About Travis
Travis Hicks was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. He started taking piano lessons from his great aunt at a young age. In middle school, he was introduced to playing mallet percussion, and by high school he played piano for jazz band and mallet percussion in concert band. In May of 2012, Travis graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a Bachelor of Music in Music Recording Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies degree. While at LVC, he played with the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, and Percussion Ensemble. His teachers included Robert Nowak (percussion), Tom Strohman (jazz studies-vibraphone), Josh Tindall (jazz piano), and Dr. Eric Fung (music theory). Travis was also very active with the college theater company and LVC's chapter of Audio Engineering Society.
After graduating from LVC, he frequently performed as a freelance percussionist with orchestras and wind bands including the Reading Pops Orchestra, the Ringgold Band of Reading, PA, the Central Penn Wind Ensemble, the Lower Paxton Variety Band, Anthracite Philharmonic Orchestra, and various local musical pit orchestras. He has performed the percussion parts for musicals such as Into The Woods, Titanic, Curtains, Guys and Dolls, The Pirates of Penzance, and Hello Dolly. He also plays with the LVC Marimba Ensemble, for which he also frequently arranges music for. In addition to being a freelance musician, Travis also served as the Assistant Band Director for Conrad Weiser High School where he had started as a Pit Instructor. In addition to working with the marching band during the fall, he also coordinated and taught percussion ensemble in the spring.
In December of 2017, he earned his Masters of Music in Music Education and Tennessee educator license from Lee University in Cleveland, TN. While there, he performed with the Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. David Holsinger and the Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Andy Harnsberger. His teachers included Dr. Andy Harnsberger (percussion), Richard Henson (congas), Dr. David Holsinger (conducting), Dr. Austin Patty (music theory), and Dr. John Wykoff (composition and orchestration). Travis was assigned to Cleveland Middle School and Cleveland High School for his student teaching experience. As part of this experience, he was selected for Lee's EdTPA pilot program. Travis's Master's thesis was entitled The Impact of Pre-College Music Experiences on Success in Collegiate Music Theory. His thesis advisor was Dr. Linda Thompson. A poster based on this thesis was presented at the 2018 Tennessee Music Educators Association Convention in Nashville, TN.
Aside from his musical exploits, Travis also has been actively employed in the live production industry since 2008. He has worked many roles including audio engineer, monitor engineer, light designer, stage hand, service technician, and A/V installation designer for theatrical productions, corporate meetings, live music events, and school productions. Travis currently lives in Newport, Tennessee where he is the Co-Director of Bands at Cocke County High School and teaches High School band, beginning band at Newport Grammar School, and Media Arts at the High School.