Shaun R. Popp
Dr. Shaun Popp serves as Associate Professor of Music and Associate Director of Bands at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he directs the Pride of Acadiana Marching Band, Ragin’ Brass Pep Band, and Symphonic Winds and teaches courses in conducting and music education.
Dr. Popp previously served as Director of Bands (2019–2023) and Associate Director of Bands (2013–2019) at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Under his leadership, the Henderson State University Wind Ensemble was recognized for a live performance recording of Karel Husa’s Cheetah in a panel presentation at the 2017 College Band Directors National Association National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Prior to his appointment at HSU, Dr. Popp presided as a graduate conducting associate at Florida State University, following a ten-year span of teaching instrumental music in public schools in the State of Kentucky. An ongoing advocate for community music, Dr. Popp served as conductor of the River Cities Concert Band (Louisville, Kentucky), Voices of Kentuckiana Community Chorus (Louisville, Kentucky), the Saline County Community Orchestra (Benton, Arkansas), and as Director of Traditional Worship Music at First United Methodist Church of Bryant, Arkansas.
Dr. Popp is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, and presents research regularly at international, national, state, and regional conferences. He has presented at The Midwest Clinic, College Band Directors National Association Regional and National Conferences, College Music Society South Central Regional Conference, National Association for Music Education National Conference, Desert Skies Symposium on Research in Music Education, Louisiana Music Educators Association Conference, Arkansas Music Educators Association Conference, Florida Music Educators Association Clinic-Conference, and Kentucky National Association for Music Education Collegiate Conference. His primary research interests are the inclusion of persons with special needs in music, community music ensembles, Laban Movement Theory in music education, perceptions of conductor expressivity, ergonomics of conducting, and orchestration techniques used in wind band transcriptions of a cappella choral works.
Additionally, Dr. Popp has been a contributing author for the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series through GIA Publications, Inc., and has published articles in The Bluegrass Music News (Kentucky), The Florida Music Director, The Kansas Music Review, and has other scholarly projects forthcoming. He is a member of the Louisiana Music Educators Association, Louisiana Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, College Music Society, National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity, Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, and holds honorary memberships in Kappa Kappa Psi, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Tau Beta Sigma.
Dr. Popp received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Morehead State University, a Master of Music in Wind Conducting degree from the University of Louisville, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education and Wind Conducting degree from Florida State University. His primary conducting teachers include Richard Miles, Frederick Speck, Richard Clary, and Patrick Dunnigan.