Joe Fischer

Biography

Joseph Fischer, a native of Maryland, joins Towson University as associate director of bands. He currently serves as the dand director at Mt. Hebron High School and co-conductor/coordinator of the Howard County GT Middle School Wind Ensemble. 

Prior appointments have included Ellicott Mills Middle School (band director), River Hill High School (band director/music technology), Liberty High School (instrumental music director), and Calvert Hall College High School (band director).

Under his leadership, Fischer’s music programs have garnered numerous accolades including superior ratings at local, regional and national festivals, selection as a demonstration group with his brass quintet, jazz ensemble and wind ensemble at the Maryland Music Educators’ Association Annual Conference, recognition as a Grammy Signature School, and an invitation to perform at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival. In addition to his efforts as band director, Fischer is also credited in the creation of River Hill’s state-of-the-art music technology lab, which allows students to express their creativity through music arranging, composition, recording and music theory.

Fischer is active as a conductor, teacher, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the Maryland region. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at McDaniel College and is an active member in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA), the Maryland Band Directors Association (MBDA), the Jazz Educators Network (JEN), the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and the International Trumpet Guild (ITG). Through his involvement with MMEA and MBDA, Fischer has served as the coordinator for both the Maryland Jazz Festival and the All State Jazz Ensemble. He is a member of the Howard County Parents for School Music and was a founding member of the Music Advocates of Carroll County. Both of these organizations promote music as an essential component of a balanced education for all.

As an educator with over 25 years of classroom experience, Fischer has been recognized as one of “50 Directors Who Make A Difference” by School Band and Orchestra Magazine. In 2007, The Maryland Music Educators Association designated Fischer an Outstanding Music Teacher, an honor that followed his being named the 2006 Howard County Music Educator of the Year. He has enjoyed the opportunity to perform and conduct over 25 musicals, earned two USBands national (Marching Band) championships, been invited to perform in the 2008 pre-Olympic Festival in Beijing, China, and performed on-stage at the Joseph M. Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Fischer earned a master’s degree in music education from Towson University, with an emphasis on instrumental conducting and a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he majored in trumpet with a further concentration in percussion. Further studies at McDaniel College earned him Administrator I certification, a skill he uses to mentor future music educators as a cooperating teacher.