Jeffrey Parthun

Guest Conductor

Jeffrey T. Parthun, Sr. is a Joliet, IL native and lives in Lafayette, IN. He and his wife, Kim, have four grown children and four grandchildren. He recently retired from the Lafayette School Corporation after 40 years as a public school music conductor. He has served at Purdue University as an orchestra conductor, percussion ensemble director and applied percussion instructor. Jeff holds degrees from Northwestern University and Butler University where he studied arranging/conducting with John P. Paynter, Don Owens, Don Casey, Jackson Wiley and Michael Shasberger. He was a private percussion student of Roy C. Knapp (Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame), Bob Tilles, Terry Applebaum and Tony Caselli.

He has been involved in community music making for most of his life and has played with and/or conducted organizations like the Joliet American Legion Band, Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, Bach Chorale Singers and Orchestra, Lafayette Citizens Band, Elk Grove Village Community Band, Kokomo Symphony Orchestra, St. Thomas Aquinas parish music ministry, local community theatre productions and, most recently, the Lakeview Orchestra of Chicago.

He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and is a multiple recipient of the ASCAPLUS award.  His educational music is currently published by Per-Mus Publications, BRS Music, Jon Ross Music, Three-Two Music and is also distributed by pdfbandmusic.com.  His pieces are on required lists throughout the country. 

In addition, Jeff is an experienced adjudicator, having judged concert, marching, jazz and scholarship competitions in nine states and often serves as a guest conductor and clinician for honor groups and school ensembles.  During his long tenure in the classroom in Indiana and Illinois (Lincoln-Way Community High School and the Girard schools), he spent 10 years on the State Board of the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) and served a term as ISSMA president.  He is 2021 recipient of a Michiana Outstanding Music Educator Award.  Jeff can be seen (briefly!) as the pep band director in the Paramount motion picture “Blue Chips” with Shaquille O’Neil and Nick Nolte.