Travis J. Weller

Travis J. Weller has been the Director of Bands at Mercer Area Middle-Senior High School since August of 1995.He earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education  from Grove City College, and graduated from Duquense University in May of 2007 with a Master’s Degree in Music Education.Travis is a Philosophical Doctorate Candidate at Kent State University in addition to his teaching duties at Mercer.He has taken additional studies at Youngstown State University, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.At Mercer, he is the Director of the Middle School Concert Band, Senior High Concert Band, and Senior High Wind Ensemble.He shares teaching duties for the 8^th Grade General Music classes.In addition to the concert bands, he instructs the extra-curricular marching band, pep band, and jazz ensemble.

Travis has been a Honored Teacher at the Principal’s Top Ten Student Dinner, and was selected to give the commencement address to the 2000 and 2006 Senior Class at Mercer.He has previously served as Mercer County District 5 PMEA Representative and as President for PMEA District 5. He has been a guest speaker in music education at Grove City College, Westminster College, and Duquense University for Methods Classes and PCMEA workshops. He has presented with Dr. Joseph M. Pisano at the 2009 PMEA State Conference, and presented at the 2011 PMEA State Conference on the topic of “Ethics and Emotion in the Instrumental Ensemble”.  In addition to annual marching band and jazz band festivals, Travis has hosted 2 All-County Middle School events, 2 All-County High School events, and was a two time host for the 2003 and 2008 District 5 Band Festival.He is past member of the Musician’s Concert Band at Slippery Rock University, and was the Assistant Director for the Mercer Summer Community Band (1995-97). He has been the guest conductor for the Pittsburgh Diocesean Honor Band held(2009), PMEA District 2 Jr. High Honor Band (2010), Beaver County Jr. High Honor Band (2010), PMEA District 3 Jr. High Honor Band (2011), Bucks County Jr. High Honor Band (2012), and the Schuylkill County Jr. High Honor Band (2012).

He holds professional membership in PMEA, Phi Beta Mu (Nu Chapter – Incoming President for Nu Chapter in Fall of 2013), and the NBA. He has contributed to Campus Technology, Learning and Leading with Technology, The PMEA Journal, and the Phi Beta Mu International Newsletter. He is an ASCAP Plus Award Recipient in 2009-2011. Travis began arranging and composing during his undergraduate work for the Gallery Brass Quintet (at Grove City College). He has continued his work in this area, recently studying with Quincy Hilliard .His works for concert bands range from the elementary to collegiate level, and have received numerous performances.  Notable performances have been given by the Grove City College Symphonic Concert Band (PMEA State Conference 2007), the Westminster College Wind Ensemble, the Marks Concert Band in Hermitage, the Carnegie Mellon Pre-college Summer Wind Ensemble, the Florida State University Summer Wind Ensemble, The Youngstown State University Band, the PMEA All-State Concert Band and the Vandercook College Symphonic Band (Midwest, 2009). His first published work “American Visions” is available from the FJH Music Company (a 2008 J.W. Pepper’s Editor’s Choice). The Pittsburgh based River City Youth Brass Band debuted “A Frontier Fought and a City Found” in May of 2009.  He received an Editor’s Choice from J.W.Pepper for “Pirates!” (available summer 2009), and his composition “Journey to the Prairie” was awarded third prize in the 2nd Annual Frank Ticheli Composition Contest and is finally available from Manhattan Beach Music.  In March of 2010 he was the featured composer at the East Stroudsburg North Instrumental Music Department Concert, and he has been commissioned recently by Greenville High School (Pa.) and the Seneca Valley Band Foundation (Pa.). In the summer of 2012, the FJH Music Company will release “Jubilant Flourishes” and “The Last Stagecoach Heist”, and the C.L. Barnhouse Company will release “Dream Chaser”, “I Bought Me A Band”, and “Winds of a New Day”.

Travis maintains a busy clinician and commission schedule. He may be contacted via this website, on Facebook, and you can follow him on Twitter.