Belleville Bands Staff

	Symphony Band at Hill Auditorium, Midwestern Conference on School Vocal and Instrumental Music, January 1998

Nicholas Taylor took over the directorship of instrumental music and the BHS Bands from his mentor and former teacher, Michael Van Tassel, in July 2005. Mr. Taylor was a 1998 graduate of Belleville High School and worked as a staff member of the Marching Tigers and as a guest conductor of the BHS bands during his college years. He performed as a guest soloist with the Symphony Band, as well.

      Mr. Taylor graduated from The University of Michigan with a degree in music education, where he studied with renowned saxophonist Donald Sinta and taught private saxophone lessons. Since graduation in spring 2003, he had served as our Associate Band Director.

      He continues our long tradition of total commitment to musical excellence, to public education, and to the whole-life education and well-being of each of our students.

Mike Campbell was a 1992 graduate of Belleville High School. (His last two years at BHS were Michael Van Tassel’s first two years as Band Director.) He then studied music at Eastern Michigan University, graduating in 1998 with a degree in music education. He studied saxophone with Mr. Tim Miller (now Band Director at North Middle School). While at EMU, Mr. Campbell played in a saxophone quartet that performed at the Detroit International Jazz Festival, which is the world’s largest free jazz festival and also where many of the biggest names in jazz come to play every year.

      After graduating from EMU, he taught at Caro Community Schools in Caro, Michigan, for seven years: 6th-grade band, 7th-grade band, 8th-grade band, high school concert band, high school jazz ensemble (which he originated), marching band, and pep band. Mr. Campbell has continued his education, earning graduate credit from Central Michigan University in Music Technology, Wind Band Literature, and other subjects.