music for use composers

Cooper Ottum, founding composer

Cooper Ottum wants to make music useful. 

Cooper is a music educator, arranger, and composer who helps music program directors better engage with their students and their community by providing consulting for marching arts programs with a focus on creative yet practical solutions. 

Cooper’s marching band clients include Century High School (Hillsboro, OR, 2010–present), Liberty High School (Hillsboro, OR, 2013–present), Roseburg High School (Roseburg, OR, 2016–present), and O’Fallon Township High School (O’Fallon, IL, 2017–present). Cooper is especially keen to form long term creative partnerships with clients, acting as a guest clinician and on-site advisor in addition to program coordination and planning. 

Cooper studied composition at the University of Southern California and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and has been commissioned to write works for short film, band, and a variety of chamber ensembles. He leverages this background in concert music to emphasize a consistent focus on musical authenticity. 

Supporting strong musical communities for young people is important to Cooper. In addition to collaborating with marching band programs, he has worked with Hillsboro Parks and Recreation (Hillsboro, OR) and Beaverton School District (Beaverton, OR) on music education initiatives for K-12 students. In Kansas City, under the mentorship of Dr. Mara Gibson, Cooper created and coordinated the Music for Use Project, which established commissioning relationships between collegiate composers and local youth music programs.

Cooper is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Conducting and a professional teaching certification at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA, where is the graduate assistant for the CWU Bands.