Dr. Reed Thomas is an Associate Professor of Music and the Director of Bands at Middle Tennessee State University where he conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and University Chamber Winds, teaches undergraduate courses in conducting and instrumental methods, graduate courses in conducting and wind and orchestral repertoire, and guides all aspects of MTSU band program.  He is the founding conductor of the Three Rivers Wind Symphony, a professional group of wind and percussion players from Northeast Indiana and was the Conductor of the Littleton Chamber Winds in Littleton, Colorado from 1997-99.

Prior to his appointment at MTSU, Thomas held similar positions as the Director of Instrumental Studies at Indiana-Purdue University Ft. Wayne in Indiana and as the Director of Bands at Adams State College in Colorado.  He also has served as the Assistant Director of the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band and Conductor of the North Star Band at the University of Minnesota.  Prior to Minnesota, he was Director of Bands for seven years at two public high schools in Utah.

A native of Colorado, Thomas received his Ph.D. in Music with an emphasis in conducting from the University of Minnesota and both his Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Music Education from the University of Utah.  He has studied with such noted conductors as Craig Kirchhoff, Frederick Fennell, Alan McMurray, Loel Hepworth, Donald Schleicher, Tim Salzman, and John Whitwell.  He is also an active performer on clarinet most recently playing clarinet and bass clarinet with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.  He is retired from the US Army National Guard where he served for over 20 years as a conductor, clarinet and saxophone player.  His groups have been invited to perform at the Colorado, Minnesota, and Utah Music Educators conventions and he maintains an active schedule as a band, orchestra, and chamber ensemble conductor and clinician throughout the United States and Korea.  For the past two years,  Thomas has been an adjudicator at the prestigious Korean Band Association festival in Chuncheon and Gumi, Korea and will serve in that capacity again in 2004.  He has also been a guest conductor for the Soonshil Conservatory Wind Ensemble in Seoul, Korea, the Mokwon University Wind Ensemble in Taejon, Korea, and was featured as a guest conductor/clinician at the International Summer Band Festival in Jeju, Korea.

He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, the Conductors Guild, Music Educators National Conference, Middle Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Kappa Kappa Psi.