Joel Spencer

Joel Spencer is a freelance musician by profession, performing and teaching frequently around North Carolina and the surrounding states. As a flutist, Joel received a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance from Appalachian State University in May of 2006. During his time at ASU, Joel performed during each of his eight semesters with several of the university's finest ensembles. Prior to his matriculation at ASU, Joel attended Cannon Music Camp for two summers, studying classical flute, percussion, jazz vocals and tenor saxophone. Here he began studying with Dr. Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham, Professor of Flute at ASU, who would be his teacher for six years. In addition to these lessons, his last two years of high school found him in the role of Assistant Principal Flute of the Roanoke Youth Symphony for one season and as a baritone/soloist with the Gaudete Chamber Singers for two seasons.In addition to his fluting, Joel has pursued percussion extensively, spending four years with the Steely Pan Steel Band at ASU and participating in the Appalachian Percussion Ensemble and the Marching Mountaineers. He toured the United Stated during the summers of 2003 and 2004 playing quads with the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps. He also spent one season each with the Dominion Indoor Drumline, the Fieldale-Collinsville High School Indoor Drumline, and the Epiphany Youth Indoor Percussion Ensemble.Joel picked up a minor in Dance Studies while at ASU; dance has since become permanently intertwined into his lifestyle and career goals. Upon moving to Asheville, NC, Joel began studying ballroom dance with Blue Ridge Ballroom and salsa - a natural match with his extensive music background and ever-progressing dance ability. He spent the summer of 2007 studying concert dance at the Parsons Dance Company Summer Intensive in New York and the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC. Having relocated to the Chicagoland area in January 2008, Joel is now on work study at the Lou Conte Dance Studio at Hubbard Street Dance Center, having apprenticed with Cerqua-Rivera Dance Theatre. He teaches ballroom dance full-time at the Arthur Murray Dance Center in Morton Grove, IL.Joel's primary goal for now and in the future is to combine dance and music into multi-disciplinary performances and ensembles. As for now, his dance training his continuing, and freelance projects with area musicians are in the works.