2019-2020 Georgia Music News | Winter

ASSOCIAT ION NEWS | D IV ISION N E WS | V E T E R A N 1 0

GeorgIa music news YOUR BRAIN AND SINGING JAIME BABBITT

THE LEGACY JOE LEFT US JAY WUCHER

HONORING A GEORGIA GROUNDBREAKER CELEBRATING MARY FRANCES EARLY

2020 CLINICIANS & PERFORMING GROUPS VOLUME 80 | NUMBER 2 | WINTER 2019

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

GMEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Carl Rieke

District Chairs 1 - Michael Nestor 2 - John Scanling 3 - John Inzetta 4 - Christine Kraemer 5 - Seth Gamba 6 - Stan Kramer 7 - Douglas McConnell 8 - Alan Carter 9 - Michael Oubre 10 - Katie Bennett 11 - Jay Davis 12 - Andy Esserwein 13 - William Owens 14 - Dennis Naughton

Immediate Past President Evelyn Champion Vice-President for Performance Evaluation Events Jeff Funderburk Vice-President for All State Events Alan Fowler

2020 16 CLINICIANS & PERFORMING GROUPS

Past Presidents’ Representative Frank Folds

Editor, Georgia Music News Victoria Enloe

Executive Director Cecil Wilder

For the complete list of Board Members please visit:

Band Division Chair Rudy Gilbert Choral Division Chair Marla Baldwin College Division Chair Dr. Josh Byrd

ASSOCIATION NEWS

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DIVISION NEWS

06 THE LEGACY JOE LEFT US JAY WUCHER

12 HONORING A GEORGIA GROUPNBREAKER MARY FRANCES EARLY

62 YOUR BRAIN AND SINGING

Orchestra Division Chair Samuel Lowder

Advertising/Exhibitors Cindy Reed

-ADVERTISER INDEXBOB ROGERS TRAVEL INSIDE COVER GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY PAGE 61 KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY PAGE 48 LEE UNIVERSITY PAGE 65

TWEED RECORDING PAGE 2 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA PAGE 49 YAMAHA PAGE 1 YOUNG HARRIS COLLEGE PAGE 7

SMOKY MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL PAGE 9

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DR. BRIAN M. TONEY

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Elementary Division Chair Brianne Turgeon

GMEA Staff Brandie Barbee Ryan Barbee Dr. Bernadette Scruggs Aleta Womack

© Copyright 2019 by the Georgia Music Educators Association

All pieces reproduced in this issue are under prior copyright of the creators and publisher by the contractual arrangements. Nothing shown may be reproduced in any form without obtaining the permission of the publisher and any other person or company who may have copyright ownership.

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Unless otherwised noted, photos are provided by Andy Edwards of Ace of Photos Visit aceofphotos.com

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ASSOCIATION NEWS THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS CARL RIEKE,, GMEA PRESIDENT Happy Winter!

Cooler weather is finally here! Georgia summers are HOT and last well past when the calendar says we should be enjoying fall weather. As many of you know, I grew up in Minnesota, so I really look forward to this time of year when the heat is (hopefully) behind us for a few months.

We are at a point in the school year when fall concerts, marching band halftime shows, and the ubiquitous fundraisers have drawn to a close, and I hope your fall semester was positive and productive.

As the new semester begins, it is time to for music educators throughout the state to start thinking about the GMEA 2020 In-Service Conference. We will be in Athens at the Classic Center again this year and it is going to be great! Please mark your calendar now for an exceptional weekend of in-services, performances, and networking: January 23-25, 2020.

The opening session of the conference will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 23rd in the Classic Center Theater with awards and recognitions followed by the keynote address given by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser. If you have not had a chance to hear one of Dr. Tim’s talks, you are in for a treat because he is one of the most inspirational proponents of music education in the nation.

HONOR THE

GROUNDBREAKER

MARY FRANCES EARLY

This year we will have over 250 sessions, concerts, and lobby performances to enjoy. The GMEA members who volunteer to preside or host one of these sessions are essential to the success of the conference. I am grateful for each volunteer, and the time you spend making our conference the best it can be.

In addition to the sessions and performances, GMEA is pleased that more than 150 vendors will be with us in Athens this year, as well. As always, these vendors will feature the latest innovations for your classroom/program and share information about programs and offerings that will enrich your student’s musical journey.

Last, but certainly not least, the 2020 conference would not be possible without our incredible GMEA staff: Cecil Wilder, Brandie Barbie, Ryan Barbie, Aleta Womack, and Bernadette Scruggs. They have collectively put in hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours to ensure that our membership enjoys an informative, productive, and energizing conference. We would be lost without them!

