Brian A. Britt
Encyclopedia
Brian A. Britt is Assistant Director of the School of Music, Assistant Professor
of Music, and Director of The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band
at the University of Oklahoma
. Britt is only the fifth person to hold the position since the first full-time director of The Pride was hired in 1929.
As Assistant Director and Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies, Britt oversees the entire undergraduate program for the OU School of Music. He is Conductor
of the OU Symphony Band, and he instructs upper-division and graduate students in marching band
administration and techniques.
, raised in Durant, Oklahoma
, and graduated from Durant High School in 1983. He attended the University of Oklahoma and was a member of The Pride as an undergraduate, ultimately becoming The Pride's percussion
section leader. Britt earned his bachelor's degree
in music education
in 1987, which was the year The Pride received the Sudler Trophy, and remained at OU as a percussion graduate assistant
for The Pride in 1987. As a graduate assistant, he was responsible for creating and organizing audition materials for the OU Drumline
, arranging percussion scores for all shows, and preparing the Drumline for performances. In addition, he designed and implemented an off-season drumline training program.
While serving The Pride in this capacity, Britt also worked full-time at Norman High School
as their assistant director of bands. He became the Director of Bands at Chickasha High School
in 1989, and continued his graduate studies on a part-time basis.
After graduating from OU with a master's degree in music
(percussion) in 1992, Britt worked throughout Texas
as assistant director and director of bands for public schools and universities. At Texas Christian University
, he was interim associate director of bands, and at Stephen F. Austin University, he was associate director of bands and director of the Lumberjack Marching Band. Britt was the director at McNeil High School
in Round Rock, Texas
, when he was hired as the Director of The Pride in 2001. He succeeded Gene Thrailkill, who had led The Pride for 30 years, including the years Britt attended OU.
. Britt has responsibility for all aspects of the band's performance, including research, planning, and production design for all shows, trip planning for all away games, coordination with the OU Department of Athletics for all football
and basketball
events, administration of both the department's budget and its scholarship budget, and coordination of the graduate staff's teaching and logistical responsibilities.
Britt is the faculty advisor for the Delta chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi
and Tau Beta Sigma
, and he is the Immediate Past Governor of the Southwest District of Kappa Kappa Psi, serving as an advisor to chapters on all college campuses in New Mexico
, Arkansas
, Louisiana
, Texas, and Oklahoma. He also chairs and serves on various University committees and campaigns, including as the faculty chair of OU's Annual Campus Development Campaign, the Undergraduate Studies Committee, and as a member of the Football Game Operations Committee.
Outside of OU, Britt is active nationally as a clinician, guest conductor, lecturer, adjudicator, percussion arranger, drill designer, and consultant. He has conducted an extensive repertoire of concert band
music, including two world premieres, and has produced and recorded several CDs. Britt has presented sessions and served on panel discussions at the National Athletic Band Symposium in 2004 and 2005, and he is the recording secretary of the Big 12
Band Directors Association. His professional associations include the College Band Directors National Association, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda
, Kappa Kappa Psi
, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
, Tau Beta Sigma
(honorary), and Kiwanis International.
Britt lives in Norman, Oklahoma
with his wife, Alicia, and their daughter Avery.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Music, and Director of The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band
The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band
The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, known as "The Pride", is the student marching band for the University of Oklahoma Sooners.-Early years:The Pride was founded in 1901 as a pep band to play at Sooner football games...
at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. Britt is only the fifth person to hold the position since the first full-time director of The Pride was hired in 1929.
As Assistant Director and Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies, Britt oversees the entire undergraduate program for the OU School of Music. He is Conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
of the OU Symphony Band, and he instructs upper-division and graduate students in marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
administration and techniques.
Education
Britt was born in Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, raised in Durant, Oklahoma
Durant, Oklahoma
Durant is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,877 at the 2010 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 42,416 in 2010...
