Candidates for FBA President-Elect

Candidate for FBA President-Elect Jeff Cayer

Jeff Cayer is in his first year as director of bands at Marshall Middle Magnet School in Plant City. Prior to joining the Marshall staff, Mr. Cayer served as director of bands at Southwest Middle School in Lakeland from 1995 to 2016 and Woodrow Wilson Middle School in South Tampa from 2016 to 2021. Over his 27 years of public school teaching, Mr. Cayer’s bands have consistently earned superior ratings at concert and jazz band music performance assessments.

Early in his career, Jeff collaborated with a colleague to create the Polk Jazz Festival, which sought to encourage the development of jazz musicianship at the middle and high school levels. This program later evolved into the Polk County Jazz Showcase, an event that celebrates the diversity of jazz ensembles in Polk County. Jeff was recognized as Southwest’s Teacher of the Year and was honored with the Chris Keehn Spirit of Teaching Award. During his years at Southwest Middle School, Mr. Cayer also created an Elementary School Band experience, which allowed fifth grade students at his feeder schools the opportunity to explore band in a nine-week, beforeschool ensemble. In 2013, Mr. Cayer was selected as a national quarterfinalist for the GRAMMY Foundation Music Educator Award.

Jeff earned the BME from Florida Southern College in Lakeland in 1995 and the MEd in educational leadership from Southeastern University in 2010. He was recognized as the Outstanding Master’s Graduate in December 2010. He is pursuing the EdD in educational leadership at Florida Southern College. He has served two terms as chairman of FBA District 12. He has served the Florida Bandmasters Association in multiple facets such as junior high/ middle school representative and state jazz chairman. He was also a member of the Clinics, MPA, and Adjudicator committees. Jeff serves as secretary of FBA District 7 and is an active adjudicator and clinician around the state. He has conducted numerous honor bands in both jazz and concert settings and directed the 2016 Florida All-State Middle School Band. Jeff serves as the jazz adjudicator trainer for the state of Florida, where he is responsible for the approval and renewal of jazz adjudicators. Jeff has presented many FMEA and FBA clinics on a broad scope of topics, including Jazz Band Literature Selection, Teaching Students With Exceptionalities in the Band Room, and a preconference event entitled Crossing the Divide, focused on retention of middle school band students as they enter high school.

In Mr. Cayer’s free time, he enjoys competing on the professional barbecue circuit; restoring classic cars; and spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. His wife, Jennifer, is also a career educator, specializing in gifted education and television production. His daughters, Denise and Ashley, are both all-state French horn players and continue to enjoy music. Denise is a music educator in Polk County, and her husband, Daniel, is director of bands at St. Paul Lutheran School. Ashley received her doctorate in occupational therapy, and her husband, Austin, is an engineer with Con Edison. Jeff is an active member in FBA, FMEA, NAfME, Alpha Chi, and Phi Beta Mu.

Candidate for FBA President-Elect Jody Dunn

Joseph Wayne (Jody) Dunn is a 1986 graduate of Crestview High School, where he now holds the position of band director. Mr. Dunn was twice the principal trombonist of the Florida All-State Band while a high school and junior high school student. He was also a member of the Florida All-State Choir. As a senior, he served as the drum major of the Crestview High School marching band, better known as “The Big Red Machine.” He went on to earn his music education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg in 1990. While at USM he was a member of the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band, for which he served as section leader and vice president. He was a member of the Wind Ensemble, the Symphonic Band, Jazz Lab I, and the Trombone Choir. He performed with the USM Chorale and Men’s Choir and was a founding member of the USM Jazz Singers.

Upon graduation from USM, Mr. Dunn accepted the position as director of the Pickering High School Band in Leesville, Louisiana. Under his direction, the band received its first ever superior ratings. In 1993, he returned to his hometown of Crestview and became the assistant director of the Richbourg Middle School Band and Chorus until 1996. From 1996 to 2006, Mr. Dunn was the associate director of bands at Crestview High School. While serving as the associate director, he was the visual coordinator of the marching band as well as the director of the Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble II.

He assumed his current position as director of bands at Crestview High School in 2006. He conducts the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble I and oversees three additional concert bands, percussion, chamber winds, instrumental techniques, and The Big Red Machine marching band. Under his direction, the Crestview Band has received the Otto J. Kraushaar Award, the highest award given by the Florida Bandmasters Association, several times. In 2011, Mr. Dunn was a clinician/conductor for the Southeastern United States Honor Band at Troy University. In 2012, the Crestview High School Band was featured in the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. In 2014, the Wind Ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In February 2017, the Wind Ensemble performed at the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic in Troy, Alabama.

In spring 2019, Mr. Dunn served as the guest clinician/conductor of the Matanuska-Susitna Honor Band in Palmer, Alaska. Most recently, he was the clinician/ conductor of the 2020 Florida All-State High School Honor Band.

Mr. Dunn is active as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the Southeast. He has served on the state Executive Board of the Florida Bandmasters Association. He chairs the FBA Ethics Committee. He is a recipient of the Certificate of Merit from the National Band Association. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, FMEA, NAfME, NBA, ASBDA, and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity, where he serves as past president of the Omega chapter. Mr. Dunn is a recent recipient of the prestigious Florida Bandmasters Association Oliver Hobbs Award.

Jody is the proud father of Olivia, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Elijah.