Finally, the GMEA membership has spoken! Thanks to each of you who voted on the new name for the new software that will replace OPUS. So, without further ado, drumroll please… our new software will be called “GMEA+.” GMEA+ is still in the development stage with an expected rollout date sometime in the summer of 2020.

It is an honor to serve as your president and I hope you will join me in Athens this month to learn new things and celebrate the outstanding music students and educators from all over this great state. Please feel free to e-mail me if I can help in any way.

GMEA HISTORY

THE

TRANSITION HISTORIAN Derik Clackum

In my earlier GMN article entitled “The Letter,” I referred to the big changes in GMEA leadership that took place during the late 60’s and 70’s. During this period, GMEA experienced a huge growth in membership. Much of this growth was propelled by the 1967 State Board of Education mandate that music instruction be offered in all public schools.

Up until this time, GMEA had been a small but slowly growing “Mom & Pop” type organization, led by elected officers and supported by volunteer helpers. We started out with less than 100 members. But, along with the rapid growth of music teaching positions in the late 60’s & the 70’s, came a rapid growth in GMEA membership. As our membership passed 1,000, it became clear to our board that elected officers could not handle the amount of paperwork, forms, and correspondence to keep in touch with a thousand members. It was apparent that we needed a professional staff to handle the growing workload of financial transactions and all the mailing, sorting, filing, and communication aspects of our association.

Recently I ran across an article by Margaret Swain about this critical period in our GMEA history, published in a 1993 Georgia Music News. In it, she describes her memories of some of what we went through as we transitioned from only elected leaders to adding a professional staff.

In 1970 the GMEA Board was trying to cope with not only the rapid growth in membership, but also the privilege of hosting the 1972 MENC National Convention in Atlanta. By getting the GMEA members to approve a change in the by-laws, the position of treasurer, (and later secretary) was changed from being an elected member to a hired professional. Edna Crusselle was hired to be the part time treasurer (and general flunky for the board), but as the tasks continued to increase, she was soon swamped by the workload to be handled. With the MENC National Convention date growing nearer, the board realized they needed to hire someone to handle the secretarial duties and let Edna concentrate on the treasurer’s duties.

Margaret Swain retired from teaching in 1970 and was approached by a member of the GMEA Board in late 1971 to see if she would be interested in accepting a part time position as secretary to the association.

Margaret recalls that when she accepted the job, two things became immediately apparent. First, there was no GMEA office to work in.

Edna had an “office” in a room at her home, and Margaret had to set up an office room at her house. Second, as our association continued to grow, so did the amount of work to be done. She quickly realized that this job was part time only in name and salary.

She recalls that Kim Harriman, then GMEA President, met with her to give her a list of projects and duties she would be assigned. Her normal duties would include handling all the association correspondence, mailing all mass communication to members, keeping membership lists current, sorting and verifying the all state forms, and preparing for the Convention. In addition, she was given two huge projects to complete by January 1, 1971 (about one month away).

1. Write a history of the GMEA for publication in the GEA Journal and the Georgia Music News 50th Anniversary Issue.

2. Locate all the past presidents of GMEA, write an article on them for the GMN, and invite them all to the 50th Anniversary Celebration at the MENC National Convention.

Also included in her duties was attending the GMEA Board meetings (3-4 per year back then) to record the meetings, transcribe the minutes, mail copies to all board members, and get them published in the GMN. In addition, she was responsible for receiving the All-State forms and working with Edna to process the fees.

During those days, before the Internet, all correspondence had to be handled by the U.S. Mail, and postage was one of our largest expenses.

Margaret tells of one time she ran off a few hundred post cards to instrumental division members. The old mimeograph machine she used had smeared them with ink, but she had to send them out smeared because GMEA couldn’t afford to replace them.

As she grew familiar with the job, Margaret was assigned more tasks such as editing and printing the GMEA handbook, selling booths for the GMEA in-service, making arrangements for in-service hotel rooms, and producing the in-service program. One year, she was tasked with delivering in-service programs to the Atlanta hotel at which the conference was to be held. She took the boxes of programs to the back loading dock only to find out the door was locked. So, she sat the boxes down on the dock and went around to the front door to work her way back to the loading dock. But, when she got to the dock, there were no programs! She looked frantically for them everywhere, even in the dumpster. Then, as she was about to cry, someone told her that the hotel had two loading docks and she was at the wrong one!

