Nicholas Enz

Nicholas Enz serves as the Director of Bands at St. Ambrose University, where he conducts the Symphonic Band and the Jazz Ensemble and teaches courses in music and music education.

Enz is an active guest conductor and clinician with appearances throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes region, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio.

Before joining the faculty at St. Ambrose University, he served as the Director of Bands at Michigan Technological University and taught in the Copper Country Intermediate School District.

Throughout his career, Enz has earned distinctions teaching at the college and high school levels. His high school jazz program received numerous awards and recognitions, including "Outstanding Jazz Ensemble" at the Northern Michigan University Jazz Festival and second place at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jazz Festival. The program also received eight grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Michigan Tech Superior Wind Symphony embarked on six performance tours and was honored as an ensemble-in-residence at the Historic Ironwood Theatre. The 250-member Michigan Tech Huskies Pep Band was selected four times by the WCHA as the host band for the WCHA/NCAA Final Five Hockey Tournament. Enz received the 2016-17 St. Ambrose Faculty of the Year Award.

Under Enz's leadership, the St. Ambrose Symphonic Band traveled to Ireland in 2019 to perform on various stages, including the CIT Cork School of Music and the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum, and was the first band from the United States to be invited to perform with the Royal Irish Academy of Music Band on their season finale concert.

Dr. Enz served on the K-12 Music Curriculum and Standards Review Committee for the State of Michigan. He currently serves as the chair of the Iowa Bandmasters College Affairs Committee.

As a saxophonist, he has performed with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and the Pine Mountain Music Festival Symphony Orchestra. Enz was also a featured soloist with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra.

Enz, N. J. (2018). An Examination of Band Works Nominated for the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition and Factors Influencing the Likelihood a Band Work Will Win the Grawemeyer Award. Presented at the Internationale Gesellschaft zur Erforschung und Förderung der Blasmusik Conference in Wadgassen, Germany.

2018 River Valley Conference High School Honor Band. Conductor. Iowa City, IA.

2018 Gogebic Range High School Honor Band. Conductor. Ironwood, MI.

2018 Lincoln Trail Conference High School Honor Band. Conductor. Woodhull, IL.

Enz, N. J. (2017). Score Marking to Increase Rehearsal Efficiency. Presented at the Iowa Music Educators Conference, Ames, IA.

Enz, N. J. (2017). Are You Encouraging or Discouraging Artistry with Your Instructions? The Iowa Bandmasters Magazine, 76(2), 26-27.

Cooney, M., Enz, N., and Kelley, S. (2017). Starting from Scratch: A Look Into Building the Small College Marching Band. Presented at the CBDNA Athletic Band Symposium in Amherst, MA.

2017 Southeast Iowa Bandmasters Association Honor Band. Conductor. Iowa City, IA.

2016 Prairelands Middle School Honor Band. Conductor. Taylor Ridge, IL

2016 Southeast Iowa Super Conference High School Honor Band. Conductor. Wayland, IA.

Enz, N. J., & Runge, J. (2015). Addressing Common Occupational Ailments of a Music Teacher. Presented at the Iowa Music Educators Conference, Ames, IA.

Enz, N. J. (2015). Conducting 301: Moving Beyond the Fundamentals. Presented at the Iowa Music Educators Conference, Ames, IA.

Enz, N. J. (2013). Teaching Music to the Non-Major: A Review of the Literature. UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education, 32(1), 34-42. http://doi.org/10.1177/8755123313502344

Enz, N. J. (2011, January). Making it Stick!: A Thematic Unit Approach to Rehearsals. Presented at the Michigan Music Conference, Grand Rapids, MI.