Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Mike Bogle.
Dr. Bogle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Flower Mound, TX and my father taught me songs by Johnny Cash and other country artists as a child and we had a variety of records in the house. I loved the lyrics and the stories of the songs, and my dad would sing and play guitar or ukulele. Strangely I also started writing my own songs around the same time. I would write lyrics and stories in a notebook. Thankfully I still have that notebook. I started first grade at 5 years old and started playing piano around 6 years old, thanks to my mother who suggested it to me. My piano teacher was the pianist at the Methodist church where I attended with my parents. I took lessons, including theory of course, for a few years and did well. One day I came back from summer break and played some Elton John for my teacher, and she was overwhelmed. She like it, but she said she didn’t understand it at all (specifically the swinging, syncopated rhythms), and therefore would not be able to continue as my teacher. I was shocked! I didn’t really know what to think. I have since learned about the huge divides between popular music, classical music, and jazz etc. Many musicians prefer to stick to only one style, and many music schools steer you this way–one instrument only and only one (or maybe two) style(s). This never made sense to me! I taught myself a lot and began playing jazz in my high school jazz band and had lots of successes during my high school band years–on piano and on trombone and euphonium. I also dabbled in singing. I was influenced by the UNT (at that time NTSU) Jazz Studies program which was right down the street from where I lived. Some of the students and faculty from NTSU would teach lessons and give clinics and workshops at my high school. I started writing jazz tunes and wrote my first big band arrangements at age fourteen—one of which was recorded on a vinyl record at the Midwestern Music and Arts summer camp in Lawrence, KS. My family moved to Little Rock, Ark before my junior year, and I was in an excellent jazz band there at the high school. But my roots were not there in Little Rock, and partially for that reason I decided to graduate high school a year early and received a scholarship to the University of Miami for Studio Music and Jazz. I began as a freshman at UM at age 16. This is where I began to play all kinds of Latin music styles, and began playing shows with the likes of Tom Jones, Burt Bacharach, and Diana Ross while still only around 17 years old. It was overwhelming and awesome at the same time. Eventually, I decided to come back to my home state and finish my studies at UNT as a Jazz Studies major. I was there during the change from NTSU to UNT.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I completed a BM and MM in Jazz Studies, became the manager of the One O’Clock Lab Band, started (and eventually completed) a DMA in Music Performance. I got a Grammy nomination along the way for my arrangement of Chick Corea’s “Got A Match” for the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band. This was really a life-changing event and so affirming as an artist/composer/arranger. I went to New York City and attended the Grammys for the first time at Radio City Music Hall. This was the highlight of my musical life! All this time, I felt that something was missing in the way music was taught, even on the highest levels. Popular Music or Commercial Music were almost completely ignored it seemed. This became my mission as a teacher: to teach and encourage students about the real music industry and how they could be a part of it—performing, writing, recording, and releasing original music, plus all the other jobs surrounding the production and performance of the music. I wanted to teach students about the Grammy Awards and how the process worked–how you can submit music for consideration, etc. I began my first job as a full-time professor of music at UT Arlington and began a lifelong journey as an educator/performer, regularly teaching over 10 different courses in every aspect of music and technology each year. In 2011 I started the D’Jammy Awards to encourage students to write, record and release—the “3 R’s” (my term) of original music production. They would be judged by their peers. Only student voting would be allowed. And the winners in each category (Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, etc.) would receive a cash scholarship. My non-profit 501c3 the Musical Institute for Knowledge and Education would raise money for the scholarships through donations and other fundraising activities. We just finished our 12th D’Jammy Awards, and it keeps growing each year. I continue to teach at Dallas College Cedar Valley Campus and to write, record, and release my own music. I feel like I am just getting started. Thank you for this interview opportunity.
Do you have an official bio for people who may be interested?
Please visit mikebogle.com for more info including my detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV). Here is my official Bio: Dr. Mike Bogle is a versatile and dynamic musician with a vast array of accomplishments in the music industry. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award for his arrangement of Chick Corea’s composition Got A Match? recorded by the University of North Texas (UNT) One O’Clock Lab Band. His latest collaborations include work with jazz artist Paul Messina on the album Blue Fire (2022) and a new full-length musical play with collaborator Dr. Jerry Cotton called Le Bourreau the Musical (2022). Dr. Bogle is an accomplished pianist/keyboardist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and trombonist. He has worked with renowned artists such as Irene Cara, Doc Severinsen, Bobby Caldwell, Jaco Pastorius, Burt Bacharach, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, and many more. He has also performed with Latin American artists Willie Chirino, Lissette, Gustavo Rojas, and El Grupo Chequere (Tania Records). In addition to his performance credits, Dr. Bogle has released several critically acclaimed albums under his own name, including Eternal Family (2004), Hipness Oasis (2012), Dr. B! (2018), Let There Be Light (2019), Rhapsody In Blue (2020), and the two-part musical play Le Bourreau the Musical (2022). Jazztronomy, an album of original instrumental music, is scheduled for release in October of 2023. Dr. Bogle holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas in Music Performance, as well as Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Jazz Studies. He also studied Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami. Currently, Dr. Bogle teaches a wide range of courses, including Jazz Piano, Synthesizer, Digital Music Production, Composition/Orchestration, MIDI, Synthesis, and Recording Ensemble at Dallas College, Cedar Valley Campus in Lancaster, TX. He is committed to sharing his passion for music with the next generation of musicians and continues to inspire and educate through his performances, compositions, and teaching. Dr. Mike Bogle’s work in music is a testament to his talent, dedication, and passion for the art form.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Everything–haha! It is very difficult to become an artist. I wanted to write original music, and this was not fully supported through traditional education. My formal education was rigorous, and I also set out to learn everything I possibly could that was not part of the curriculum. Anything is easy if you know how to do it. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline. Everyone must put in their ten thousand (or more) hours.
What do you think about luck?
The harder you work, the luckier you get. I often compare my musical journey to a farmer tending his crops—clearing a field, plowing, planting, watering, nurturing, protecting, and eventually harvesting. Then you start all over again and prepare for the next cycle. Cycles nested within cycles. Entire separate and complete lives within a single lifetime. My motto: Keep plowing!
Contact Info:
- Website: mikebogle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike.bogle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikeboglemusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeboglemusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeBogle4
- Youtube: @DrGroove29
Image Credits
Lona Dion
