Spence Howell is excited to join Long Island University as the Marching Band Director in 2023. Mr. Howell brings to LIU an impressive array of experience as a performer and staff member in nationally recognized athletic band programs including The University of Alabama’s “Million Dollar Band” and the “Pride of the Mountains” Marching Band of Western Carolina University. Heavily involved in Drum Corps International, Spence holds the position of High Brass Coordinator at The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps of Rosemont, Illinois, and from 2020-2022 served as a High Brass Instructor at the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps of Denver, Colorado. As a DCI performer, he marched four years in Carolina Crown of Fort Mill SC, serving as a section leader, and was awarded Brass Member of the Year in 2018.
Mr. Howell comes to Long Island from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he has served the 400-piece Million Dollar Band for five years as a graduate teaching assistant and staff musical arranger, with responsibilities encompassing numerous operational, educational, and creative aspects of a premiere collegiate band program. Spence is accustomed to working under pressure at the most high-profile collegiate sporting events including multiple NCAA Football National Championships, postseason bowl games, and NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments. He has been involved in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade twice, as a performer with Western Carolina University in 2014, and as staff for Alabama’s Million Dollar Band’s appearance in 2021.
An accomplished performing musician, Spence Howell holds a Master's degree in trumpet performance and is currently completing his Doctoral studies at The University of Alabama. He plays regularly in professional orchestral, wind band, chamber music, and solo settings, with performance experience including the Tuscaloosa Symphony and Alabama (Birmingham) Symphony. As a trumpet player at Western Carolina University, he was featured as a soloist at the Bands of America Grand National Finals in 2015 and embarked on a performance tour of South Africa in 2017 with the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet. As Principal Trumpet of The Alabama Wind Ensemble, Spence’s premiere performances have included appearances at the American Bandmasters Association (ABA) Conference in 2020 and the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Conference in 2023.
Spence Howell is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honors Society, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, and Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity.
