Information

Herbert Michael Midgley II. has been an active composer for the last sixteen years. He has composed numerous compositions during both his professional and collegiate career including one symphony, twelve original works for band and other large form compositions. Mr. Midgley has also written a great number of chamber works, including quartets and quintets for wind instruments, solo piano works, and solo works for many other instruments. He has also composed many works of electronic music for both tape and live performers.

His composition teachers include Californian composers Mr. Delbert Bump and Dr. Mac Cooks, and Dr. Dan Beaty, who served on the SFA Music Faculty. Mr. Midgley has earned three degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University: B.M., M.M. and M.Ed. Both of his music degrees are in music theory and composition. His other degree is in secondary education.

For more than sixteen years, Mr. Midgley has been working closely with M.I.D.I. technology, serving as a Graduate Assistant at SFA in the M.I.D.I. Lab, and also at Solano Community College in California. He is an expert on Macintosh computers and music software, and has tutored many students in the use of computer technology in music, including both music notation, sequencing and CAI software. Mr. Midgley has served as a music technology coordinator and instructor for younger children in the SFA Music Preparatory Division.

Mr. Midgley taught in the Texas public school system as an All-Level Music teacher. He was the first music teacher in Zavalla Texas. During his time there, Mr. Midgley put on many elementary music programs. He also now maintains a private guitar studio with the SFA Music Preparatory Division.

Mr. Midgley is currently the Music Technology coordinator at SFA. He also teaches, guitar, composition, music for children, history of rock music and art music classes. In his spare time from teaching he enjoys composing, making sci-fi movies, playing Dr. Mario and Unreal Tournament, making web pages, arranging music, writing plays as well as playing classic guitar.

Interests, Activities & Plans

Mr. Midgley is a member of ASCAP, Pi Kappa Lambda, National Music Honorary Society and Kappa Delta Pi, National Education Honorary Society. Mr. Midgley is in his final stages of completing his first Science Fiction novel, Time and Time Again. He is also working on a major electronic composition that will take him a whole year to compose. His compostion recital on
Oct. 11, 2002 at 7:30pm premiered this work.

Mr. Midgley presents sessions on Music Technology through out Texas. He has presented manys times at TMEA and at the TAHPERD convention.

Each year Mr. Midgley presents an Happening featuring some of his compositions.