Sarah Owen is the band director at High Desert Middle School in Bend, Oregon, and is an active jazz performer, adjudicator, and clinician. Sarah earned degrees in Music Education and Jazz Studies from the University of Washington, a Master’s degree in Music Education from California State University, Long Beach, and is working towards a Doctorate in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sarah taught middle school band for ten years in Southern California and then directed the jazz band at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon for six years. Additionally, Sarah played trumpet in many jazz and pop ensembles and worked as a musician on TV shows such as American Idol, The Voice, and Noches Con Platanito. Sarah has been a frequent clinician at music conferences in California and Oregon. Her presentations focus on jazz, improvisation, technology, and creativity.