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Bio:

Director of Bands, Mighty Marching Thorobreds (M.M.T.) | Assistant Professor of Music Educator | Composer | Saxophonist | Arranger | Clinician

Dr. Rodney D. Chism is a nationally respected music educator, composer, and saxophonist with over two decades of experience in instrumental music education. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, he holds a B.S. in Music Education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, an M.M.E. from Jackson State University, and a D.M.E. from Liberty University. He has also completed advanced studies at Tennessee State University, the University of Memphis, Union University, and the American Conservatory of Music.

Dr. Chism has served as a band director at both secondary and collegiate levels, directing ensembles that consistently earn superior ratings at state and regional festivals. A prolific composer and arranger, he has written over 150 works for concert band, marching band, jazz ensemble, and chamber groups. His 2025 composition The Plaza—dedicated to his late father, Troy Chism, Sr.—was awarded winner of the Kappa Kappa Psi National Intercollegiate Jazz Composition Award.

As a saxophonist, Dr. Chism has performed with a wide range of acclaimed artists, including Al Jarreau, Arturo Sandoval, Cassandra Wilson, Clark Terry, and Bobby Rush. He is the founder of the Big Band Memphis Professional Stage Band and continues to tour nationally as a performer, arranger, and clinician.

He is also the author of two scholarly works focused on leadership and culture within HBCU music education:

• The Challenges of Balancing Personal and Professional Relationships Among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Band Directors (2021)
• The HBCU Experience: The HBCU Band Alumni – 2nd Edition (2022)