Lake City Stinger Band

Mike Pearce was a public school band and orchestra teacher in Colorado, New Mexico, and Iowa for 34 years.  In 2005, he retired from teaching middle school band and orchestra at Prairie Middle School in the Cherry Creek School system in Denver.  Mike received a B. A. with Honors from Eastern New Mexico University in 1965, a M.A. in French horn from the University of Iowa in 1967, and a M.S. in Anthropology from the University of Northern Colorado in 1975.  For 45 years, Mike has been married to Dr. Ann Roether Pearce; they have three children and two grandchildren.

Mike’s bands and orchestras have been rated “Superior” over 75 times in adjudicated music festivals.  His high school symphonic bands and symphony orchestras were selected to perform for MENC Omaha and his high school jazz band and symphony orchestra was chosen to play for the Colorado Music Educators Conference.  His symphonic band played at three Middle school clinic/conference performances at CMEA.  His Prairie Middle School l890’s Band appeared at MENC Nashville.  His Lakewood High School Marching Band was chosen to represent Colorado in the Inauguration Parade for Jimmy Carter.  In 1998, his Prairie Symphonic Band was selected to perform for the Opening Ceremony of the National Middle School Convention in Denver.

Mike has made five clinic appearances in state and national conferences and has been active as an honor and individual band clinician, judge, and guest conductor throughout Colorado and New Mexico.  Honor band conducting appearances include Delta County, Holyoke, Jefferson County, Ft. Collins, and Western Slope Colorado Bandmasters Honor Band in Grand Junction.  Career highlights include MAC Outstanding Colorado Band Director, Business Week Award for Creativity in Teaching, Teacher of the Year at Lakewood High School and Prairie Middle School and runner up Teacher of the Year for the Jefferson County Schools.  For 7 consecutive years his Prairie Middle School Bands were named Colorado Bandmasters Association “Exemplary Band.”

Mike is also active as a writer with over 200 articles, poems, and short stories appearing in a variety of local, state, and national periodicals.  His writing activities also include the completion of 20 arrangements and original compositions for band and a multi media program titled “Faces of Colorado.”

Mike, primarily a French horn player, has performed with the symphony orchestras in Albuquerque and Roswell, New Mexico, in the Coe and Grinnell College and Tri-City Symphonies in Iowa, in the Columbine Woodwind Quintet, and in the Community Arts, Jefferson, Castle Rock, and Denver Pops Orchestras in Colorado.  He also plays Eb tenor horn in the Colorado Brass Band.  He has played French horn and tuba in the Lake City Stinger Band where he is currently director.