Patrick Bailey
Director of Program Development; Director & Conductor, PYSB
Patrick is deeply involved in the arts education non-profit sector through his work as on the artistic and administrative staff of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute. He currently serves as the Director of Education for the Institute, working to expand program offerings to serve more students from more backgrounds across the greater Philadelphia area. He is the founding Director & Conductor of the Philadelphia Youth Symphonic Band, a program offering at the Institute which engages advanced instrumental students through performance of high-level concert band and wind ensemble repertoire. The PYSB serves students through weekly rehearsals, sectional masterclasses, and performances in major concert halls in Philadelphia.
Past positions include posts in both public and higher education, helping students bridge involvement in school programs through inspiring a life-long love of music making. From 2012 through 2025, Patrick served as faculty member of the Pennsbury School District instrumental music program in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Pennsbury has long had one of the strongest school music programs in the greater Philadelphia area, being awarded the N.A.M.M. Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education award for over two decades.
From 2019 through 2024, he served as the Music Director & Conductor of the Drexel University Concert Band: students who make up this ensemble are not music performance majors but stay involved in music through performance in the university’s flagship concert band program. These students rehearse twice a week and perform great works from the concert band repertoire. Other past positions in higher education include adjunct professor at Temple University, where he co-authored the Arts Enterprise course on personal financial management and entrepreneurship in the arts, and adjunct professor at Moore College of Art and Design where he taught entrepreneurship in the business minor program.
Patrick is also an active guest conductor, clinician, freelance percussionist, and private lesson instructor. He holds degrees from Temple University (B.M. Music Education) and Drexel University (M.S. Arts Administration) and is a member of the Vic Firth Education Team; American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; Pennsylvania Music Educators Association; College Band Directors National Association; and National Association for Music Education.
Learning a musical instrument is an incredibly rewarding pursuit. Getting the most out of musical study means accessing high quality arts experiences both as a learner and an audience member, finding mentors to navigate the many pathways available to artists in today’s changing world, and embracing the understanding that artistic mastery is a lifelong journey. Patrick Bailey is a career musician, educator, conductor, and administrator whose work centers on meeting these needs.
At its core, artistic training serves to deepen one’s understanding of the world and enrich one’s life.