Award Winners

Vince Keenan

Don Schmeer Friend of Music Award

The CBDA Don Schmeer FRIEND OF MUSIC AWARD is an annual recognition bestowed on an individual or organization who has demonstrated a history of promoting band music education in California. Recipients of this award have gone above and beyond a common calling to serve the fine art of music in the name of increasing, supporting, and spreading the love and joy of music to students in scholastic areas. Past recipients include music education advocates, industry professionals, university educators, music lobbyists, and others. This year’s award winner, Vince Keenan, is no stranger to CASMEC and CBDA.

While not a stranger, most people don’t necessarily see Mr. Keenan around at CASMEC. He has been involved nearly 30 years and has always been willing to help band directors with their audio and video needs. Our CBDA publications often offer resources to directors and Mr. Keenan took the time to write an article about sound reinforcement.

Mr. Keenan’s wife, Christine Keenan, said that he even helped band directors make the scary transition of cassette tape auditions to CDs. Speaking of recording, our recipient has worked year after year recording our all state concerts. Upon our return to Fresno, Mr. Keenan noticed a need for CASMEC and took it upon himself to suggest a role for production manager, for the Saroyan hall. Whether on stage, in recordings, or working virtually online, Vince Keenan has dedicated his life to supporting music education and live performances. CBDA will always be grateful that he has been a part of our conference.

Ali Gilroy-Golden Distinguished Service Award

Steve Acciani

Dave Goedecke Lifetime Achievement Award

The We have the distinct honor of presenting the CBDA Distinguished Service Award to Ali Gilroy-Golden. It is a wellknown fact that it takes many villages to make CASMEC and CBDA work. For over 35 years, CBDA has been recognizing individuals that have gone above and beyond with their work for Band Directors and Music Education in California. Award recipients have included people such as Lisa Butts, Michael Stone and last year’s honoree, Mike Gangemi. As a former CASMEC Coordinator, Ali Gilroy-Golden fits right into this distinguished list.

Ms. Gilroy-Golden has given an immeasurable amount of time and energy to our music community in addition to her role as a music educator in the Valley. At the county and state level, Ms. Gilroy-Golden has demonstrated attentive leadership in many capacities. In the past 6 years alone, Ms. Gilroy-Golden worked as Lead Chaperone, Student Host, and CASMEC Coordinator. She helped lead the conference in one of the most difficult time periods in our history during the virtual conference and coming back to a very intense logistical nightmare of coming back in person with Covid mitigations.

Ms. Gilroy-Golden is one of the most dependable people with only the best of intentions in every suggestion she has. Her work is often unseen but we all know VERY well the amount of work that goes into planning such an intricate conference. She is always the first one to arrive for every meeting and function and always the last one to leave. Constantly asking people what more she can do, whether it’s moving equipment, grabbing lunch, or buying all of Costco, she is the epitome of doing what needs to be done for the good of the conference.

The Dave Goedecke Lifetime Achievement Award honors a California band director who has exhibited a lifetime of achievement in music education at the state level. Imagine a selfless teacher that inspires all students daily to be great humans, pushes them musically to grow further than anyone imagined, always knows what their students are going through personally and is there to offer advice, plus constantly makes anyone in their presence laugh while putting HOURS of tireless work in to make sure everyone around him achieves greatness. This is Steve Acciani, the Instrumental Music Director at Diamond Bar High School.

Mr. Acciani has dedicated his life to his students and our music community. He started South Pointe Middle School in 1989 with 17 students in his band, which he can still name them all, and what became of them. Through the years South Pointe’s program grew to over 500 students just in band! Mr. Acciani had always valued the honor groups, so he started pushing South Pointe to participate in AllSouthern and eventually All-State Honor Bands. At one point, the honor groups were so popular on the campus that over 100 students were recorded. Mr. Acciani makes life changing connections with each of his students. He never gives up on them and always has a way of getting them to open up as humans and play greater as musicians.

After 17 years at South Pointe, Steve moved over to Diamond Bar HS. On getting to Diamond Bar, against everyone’s advice, he decided to change the program to fit the community. He changed the marching band to be optional and to do away with competitive field shows. He developed a winning parade band that has taken sweepstakes at our SCSBOA finals in Southern California numerous times. He decided Diamond Bar needed to start a music academy to serve our top end students. Years later, the Diamond Bar Performing Arts Academy has become a staple of the school which holds weekly classes in chamber music, conducting, music theory, music history and aural skills. Countless academy students go on to win big awards and scholarships for their profound musical talents.

Along with the academy, his Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra soared to new heights tackling works such as Masklanka’s Symphony No 4 and Symphony Fantastic. None of this would have been possible had he not personalized the program to fit the Diamond Bar community.

One of his main lines he says to his students is “you are standing on the shoulders of giants, what is your legacy going to be?” For so many of us Steve Acciani is our giant whose shoulders we stand on and his legacy is vast and one of a kind.