Bugs Beddow

Bugs Beddow is a husband, father, trombonist, flutist, vocalist, bandleader, and music educator. While taking lessons with Mr. Beddow, your child’s skill level will improve quickly. At the same time, they will have more fun playing their instruments. While in third grade, Beddow attended a pep assembly and noticed that while all the other musicians seemed to be in a stationary position, the trombone player’s arm was quickly moving back and forth. “That guy looked like he was really doing something! That was the instrument for me!” Beddow graduated from Northern Michigan University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Music Education and earned a Master of Music Education with credits at Madonna University and the University of California-Bakerfield. He has taught everything from band, orchestra, choir, and elementary music in the years that followed and is currently with the West Bloomfield School District, where he teaches Middle School Band and K–5 elementary music. He also teaches private lessons at Marshall Music and performs occasionally at his church. While educating by day, Beddow has dedicated many nights to performing, having participated briefly in the big bands of Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Don Ellis, and Stan Kenton. After leaving college and playing with prominent local groups, he started his own jazz group. Beddow was inducted into the Detroit Jazz Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1992, after performing in the movie Hoffa with Jack Nicholson, he changed musical direction and began recording rock and soul music, winning dozens of accolades from the Detroit Music Awards.

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In addition to his duties as principal trombonist and vice president of the Orchard Lake Philharmonic, he leads an award winning Detroit area rock and soul band, bugs Beddow & the Good STuFF. Bugs likes spending his spare time with his family, taking long walks with Zeke, the family dog, and playing his trombone and flute.