Science of the Slide

Justin Cook is the Assistant Professor of Trombone at the University of Central Arkansas where he teaches studio trombone, trombone choir, brass ensembles, low brass methods, and directs the Jazz Repertory Ensemble. Prior to his appointment at UCA, Dr. Cook was on the faculties of Tarleton State University, Eastfield College, and the University of North Texas. In addition to his college teaching, Justin has been on staff at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan, Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps in Rockford, Illinois, and is currently the Festival Manager for the International Trombone Festival and Auditor Coordinator for the Southeast Trombone Symposium.

Justin Cook holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Trombone Performance degree from Northern Arizona University, a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from Northern Arizona University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas. He has studied conducting with Dr. Daniel Schmidt and Eugene Corporon, and trombone with Dr. Peter Vivona, David Vining, Jan Kagarice, Dr. Vern Kagarice and Tony Baker.  While at the University of North Texas, Justin performed as a member of the internationally acclaimed North Texas Wind Symphony, and can be heard on the GIA Windworks series “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band”. During the summer of 2009, Dr. Cook was chosen as one of 18 international tenor trombonists to attend the Alessi Seminar where he had the opportunity to work with Joseph Alessi and Peter Ellefson.

Recently, Justin has been featured as a soloist with the Northern Arizona University Wind Symphony, Tarleton State University Wind Ensemble, and the University of Central Arkansas Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. Most recently, he has performed William Bolcom’s Trombone Concerto with the UCA Wind Ensemble and Richard Peaslee’s Arrows of Time with the Little Rock Wind Symphony.  In February of 2020, Dr. Cook performed the premier of Anthony Plog’s Double Concerto for Trumpet, Trombone, and Wind Ensemble with the UCA Wind Ensemble at the CBDNA Regional held at the University of Oklahoma. As a freelancer, Dr. Cook has performed with the Arkansas Symphony, Lone Star Wind Orchestra, Abilene Philharmonic, Irving Symphony, Las Colinas Symphony, San Angelo Symphony, Fort Smith Symphony, Lyric Stage Musical Productions at the Irving Arts Center, Dallas Summer Musicals, and The Arkansas Repertory Theatre.  He has performed on the national tours of Mary Poppins, The Book of Mormon, and Wicked.

Equally at home as an educator and performer, the UCA trombone studio has seen tremendous success since Dr. Cook’s arrival. The studio has tripled in size and now features two trombone choirs: The BearBones Trombone Choir, and the Natural Slides Trombone Ensemble. The trombone choirs have performed at the American Trombone Workshop in Washington D.C., the Big 12 Trombone Conference at Texas Tech University, the Arkansas Music Educator’s Conference, the Texas State Trombone Symposium, the 2018 International Trombone Festival at the University of Iowa and were featured performers at the 2018 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL. Dr. Cook’s students have graduated and been accepted to some of the world’s most prestigious universities. Dr. Cook has presented clinics and masterclasses at universities all across the United States and in 2019, presented a session on brass pedagogy at the Midwest Clinic.  While in Texas, Dr. Cook served as the brass caption head and worked on staff with the Flower Mound High School Marching Band and Concert Bands. In Arkansas, he is an active band and brass clinician as well as an active marching band adjudicator throughout the region.

Justin Cook is a S.E. Shires performing artist and performs exclusively on Shires trombones.