Dodson, Keith

Dr. Keith Dodson is currently Director of Orchestral Studies and Assistant Professor of Conducting at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Dr. Dodson earned a Ph.D. in Music Education with an emphasis in Orchestral Conducting from the Florida State University College of Music, where he also completed the Specialized Study in Music Theory Pedagogy program.

Since the summer of 2021, Dr. Dodson has served on the orchestral conducting faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. In Fall 2022, he served as guest conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra at the University of Kansas. His conducting has been recognized by The American Prize, where he was a finalist in Collegiate Orchestral Conducting (2021–2022), received Honorable Mention in Professional Orchestral Conducting (2023–2024), and was awarded Second Prize in Professional Orchestral Conducting in 2024.

Dr. Dodson's principal conducting teachers include Dr. Alexander Jiménez (Florida State University), Michael J. Garasi (University of Central Florida), and Joseph Kreines. A strong advocate for contemporary music, he has conducted works by Kirt Mosier, Michael Gordon, Roger Zare, Jennifer Higdon, Victoria Bond, James Primosch, Richard Maltz, Avner Dorman, Ash Stemke, Aaron Houston, Brian Junttila, Jay C. Batzner, and Eunseon Yu. In Fall 2025, he conducted the world premiere of LIFT OFF, a full orchestral work by Kirt Mosier, at Central Michigan University in collaboration with Houston-based Summer Creek High School and conductor David Irish.

Dr. Dodson has presented sessions on rehearsal strategies and conducting at the Conn Selmer Institute, the Michigan Music Conference, the Florida Music Education Association Professional Learning Conference, and the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop. Before entering higher education, he taught secondary instrumental music at Space Coast Junior/Senior High School and Matanzas High School in Florida.

At Central Michigan University, Dr. Dodson serves as Music Director of the Central Michigan University Symphony Orchestra, conducting undergraduate and graduate music majors as well as non-major students from across the university. He also serves as co-director of the Michigan American String Teachers Association collegiate chapter at Central Michigan University alongside Dr. Jamie Fiste, mentoring future string educators.

Previously, Dr. Dodson served on the faculty of Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, where he expanded the music program from one to seventeen music majors over four years. As founding Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley, he assembled a professional ensemble comprising faculty from Kansas State University, the University of Oregon, Oklahoma City University, and the University of Kansas, along with musicians from the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra.

An active guest conductor and clinician, Dr. Dodson has led middle school and high school honor orchestras and clinics throughout the United States. Recent and upcoming engagements include serving as guest conductor for the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra Honors String Day (2025), conducting the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp International Orchestra (2026), and conducting the TMEA Region 23 Symphony Orchestra, Florida 9–10 All-State Concert Orchestra and the Texas All-State Sinfonietta Orchestra (2027).

Dr. Dodson earned bachelor’s degrees in music performance and music education from the University of Central Florida and a master's degree in music education from the Florida State University. He is an active member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA), the Michigan American String Teachers Association (MASTA), the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA), and Pi Kappa Lambda.