Saxophonist and music educator Robert “Rob” Ward is based in Puyallup, Washington, where he teaches general music and beginning band in the Puyallup School District. His work as an educator is rooted in performance-centered music learning, helping students develop technical skill, expressive artistry, confidence, and a lifelong connection to music.
Before entering public school teaching, Rob served for six years as a professional musician with the United States Army Bands, performing with America’s First Corps Band and the 1st Cavalry Division Band. During his Army career, he performed in concert band, jazz ensemble, woodwind quintet, brass band, chamber ensembles, and ceremonial settings. He served as a section leader, featured soloist, arranger, rehearsal leader, and music performance team leader, later earning the rank of Sergeant.
Rob has been featured as a soloist on multiple occasions with both America’s First Corps Band and the 1st Cavalry Division Band. In 2018, he was selected to perform as a featured soloist with the United States Army Woodwind Quintet from The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” The ensemble toured through Idaho and Washington, presenting recitals and master classes at university music schools throughout the Pacific Northwest.
As a chamber musician, Rob performed as the baritone saxophonist with the Black Diamond Saxophone Quartet, the graduate saxophone quartet at the University of Colorado Boulder. The quartet performed at the 2016 North American Saxophone Alliance National Conference in Lubbock, Texas, the 2017 NASA Region 2 Conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and throughout the Boulder and Denver areas. In 2017, the quartet gave the regional and Colorado premiere of Carter Pann’s The Mechanics: Six from the Shop Floor, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music.
Rob’s earlier accomplishments include performing as a member of the Ohio Intercollegiate Jazz Ensemble at the OMEA conference, competing as a finalist in the Ohio University Concerto Competition, and receiving the Ohio University School of Music’s Most Outstanding Graduating Senior Award. He was also the first student at Ohio University to complete the Jazz Minor.
Rob earned his Master of Music in Saxophone Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he received the N. and T. Anderson Scholarship. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance and a minor in Jazz Studies. He also completed an Alternative Route to Teacher Certification through Seattle Pacific University. His primary saxophone teachers include Bill Burns, Dr. Matthew James, and Tom Myer.
Rob currently resides in Puyallup, Washington, with his wife Rebecca, their sons Samuel and Alexander, and their dog Sydney.