Master Sergeant Monica J. Ding joined the United States Air Force Academy Band in October 2007. She currently performs on oboe with Academy Winds and Concert Band. She also performs on clarinet with the Marching Band. In addition to her musical duties, Sergeant Ding serves as the Noncommissioned Officer In Charge of the Concert Band and Supply.
Sergeant Ding originated from Mount Prospect, IL. She attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland on a full tuition Director's Scholarship where she received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1996. In 1997, she graduated with a Master of Music degree from the Northwestern University. Sergeant Ding has been a member of or performed with numerous ensembles, including the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra in Mexico, the Tamaulipas Music Festival Orchestra, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonia, the International Chamber Music Festival in Prague, Czech Republic, the Vallejo Symphony, the Sacramento Philharmonic, and the Napa Valley Symphony. As an educator, Sergeant Ding has been Professor of Oboe at the Zacatecas University in Zacatecas, Mexico and was Ray Still's teaching assistant at Northwestern University. She currently augments the teaching staff at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. Sergeant Ding has had the privilege to study under such instructors as Ray Still, Sara Watkins, Thomas Indermühler, Peter Cooper, Immanuel Davis and Carl Sonik.
EDUCATION:
1992 High School Diploma, Prospect High School, Mt. Prospect, IL
1996 Bachelor of Music, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
1997 Master of Music, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
2007 Airman Leadership School, Tyndall AFB, FL
2010 Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Peterson AFB, CO
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. November 2002 – October 2007, Band of the Golden West, Travis AFB, CA
2. October 2007 – Present, USAF Academy Band, Peterson SFB, CO
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Airman First Class – 24 Sep 2002
Senior Airman – 24 Jul 2004
Technical Sergeant – 26 Oct 2007
Master Sergeant – 01 Aug 2021