Meet the Director

Dr. Michael Keepe joined the Lakeland faculty in 2024. A deeply committed music educator, Mike enjoys working with students of all ages from beginner to advanced university students and is active as an adjudicator and clinician for music festivals and competitions. In addition to teaching Band and Choir at Lakeland, Dr. Keepe teaches saxophone for Eastern Washington University, performs with the Coeur d'Alene Symphony, and with the funk band Flyining Funk. Upon moving to Idaho, he created the North Idaho Saxophone Academy to provide lessons, clinics and workshops throughout the Inland Northwest and online nationally. 

Inspired by his high school music program, Mike decided to pursue a career in music. He attended the Univerisity of Utah and University of Arizona to pursue degrees in Music Education, Saxophone Performance, and Music Business. During this time, Mike had the honor of working with some of the great band directors and composers of our idiom, and was featured multiple times as soloist with these ensembles which included recordings for Albany Records. 

As a performer, Dr. Keepe has performed as soloist with professional orchestras, high school and university ensembles, at regional and national saxophone and music educator's conventions, and has recorded with the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble. He has also performed with the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Tucson Chamber Orchestra, Catalina Chamber Orchestra, Arizona Opera, The Rodriguez & Keepe Duo, and the Presidio Saxophone Quartet. The latter, performing and touring internationally for 18 years. As a freelance musician, he has recorded as a studio sideman and performed with touring artists such as Michael Feinstien, Bernadette Peters, the Cab Calloway Orchestra, The Temptations, and cover-bands like Beatlemania.

Dr. Keepe’s prior teaching credentials include faculty appointments for the University of Arizona's Fred Fox School of Music (Saxophone) and the Eller College of Management (Entrepreneurship) at the University of Arizona, Pima Community College (Saxophone, Music Industry), The Festival at Sandpoint Summer Youth Music Camp in Idaho (Chamber Band, Conducting, Saxophone), Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Michigan (Saxophone, Conducting), and Band Director and Saxophone Clinician for the Tucson Unified School District, in Arizona. He has served as President of the Tucson Music Teachers Association and has taught privately for more than 40 years. 

Mike is a member of the Daddario Educators Collective and a Performing Artist and Clinician for Conn-Selmer Inc. performing on Selmer Paris saxophones exclusively. He can be heard on the Albany, AUR, Coseismic, and Viva Nostalgie recording labels.

For more information on Dr. Keepe please visit www.mikekeepe.com