Born in Greer, South Carolina and raised in a farming family, brass educator and bass trombonist Travis Dobson is an energetic and passionate educator who deeply enjoys spreading his love of creating music while fostering the transferable qualities and skills that develop from learning to play a musical instrument.  Teaching all ages of musicians, spanning young learners who are just starting to play a brass instrument to adults rekindling their fire for making music, Travis uses music instruction to create opportunities for connection, collaboration, and self-expression among his students.  

During his teaching career, Travis’s students have continued their musical education at a number of respected institutions including the Juilliard School, Northwestern University, Boston University, and Cal-Berkley, while his younger students regularly achieve placement in All-State ensembles and participate in elite summer music programs.  Currently the Artist Associate in Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba at Williams College, previous teaching engagements include serving as the Affiliate Artist of Trombone for the University of Vermont, working as a teaching artist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and providing instruction as the low brass Artist in Residence at the Dreyfoos School for the Arts in Palm Beach, Florida.  Travis has also presented a number of masterclasses throughout New England, the Southeastern United States, and Texas, and currently maintains a robust private studio.

            As a performer, Travis has collaborated with a number of ensembles, including the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Miami Symphony, the Florida Grand Opera, the Naples Philharmonic, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, the South Carolina Philharmonic, and the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria.  Travis is also fortunate to have performed in Europe and Central America and was the 2010 winner of the Eastern Trombone Workshop National Solo Competition.  

             Travis’s formal education includes studies at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Ohio State University, during which time Travis was able to explore interests in music and medicine, engaging in pre-med coursework while concurrently earning his Bachelor of Music in trombone.  Further studies include earning a Master of Music degree from the University of Maryland as well as post-graduate work at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL and Boston University.  Past teachers include members of the major orchestras in Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Vienna, Austria.

             In addition to performing, Travis has worked extensively in the fields of stage management and production, having held positions with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston University-Tanglewood Institute, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra.  Travis is grateful to call Winhall, Vermont home and when not teaching, practicing, or performing, he can be found exploring the outdoors, skiing, or in the kitchen developing new recipes to enjoy, most likely while eating copious amounts of ice cream.