Music
John Sanders
Contact Information
Email - john.sanders@edcc.edu
Office Phone - (425)640-1748
John Sanders is a pianist, theorist, composer and arranger in styles ranging from jazz to pop/rock to contemporary art music. His jazz arrangements have been performed by top college ensembles in the Northwest. His chamber opera The Sedge Hats, based upon the ancient Japanese folk tale Ojizou-San was performed for the Society of Composers Region VIII Conference at Central Washington University in April 2003. As a jazz pianist, John has performed professionally around the Northwest and in Japan.
John studied jazz and piano at Mount Hood Community College in Oregon, where he performed with the award-winning vocal jazz ensemble, Genesis. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education at Central Washington University, playing piano in the CWU Jazz Band under the direction of legendary music educator John Moawad. John and his wife Dana spent two years in Osaka, Japan teaching English. While in Japan, John studied Japanese traditional music, primarily the koto and shamisen. They returned to Ellensburg and John completed his Master of Music degree in Composition in June 2002. He taught courses in music theory, music appreciation, applied piano, Japanese music, jazz band, jazz improvisation, and jazz history as a graduate teaching assistant and adjunct faculty at CWU and Yakima Valley Community College.
Currently serving as the Edmonds Community College Music Department chair, John also teaches Music Theory and directs the Jazz Band and Community Jazz Band. In addition, he is the Music Theory coordinator for the Soundsation Jazz Camp, a great event for young jazz musicians, held every summer on the campus of EdCC.
