (2023), with the KSU Wind Ensemble, KSU Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Mary Concert Band. Championing new compositions for trombone, Hinman gave the world premiere performance of Chris Sharpe’s Denton Sonata (Feb 2025) and the co-premiere of Carolina Calvache’s Hojarasca Concerto for Trombone with the Salina Symphony (Nov 2025).
His recording credits include the North Texas Wind Symphony albums Taylor Made, Contact!, Discoveries, Inventions, and Composer Collections of John Mackey and Michael Daugherty.
As a teacher, Dr. Hinman has presented at the Kansas Music Educators Association Workshop along with a multitude of regional masterclasses. His KSU students have seen successes on and off campus winning positions in regional orchestras, exclusive summer symposia, placing in the KSU Honors recital, as well as several alum enjoying full time positions in teaching.
Hinman holds degrees from North Dakota State University (Music Ed.), the University of Minnesota (M.M.), and a Doctor of Musical Arts in trombone performance from the University of North Texas. His former teachers include Natalie Mannix, Tony Baker, Thomas Ashworth, Kyle Mack, and Nathaniel Dickey. When not playing or teaching trombone he is kept very busy with his two toddlers, Firth and Walden; and kept sane by his wife, Amy.
Taylor Hicks
Dr. Taylor Hicks is currently the band instructor for Prince of Peace Catholic School, teaching 5-12 band. Previously, he has served as adjunct professor of tuba and euphonium at Washburn University in Topeka, KS where he also taught Enjoyment of Music and was the tubist for the Washburn Faculty Brass Quintet. He has earned a Doctorate in Tuba Performance and Master’s in Musicology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2023, a Master's in Tuba Performance at Western Illinois University in 2020, and obtained a Bachelor’s with Honors in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa in 2017.
Dr. Hicks remains an active freelancer and solo performer, having performed and taught across the Midwest, as well as multiple appearances at the 2023 and 2024 International Tuba & Euphonium Regional Conferences. In addition to teaching and performing, Dr. Hicks is the founder and lead content creator for the website Tubatalk.com. The site provides access to interviews on a variety of musical topics, educational resources, recordings, and a forum for the commissioning of new works for tuba.
One of Dr. Hicks’s passions is the pursuit of commissioning new music for the tuba from composers like Ben Horne, Patrick Cunningham, Ian Lester, JaRod Hall, Jose Flores, and Ben Chrisman. Dr. Hicks especially loves the process of working with new composers to create unique additions to the repertoire. Tuba and electronics is Dr. Hicks’ medium of choice, with commissions that span a broad range of styles and aesthetics. It is his belief that the commission and collaboration process is a critical part of leaving a legacy and furthering the tuba repertoire.
Away from the instrument, Dr. Hicks enjoys tabletop RPG’s, fishing, and watching cooking shows, as well as spending time with his family in Iowa.
Faculty Artists
Anthony Williams
Anthony Williams is Associate Professor of Trombone at the University of Northern Iowa. He teaches courses in applied trombone, chamber music, trombone pedagogy, trombone literature, and low brass techniques. He also serves as a member of UNI’s jazz faculty by teaching courses in applied jazz trombone and directing the UNI Jazz Trombone Ensemble.
Dr. Williams maintains a high frequency of performing in classical, jazz, and new music settings. His debut solo album, “Synthesis,” is a collection of five newly-commissioned works for solo trombone scored with various ensemble settings that combines classical, Latin, and jazz music. Other recent recordings include Dr. Williams performing as lead trombonist with the Mike Waldrop Big Band on recently released albums, “Origin Suite” and “Time Within Itself.” Additional recording credits include “Grosso for Trombone and Electronics” for Mexican-born composer, Jorge Sosa’s album, “Plastic Time,” and albums by UNI alums Ryan Middagh and Dave Lisik.
He is principal trombonist of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony and performs regularly with other orchestras in the region. His current jazz and commercial music performance activity includes appearances with local and regional groups such as The Des Moines Big Band, Orquesta Alto Maiz, NOLA Jazz Band, Big Fun, and many others. Dr. Williams’ past experiences include engagements with the Memphis Symphony, Memphis Jazz Orchestra, Ray Charles Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Natalie Cole, and Aretha Franklin.
He is a member of the International Trombone Association and the Jazz Education Network.
Brett Copeland
Dr. Brett Copeland is a tuba player, educator, composer, and music technologist that holds the position of Instructor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Northern Iowa. He previously held the position of Adjunct Lecturer of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Texas at Tyler while living in Dallas and teaching a private studio of low brass students. He's maintained an active performance career playing with groups such as: NewStream Brass, the Dallas Brass Band, Flower City Brass, Symphoria (Syracuse, NY), the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (Buffalo, NY), and has held the position of Principal Tuba with the Venice Symphony (FL), Ash Lawn Opera (VA), and the South Shore Symphony Orchestra (FL).
Brett's artistic endeavors extend beyond performance, as he recently co-authored "The Creative Listener" with other members of NewStream Brass (Dr. Dakota Corbliss, Dr. Derek Ganong, and Dr. Austin Seybert). The Creative Listener is an innovative method book aimed at providing a resource for music educators to teach audiation and improvisation concepts effectively. Furthermore, his passion for composition shines through his acoustic and electro-acoustic works such as: "Yesterday, I Woke Up Sucking a Lemon," featured on the album recorded by NewStream Brass in 2022, Sorrowful Songs for bass clarinet and electronics (arr. Copeland); harbor for bass clarinet, tuba, and electronics (both written for and premiered by Alexander W. Ravitz at the CMS South Central conference in Spring '23); and two original works for trombone, tuba, and electronics, written for and recorded by Dr. Austin Seybert also in the spring of '23.
Brett earned a DMA in Tuba Performance and Literature with a Certificate in Arts Leadership from the Eastman School of Music ('20) where he was a Teaching Assistant for both the Tuba Studio and the Eastman Audio Research Studio. His primary teachers have been Don Harry, Jay Hunsberger, and Dr. Jeff Funderburk.