Jason Noble
Conductor | Researcher | Educator | Consultant
About Jason
Dr. Jason Noble (he/him/his) is a conductor, educator, researcher, and consultant whose lifelong dedication to music has made waves globally. With over two decades of diverse and broad experience in P12 schools, undergraduate, and graduate teaching and learning, Dr. Noble has received international acclaim for his innovative approach to conducting and music education.
He leverages interdisciplinarity and intersectionality to unite people through the transformative power of music and the arts. Jason holds degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University (Ed.D.C.T., College Teaching of Music), where he was the recipient of the Florence K. Geffen Endowed Fellowship, New York University (M.A., Music Education in Higher Education) and the Frost School of Music, University of Miami (B.M., Music Education, cum laude).
A Visionary Leader in Music
Serving as Associate Professor of Music at Lehman College and conductor of the Columbia University Wind Ensemble, Dr. Noble creates dynamic, learner-led environments that encourage graduate students to explore and leverage creative pedagogies in performance and laboratory settings. At Lehman College, he guides pre-licensure music educators through graduate conducting courses and innovative teaching strategies, preparing them for New York State P12 music certification. He recently led curricular revision initiatives for several key CUNY Lehman graduate courses to harmonize and modernize the MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) curriculum, ensuring that it meets the needs of the 21st-century teacher-practitioner.
Under his leadership, the Columbia University Wind Ensemble frequently commissions new works by diverse composers, pioneered and continues to develop learner-led, laboratory initiatives, and has made historic returns to Carnegie Hall with three full-length performances for the first time in Colombia's history since 1965. His philosophy emphasizes the value of each individual, recognizing that every person matters. He embraces the paradoxical beauty of teaching these values through conducting and ensemble work as he redefines and reconceptualizes how these groups function in the 21st century and beyond. As Dr. Noble often says, "Every note matters. Every phrase matters. Music matters. YOU matter!” He also frequently serves as an invited, special guest faculty member at prestigious institutions such as the Manhattan School of Music and New York University.
Pioneering Educational Reforms
Before his current roles, Dr. Noble pioneered, developed, and tested a groundbreaking "Democracy in Band" curriculum at Scarsdale High School, where he served as Director of Bands with distinction for over 15 years. He built and grew this band program as a national model of empathic excellence and learner-led creative pedagogies that challenged norms while promoting diverse, exciting new music by emerging and established composers. Upon his early retirement from high school teaching to transition into a full-time college professorship, his Scarsdale students honored him with a legacy endowed music fund.
Building on his legacy of innovation and inspiration, he recently launched the PRISM Research Initiative which transforms arts education through multiple perspectives and possibilities. Through crystallization—where various ways of seeing, knowing, and understanding converge—the initiative aims to create deeper meaning in education and society. As Greene (1995) reminds us, "imagination is what, above all, makes empathy possible... imagination is the one [cognitive capacity] that permits us to give credence to alternative realities."
Championing New Music
Dr. Noble's dedication to new music began in 2004 with the commissioning of "Yosemite Autumn" by Mark Camphouse.
Since then, he has led numerous commissioning projects with composers such as:
These collaborations continually support emerging voices in the music world.
A Sought-After Consultant and Speaker
Dr. Noble is deeply committed to advising and consulting both P12 schools and universities on creative and innovative practices that address the rapidly changing educational landscape. His unique position as a practitioner-scholar, with lived experience that transcends and intersects both academic and P12 worlds, allows him to offer invaluable insights. With deep roots in rural, urban, and suburban pedagogies—stemming from his hometown, first teaching placement, and distinguished 15-year career respectively—he provides practical, theoretical, and paradigm-shifting support to a wide range of institutions and organizations.
His expertise spans the educational spectrum, making him a sought-after consultant for those seeking to navigate the complexities of modern education. He frequently delivers keynote addresses and leads sessions focused on building trust and fostering empathic discourses among organizations. His research interests are diverse, encompassing paradigm shifts in music education, interdisciplinarity, neurodivergence and disability in music education, LGBTQIA+ studies in music, and philosophies of music education. Dr. Jason Noble's journey embodies passion, innovation, and global impact—a story that continues to inspire musicians and educators around the world.