Michigan Muse Spring 2026 > Dean’s Reflection
Dean’s Reflection
In recent weeks, I have been reflecting on the impact Professor H. Robert Reynolds had on collegiate band music, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and the lives of tens of thousands of students, including my own. Professor Reynolds (BM ’56, music education; MM ’58, wind instruments) served as SMTD’s director of bands and chair of the conducting department for more than a quarter-century, 1975–2001. He passed away on January 30, 2026.
When I first met Professor Reynolds, I was a student auditioning for a spot in the Symphony Band alongside dozens of my peers. This legendary band director loomed large in our imaginations, and we all cared deeply about earning a spot in the ensemble and his approval. Once we were part of the Symphony Band, Professor Reynolds assumed a position of great importance for all of us as we worked to respond to his gestures, understand his intent, and achieve his musical vision.
Dean Dave Gier
In his ensemble, Professor Reynolds did what great conductors do: he established expectations for technical and musical proficiency, artistic expression, and professionalism. In so many ways, he set the aspirational standard for every student in the ensemble – a standard that guided us long after our time at Michigan. When we walked into his rehearsal, it was assumed that we had command of our individual parts and that we could contribute to the band’s sound and the artistic goals that he had envisioned for all of us.
By setting such high standards, Professor Reynolds promoted a healthy competitiveness among the ensemble’s members. We wanted to impress him and each other, and he knew just how hard to push to bring out the best in us. I remember when I first entered the Symphony Band, I was in a section of nine trombones, three euphoniums, and six tubas – a lot of low brass power that, as a young and impressionable musician, I found incredibly impressive. Professor Reynolds unleashed that power in musically thrilling ways, but he also asked each of us to play impossibly softly, to deliver a kaleidoscopic array of colors and articulations, and to be attuned to one another in ways most of us had never experienced. In his rehearsals, we learned to go beyond what we thought was possible, pulled forward by our conductor and by each other. We formed strong bonds, fortified by the knowledge that what we achieved together surpassed anything we could do alone.
Over time, ensembles build on those shared experiences, and when they are led by skilled, caring, artistically inspiring conductors like Professor Reynolds, something magical happens – resulting in an indelible, foundational aspect of one’s educational journey. Many of my ideas about musical quality, musicianship, the creative process, what we owe to one another in collaborative spaces, and professional commitment stem from my time in Professor Reynolds’s band. For me, that ensemble was the epitome of my Michigan experience.
Many years later, my relationship with Professor Reynolds came full circle. When I returned to Michigan as dean of SMTD in 2018, I spent many hours sitting beside him in the balcony of Hill Auditorium at Symphony Band concerts, engaged in a wonderful, ongoing conversation about music, the future of SMTD, and life in general. Though I had once viewed him as a larger-than-life figure, spending time with him later allowed me to see this profoundly influential man in a different light and to more fully understand his impact on the school and on my life. He was kind, warm, and intellectually keen, with a powerful sense of joy. He took great pleasure in listening to the student musicians and witnessing the growth he had done so much to foster at Michigan. He cherished Michigan’s enduring traditions, while embracing its commitment to innovation, and felt profoundly grateful for his rich life in music. His support of me as dean was deeply meaningful – I always felt respected, appreciated, and challenged in all the best ways by Professor Reynolds, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
I am so pleased that this issue of Michigan Muse – “Layers of Creativity: Conductors, Creators & Music Educators” – connects strongly with Professor Reynolds’s legacy. His influential career as a conductor and band director shaped the experiences of countless students. His dedication to commissioning new works raised the profile of the Michigan Bands program, created opportunities for composers, and gave students the remarkable experience of collaborating with a composer to realize a new piece. And Professor Reynolds, having earned his bachelor’s degree in music education at Michigan, recognized the crucial role of music teaching; he often spoke of Elizabeth Green – a revered figure in the school’s history and in the field of music education – as his most influential professor.
In my role as dean, I see every day that there are myriad versions across SMTD of the kind of shared experience I had as a student in the Symphony Band – students collaborating and pursuing creative excellence in ensembles, in chamber groups and jazz combos, in plays and musicals, in dance concerts, in projects of every shape and size. SMTD students are trained and mentored by our extraordinarily talented and caring faculty, and they work each day to make themselves and each other better. That, to me, is what this school is all about.
Be well, and Forever Go Blue,
Dave Gier, Dean
Paul Boylan Collegiate Professor of Music
School of Music, Theatre & Dance