Chief Warrant Officer 3 Thomas “TJ” Jackson comes to the West Point Band and West Point Music Research Center from the U.S. Army School of Music in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he served as an Officer Courses Instructor. Prior to this, Mr. Jackson completed a one-year Training with Industry assignment at Disney Parks Live Entertainment in Anaheim, California, after having commanded the 282nd Army Band at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Mr. Jackson attended basic training at Fort Jackson in 2002. Upon accelerated graduation from Advanced Individual Training at the U.S. Army School of Music, he was assigned to the U.S. Army Europe Band in Heidelberg, Germany, and subsequently served at the U.S. Continental Army Band at Fort Monroe, Virginia. He was then selected to serve as the saxophone instructor at the Armed Forces School of Music in Virginia Beach, Virginia, before assignment to the 4th Infantry Division Band at Fort Carson, Colorado, which included a deployment to Iraq during Operation New Dawn. Mr. Jackson graduated from the Warrant Officer Career College in 2013 and was immediately afforded a command at Fort Jackson.
Chief Warrant Officer Jackson is a native of West Virginia, but hails from Frederick, Maryland. He holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Regent University, a graduate certificate in project management from Columbia Southern University, an undergraduate degree in saxophone performance from Elon University, and is a credentialed Project Management Professional (PMP). He is married to the former Vicki Lynn Harting of Troy, Missouri, and has one son, Caleb.
Established in 2018, the West Point Music Research Center (WPMRC) conducts research on behalf of the United States Military Academy (USMA), the United States Army, and the Department of Defense.
Music permeates every aspect of daily life. It has significant and lasting effects on individuals and communities, including health and wellness, readiness and resilience, economic influence, community building, cultural and national identity, and diplomacy.
WPMRC is committed to enhancing cadet education, faculty development, and the Army mission through the lens of music, sound, and their far-reaching effects. The Center supports cadet projects, conducts research, compiles related literature, and facilitates workshops, lectures, and experiences, to be the preeminent center in this area of research.
The West Point Music Research Center advances the Academy and Army's commitment to modernization, enhances the West Point curriculum, and facilitates national and international collaboration with today's preeminent academic departments, research centers, veteran artists, and industry leaders.
WPMRC is actively pursuing the development of strategic partnerships with industry, academia, and other government agencies and laboratories.
West Point faculty partner with forward deployed units, DoD research organizations, academia, and industry to do research on real world problems and bring difficult projects to the classroom. Because West Point is a government organization, a number of options have been established by law and by regulation to support research at West Point. WPMRC's first step in partnering with government, academic, or industry scientists is establishing the Memoranda of Agreement or Cooperative Research and Development Agreements. Donors interested in contributing to this research are invited to contact the West Point Association of Graduates.
