Joseph Benjamin Earp is the Music/Music Industry Chair and Director of Bands at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi. He received his undergraduate degree in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a Master of Music in Music Education from Anderson University (Anderson, South Carolina), and a Doctor of Music Education from Liberty University (Lynchburg, Virginia).

His professional teaching career began in 2006 as Director of Bands at Seneca High School in South Carolina. After two years, he taught at Robbinsville Middle and High Schools for a year before becoming the founding Director of Bands at Cox Mill High School in Concord, North Carolina. After eight years of numerous achievements at Cox Mill High School, he moved into his role at Limestone University (Gaffney, South Carolina) as Director of Athletic Bands, elevating many elements of Limestone’s athletic band program. Just before his role at Hinds Community College, Dr. Earp was the Director of Instrumental Music at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Earp is an active published composer and clinician with his music being performed internationally. His major compositional accomplishments include being the winner of the 2010 Claude T. Smith Composition Contest in Missouri, winner of the 2018 Thornton Community Band Composition Contest in Colorado, multiple J.W. Pepper Editors’ Choice awards, and multiple works selected to be part of the Band World Magazine Top 100. He currently resides in Clinton, Mississippi with his wife Mary Beth and sons Jackson and Jasper.

More about Dr. Earp can be found at www.joeemusic.com. Follow Dr. Earp on social media @earpcomposer.