Hosted by Artistic Director Sean Dobbins
The Southeastern Music Academy has an outstanding music faculty – successful performers with strong academic credentials that perform regularly with professional groups. This talented group of instructors hope to help all levels of students achieve their goals in a fun and encouraging atmosphere.
A product of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, Sean Dobbins has stayed devoted to education throughout his life. Early mentor Louis Smith, an Ann Arbor Public Schools band teacher, impressed the importance of a good education upon Sean at an early age. Sean is known in his community as a band director, drum teacher and positive influence for many.
In 1999 Sean was asked to become the director of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Summer Jazz Program. This program was designed to help educate and inspire young artist as they began their quest of learning jazz. In 1998, a year before Sean’s arrival, the program was in jeopardy of being cancelled due to low enrollment. In 2000, a year after Sean took over the reigns, the enrollment more than tripled and a year later, the group was featured on WEMU, a national jazz radio program.