Owen Rockwell, DMA, is Director of Music for the Belhaven University Department of Dance where he leads a staff of dedicated musicians - together, they provide live accompaniment for all dance technique classes offered on campus. “Doc Rock” uses an assortment of drums, keyboards, electronic looping/sampling, and his voice to create rich aural soundscapes. His experience includes playing for Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, West African (Guinea, Ghana), as well as Afro-Latin/Caribbean dance forms. Additionally, he composes music for dance performances and teaches the course, “Rhythmic Awareness for Dancers. He also serves in the Department of Music teaching private percussion lessons.
In 2019, Dr. Rockwell created the Minor in Dance Accompaniment at BU, a program of study designed for students with a musical background to learn to make music with and for dancers. He participated in the 2nd annual Mark Morris Dance Group Dance Accompanist Training Program in New York City, further solidifying his interest and commitment to guiding dancers and musicians through the process of discovering effective co-teaching and learning strategies for music within the context of the dance technique class.
Dr. Rockwell received Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Percussion Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and later the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is an active member of the International Guild of Musicians in Dance where he serves as Membership Director. In 2015 he received a Performing Arts Fellowship through the Mississippi Arts Commission/NEA.