Profile

Steve Roach has been the Director of Jazz Studies at California State University, Sacramento since 2001. He previously held the same position at Baylor University and has also taught at the University of Northern Colorado and Northern Illinois University. At Sacramento State, he directs large and small jazz ensembles, teaches jazz trumpet, oversees the jazz performance and jazz education degree programs, and teaches jazz history.

He holds a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance from Indiana University, a Master of Music in trumpet performance from Northern Illinois University, and a Doctor of Arts in trumpet and jazz pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado.

As a performer, Roach has appeared in studio and live settings with a wide array of jazz and pop artists, including Tito Puente, Dave Pietro, Brian Landrus, Louis Bellson, Billy Drummond, Alan Ferber, Conrad Herwig, Lou Rawls, Jon Tchicai, Ben Vereen, Melissa Manchester, Toni Tennille, Roberta Flack, Rosemary Clooney, Jeffrey Osborne, Carl Fontana, Paquito D’Rivera, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and the Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestras.

In addition to maintaining an active freelance schedule, Roach is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator at jazz festivals, workshops, and educational conferences nationwide. He has directed numerous honor jazz ensembles throughout California and nationally and remains a dedicated advocate for jazz education at all levels. He is also the author of two widely adopted collegiate online courses, Jazz Appreciation and Music Appreciation, published by Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. These courses are used by a variety of undergraduate music programs and support broader access to music education in both in-person and online formats.