, and graduated from Durant High School in 1983. He attended the University of Oklahoma and was a member of The Pride as an undergraduate, ultimately becoming The Pride's percussion
Marching percussion
Marching percussion instruments are specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum to a special harness worn by the drummer. The drums are designed and tuned for maximum articulation and projection of sound, as marching activities are almost always outdoors or...
section leader. Britt earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in music education
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
in 1987, which was the year The Pride received the Sudler Trophy, and remained at OU as a percussion graduate assistant
Graduate assistant
A graduate assistant is a position who serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The individual typically assists professors or with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants, coaches with an athletic team, or university department...
for The Pride in 1987. As a graduate assistant, he was responsible for creating and organizing audition materials for the OU Drumline
Drumline
A drumline is a section of percussion instruments usually played as part of a musical marching ensemble. High school and college marching bands, drill and drum corps, drum and bugle corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and pipe bands usually incorporate drumlines; however, drumlines can exist...
, arranging percussion scores for all shows, and preparing the Drumline for performances. In addition, he designed and implemented an off-season drumline training program.
While serving The Pride in this capacity, Britt also worked full-time at Norman High School
Norman High School
Norman High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Norman, Oklahoma with a steady enrollment of 1,945 students. It is accredited by North Central Association, the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association...
as their assistant director of bands. He became the Director of Bands at Chickasha High School
Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha is a city in and the county seat, business and employment center of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,850 at the 2000 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and hosts an annual Festival of Light celebration located at...
in 1989, and continued his graduate studies on a part-time basis.
After graduating from OU with a master's degree in music
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(percussion) in 1992, Britt worked throughout Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
as assistant director and director of bands for public schools and universities. At Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
, he was interim associate director of bands, and at Stephen F. Austin University, he was associate director of bands and director of the Lumberjack Marching Band. Britt was the director at McNeil High School
McNeil High School
McNeil High School is a public secondary school in Austin, Texas, USA, serving freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The school is part of the Round Rock Independent School District , with admission primarily based on the locations of students' homes in the district. Two middle schools feed...
in Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the metropolitan area. The 2010 census places the population at 99,887....
, when he was hired as the Director of The Pride in 2001. He succeeded Gene Thrailkill, who had led The Pride for 30 years, including the years Britt attended OU.
Director of The Pride
As The Pride's director, Britt leads an instructional staff and team of three faculty, six graduate assistants, and 40 student leaders, who prepare The Pride for its many performances and public appearances representing the University and the Oklahoma SoonersOklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
. Britt has responsibility for all aspects of the band's performance, including research, planning, and production design for all shows, trip planning for all away games, coordination with the OU Department of Athletics for all football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
events, administration of both the department's budget and its scholarship budget, and coordination of the graduate staff's teaching and logistical responsibilities.
Britt is the faculty advisor for the Delta chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...
and Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma is a co-educational national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college and university bands. The Sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Station in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,500 active members in 145 active chapters, and over 40,000 alumni...
, and he is the Immediate Past Governor of the Southwest District of Kappa Kappa Psi, serving as an advisor to chapters on all college campuses in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Texas, and Oklahoma. He also chairs and serves on various University committees and campaigns, including as the faculty chair of OU's Annual Campus Development Campaign, the Undergraduate Studies Committee, and as a member of the Football Game Operations Committee.
Outside of OU, Britt is active nationally as a clinician, guest conductor, lecturer, adjudicator, percussion arranger, drill designer, and consultant. He has conducted an extensive repertoire of concert band
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
music, including two world premieres, and has produced and recorded several CDs. Britt has presented sessions and served on panel discussions at the National Athletic Band Symposium in 2004 and 2005, and he is the recording secretary of the Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
Band Directors Association. His professional associations include the College Band Directors National Association, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda
Pi Kappa Lambda
Pi Kappa Lambda is an American honor society for undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors of music. There are currently 205 active chapters and approximately 64,500 individual members....
, Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...
, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
, Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma is a co-educational national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college and university bands. The Sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Station in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,500 active members in 145 active chapters, and over 40,000 alumni...
(honorary), and Kiwanis International.
Britt lives in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
with his wife, Alicia, and their daughter Avery.
See also
- Front ensembleFront ensembleIn a marching band or drum corps, the front ensemble or pit is the stationary percussion ensemble. This ensemble is typically placed in front of the football field, though some groups will work the front ensemble into a tight pod onto the marching field...
- The Sudler Trophy
- Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine ArtsWeitzenhoffer Family College of Fine ArtsThe Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts is the fine arts unit of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Currently, the College has an enrollment of 799 undergraduates and 228 graduate students. The college produces nearly 300 concerts, recitals, dramas, musicals, operas and dance performances...
- The University of Oklahoma