Joe Busuito
D.M.A. Instrumental Conducting, Wind Band
University of Illinois (2018)
M.M. Wind Conducting
Western Michigan University (2015)
B.M. Music Education
Western Michigan University (2009)
Why did you decide to attend WMU?
Right around my sophomore year of high school, my professional dreams began to come into focus: I wanted to be a music educator. I sought every musical experience I could, playing in youth bands and orchestras, attending the summer camps at Interlochen and Blue Lake, and attending concerts. I first visited WMU with a friend’s family, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Lake Orion to Kalamazoo and back, to attend a concert by the Symphonic Band (now called the Wind Symphony), and see my friend’s brother play (he was in the trombone studio, of course). I was immediately enamored – the intimacy of the campus, the vastness of Miller Auditorium, and the passion, vigor, and enthusiasm of the musicians left an indelible mark on me. In the end, I was lucky to be accepted to each of the state’s major schools of music, but between my already accumulated experiences on campus and the prospect of studying with Dr. Wolfinbarger, the choice was obvious.
What do you consider to be your most important achievement to date?
A career in music education is sort of an interesting thing when it comes to talking about achievement. For me, I tie my sense of achievement to the experiences I share with my students. Whether the challenge is besting a tricky passage of music or overcoming difficult circumstances, it all comes back to what I feel is an overwhelming sense of satisfaction that is shared between myself and my students. I would say then that my most important achievement is the transformation of the athletic band program at Rutgers University, from a scrappy, rough-and-tumble, ramshackle group of individuals, to a mature, polished, well-oiled machine that served as a point of pride for the students, the university, and the region. We shared a vision that was representative of the pride, tradition, and excellence shared by the other bands in our conference, as well of the students uniquely situated in New Jersey. I will never forget the energy of the students and their sheer enthusiasm as we prepared to play at halftime of a Monday Night Football game on a cold November night in 2019, or leading the pep band, now two-and-a-half times larger than it was my first year, become the overwhelming force that helped the men’s and women’s basketball teams go a combined 32-3 at home in their 2019-2020 seasons. There are no trophies or awards in the art of building a program, only the sense of satisfaction in that maybe, just maybe, you built something that will outlive you.
What is your fondest memory of the trombone studio, or the music program at Western?
Without a doubt, my fondest memories (because of course I can’t have just one) at WMU are tied to one of the reasons I chose to attend the school: my appointment to the Russel Brown Brass Quintet. Over the course of eight semesters, I played with musicians, peers, who could utterly take my breath away. I had played in brass quintets in high school, but nothing quite at the level of expectation and performance as was demanded of that group. It was the first time I truly felt the load of others counting on me to be prepared, making the connection between performing and teaching so tangible. My time playing in the quintet transformed my sense of musical independence, and it got me to think critically about the music I was performing. I honestly don’t think I would be where I am now if not for my experience playing in the quintet.
General Information
Dr. Joe Busuito is the Associate Director of Bands and the Director of Athletic Bands at East Carolina University. Prior to being hired at ECU, from 2017 to 2020 he was the assistant director of concert and athletic bands at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He was the director of the Rutgers Symphony Band and he instructed the Marching Scarlet Knights and pep bands. He was a member of the music education faculty and served as the instructor for the brass instrumental techniques course and the first-year conducting class.
Busuito holds the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting, Wind Band from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Master of Music in Wind Conducting from Western Michigan University and Bachelor of Music Education from Western Michigan University. His research has been published in the WASBE Journal and he has presented at the CBDNA National Conference.
From 2009 to 2013, he was assistant director of bands at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan where he instructed three concert bands, jazz band, marching band, guitar and general music classes.
Busuito has been involved in the drum corps activity since 2006. After moving to New Jersey in 2017, he was a member of the brass staff of the Cadets. From 2012 through 2015, Busuito served as a brass staff member for the Santa Clara Vanguard, primarily instructing the baritones. He joined the brass staff of the Bluecoats in 2011 where he taught the baritones and euphoniums. He was a member of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2006 and 2007.