Faulkner is pleased to announce two exciting new hires for the Marching Eagles marching band and music department. Coming from Tallassee City Schools, Robby Glasscock will serve as Faulkner’s new Director of Bands and Michael Bird will serve as Assistant Director of Bands.
Working together for the last 20 years in Tallassee’s music department Glasscock and Bird bring with them a wealth of experience and a stellar track record of growing their band and music programs. They have joined the Faulkner family to continue building the Faulkner University Marching Eagles.
“Faulkner is all in when it comes to growing the university band and they’re going about it the right way,” Bird said. “We are trying to build a culture on campus where students feel welcomed from start to finish. A place where they can know and be known.”
Students who are eligible to be a part of Faulkner’s marching band will receive nearly 75 percent off tuition and they do not have to major in music to participate. Not only that, they will be working with Glasscock who was named one of the “50+ Directors Who Make a Difference” by School Band & Orchestra Plus magazine, a trade publication for music educators.
Glasscock earned his Bachelors of Music Education from Troy (State) University in 2000 and later went on to earn his Master’s in Education from Alabama State University and his EdS and PhD in Music Education from Auburn University. The Elmore County native was hired to work at a school in Albany, Georgia after graduating from college, but soon returned to his home state to work at Tallassee City Schools. He was the Band Director there for 24 years.
As Faulkner’s Director of Bands, Glasscock is responsible for teaching marching band, concert band and jazz band.
Bird grew up in Montgomery and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. After graduation, he earned his Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Science in Education degrees from Troy (State) University. He spent the next 28 years teaching high school and middle school band and choir before being tapped by Faulkner University.
Bird made the transition to Tallassee City Schools after short stints teaching at Frisco City High School in Monroe County, Zion Chapel High School in Coffee County and Robert E. Lee High School. At Tallassee, where he was for 20 years, Bird founded the Tallassee Jazz Festival and hosted the Capital City Classic show choir competition, produced a stage musical each year, kept three competitive show choirs in circulation, and provided instruction for concert choir, chamber choir, men’s choir and women’s choir and assisted with the marching band, concert band and jazz band.
As assistant director of bands, Bird will assist the admissions office with music student recruitment. He will also direct the Faulkner University Swingin’ Eagles Jazz Ensemble until Glasscock takes over that responsibility next year.
