Dr. Jake Taylor

First Name: 
Dr. Jake
Last Name: 
Taylor
Main Title: 
Assistant Professor and Director of Choral Activities
Office Location: 
Room 216, Broyhill Music Center
Phone Number: 
828-262-6450

Dr. Jake Taylor is the newly appointed Director of Choral Activities at the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University, where he will serve as conductor of the University Singers and Chamber Singers. In addition to his conducting responsibilities, he will mentor pre-service educators and teach courses in choral methods and conducting. Before his appointment at Appalachian State, Dr. Taylor was the Director of Choral Studies at New Mexico State University. There, he conducted the department’s three choral ensembles and taught courses in conducting, choral methods, and graduate-level music education. 

Before working at the university level, he taught high school choir for six years in Houston and San Antonio, TX. In 2014, he co-founded The Houston Men’s Choir, a collaborative ensemble of tenor-bass singers that rehearses and performs without a traditional conductor and is a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to the art of singing and its positive impact through performance and education. 

Dr. Taylor earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in choral conducting from Texas Tech University, a master’s degree in choral conducting, and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Stephen F. Austin State University. He maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and clinician and has given numerous presentations on score study, conducting gesture, rehearsal techniques, and music literacy in the secondary choral classroom.