About the Jazz Band Director

Kate Warren is an internationally acclaimed hornist and music educator. She currently serves as a College Lecturer in Music at Ocean County College and is also the featured French horn soloist for the Tony and Emmy award winning Broadway show Blast!. Additionally, Kate serves as the Social Media Coordinator for the International Horn Society. Prior to these appointments she was a Yaffe Post-Graduate Teaching Fellow for the Yale School of Music’s Music in Schools Initiative. Kate has previously toured with the Dallas Brass and held positions with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the Sinfonia Gulf Coast. 

As an educator Kate is passionate about creating resources for music students and works extensively within social media to promote music and music education through her Instagram page @katewarrenmusic.  Recently Kate published her second book, 3 Week Fundamentals Boot Camp, and worked with Conn & Selmer and SmartMusic to develop and record a comprehensive beginner french horn curriculum. Kate is an in-demand lecturer and researcher, regularly presenting  on gender and equity in brass playing as well as social media and entrepreneurship in music. 

Kate holds a Masters of Musical Arts degree from Yale University, a Masters of Music in horn performance from the New School, studying with Erik Ralske, and a BM in horn performance from Florida State University. Kate is a regular freelancer in the New York/ New Jersey area, and is available for private lessons and remote recording work.​

​Kate also has extensive pageantry arts experience and has previously taught brass at  the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps and the Connecticut Hurricanes Drum & Bugle Corps and taught visual for the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps, the Arizona Academy Drum & Bugle Corps, Carolina Crown, and Ancient City Percussion, as well as worked with the University of New Haven Charger band and numerous high school programs. Kate marched four summers of DCI playing mellophone, two with Carolina Crown (2017, 2018) and two with the Boston Crusaders (2015, 2016). On February 10th, 2023 Kate performed Ryan Williams’ mellophone concerto: Shades of Red with the Yale band. Outside of music she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and reading.