I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Downes as program coordinator of Humber’s Bachelor of Music program.

Mike is one of the most accomplished musicians in Canada. He is a two-time JUNO Award winner as a bandleader, for Ripple Effect (2014) and Root Structure (2018), and he frequently works as a performer, arranger, composer and producer for other musicians. He has performed with many of North America’s top jazz artists—including Pat Metheny, Chris Potter, and Oliver Jones—and appeared on numerous other JUNO-winning or nominated recordings, such as Molly Johnson’s Lucky, Shirantha Beddage’s Identity, and Lorne Lofsky’s Bill Please.

Mike is equally well known for his work as a music educator as he is for his musicianship. He has been the Bass Department Head at Humber since 2000, and travelled across Canada and internationally as a featured artist/clinician. Mike is the author of The Jazz Bass Line Book and the co-author of Jazz and Contemporary Music Theory.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Music from McGill University in Montreal, and a Master of Arts in Music Composition from York University.

Please join me in welcoming Mike to his new position.

Steve Bellamy
Dean, School of Creative & Performing Arts