During the years that Margaret served (1970-1980), the officers kept bringing her filing cabinets and cardboard boxes full of files. She said at one time she had a desk, a table for the copying machines, a typewriter, stacks of mimeograph paper and mailer envelopes, plus 23 filing cabinets in her little 12’ x 15’ home office.

Margaret’s article closes with her final memories. She counts her work for GMEA as one of the hardest, yet most satisfying decades of her life. Family concerns forced her to resign in 1980 and Edna found a full time job, so their two part-time salaries were combined into a full time position. The association then hired a full time executive director.

And thus, the transitional period of our association leadership moved into the modern era that eventually brought us a GMEA Office with a full time professional staff.

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DIVISION NEWS COLLEGE DIVISION Dr. Josh Byrd Happy Winter! While this is my first official communication with you as chair, I was able to attend the GMEA executive board meeting in McDonough in May. What I found was a group of people who want to improve and strengthen the association, including our division.

That being said, I believe that the “college” division is a bit of enigma in the state. GMEA deals with research (which has its own division), CNAfME (which also has its own division), band (you get the point), orchestra, chorus, elementary, guitar, technology, composition… you name it. “College” encompasses all of these elements, yet our division is not active in all of these areas. The root of the problem, in my opinion, is that college teachers have very different needs and expectations from our colleagues teaching K-12.

When I started at UWG, I did not have to register for GMEA in order to schedule a concert or send students to audition for graduate school. While working in Gwinnett County, however, I always made sure my membership was current in order to provide the best educational opportunities for my students. In short, while I am sure that all college teachers appreciate what GMEA has to offer, not all of us require it to do our jobs. If you are reading this, then there is a strong chance that you are already a GMEA member and college teacher, but there are many, many more of us out there who have yet to join.

So, I ask you… what would you like to see changed, removed, or added? Do you have ideas to increase collegiate participation and membership? I am open to all ideas, big and small, that will help the college division grow in both membership and impact. Music education does not end after high school, whether students major in music or not. I would like to see us “close the loop,” but believe that first a conversation is needed. Feel free to send me an email (jbyrd@westga. edu) with your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you so much; I hope your semesters wrapped up smoothly!

ELEMENTARY DIVISION Brianne Turgeon Over the summer I worked with some amazing music teachers to get input about how our in-service conference (Athens, GA January 23-25, 2020) can best serve our GMEA members. As we worked to choose from more than 100 incredible applications, we found the selection process challenging- we simply could not schedule every session we loved. There were many, many considerations: Elementary GMEA membership across the state includes teachers with instrumental and vocal backgrounds. We come from racially and economically diverse rural, suburban, and urban backgrounds and communities with varying access to and support of music. Our teachers’ experience range from beginning the journey as teachers, developing their own teaching styles, to master teachers in a myriad of pedagogical areas. The ISC committee did our best to choose sessions through which any teacher can grow and strengthen their ability to create, perform, respond, and connect inside and outside of the classroom. Here’s a tiny glimpse at what you’ll have to choose from at ISC (check the full schedule for more details).

CREATING: Dr. Rene Boyer’s Hook, Line, and Sinker session will use songs, creative rhyme, and movement to build engagement and students’ confidence. You’ll learn to create cross-curricular connections with Cortnaye Wood (STEAM), Mandy Gunter (Literature), and develop new ways to structure your classroom setup, instruction, and assessments with David Row (learning centers) and Faye Boyer (MAPS: Music Application & Practice Stations).

PERFORMING: Dr. Christine Bass will take a break from her sessions with the Choral Division to present Vocal Transformation for Your Choirs--a session she’s modified to incorporate elementary level repertoire, challenges and solutions for young choirs. Andy Beck will present two sessions packed with repertoire and resources for choruses, and ukulele content-creation star Dr. Jill Reese will help us learn to jam. We’ll have an intro to Orff, a recorder session, plus a thrilling Thursday night performance in Athena F by the Dynamix Orff Ensemble led by Chelsea Cook.

RESPONDING: Drums Alive Master Trainer Kelly Jackson will get us moving and drumming, and we’ll keep moving with Rachel Grimsby’s Folk Dancing Tricks K-6 and with Georgia’s own Tiffany English in Gotta Move.

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G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2019

CONNECTING: Dr. Scott Burstein, fresh off the NAfME National Conference stage as the conductor of the first All-National Modern Band Honor Ensemble will present on behalf of Little Kids Rock with sessions about Modern Band and Rap that will help you create new connections with students and help students connect to music class in exciting ways. You can also connect your pedagogy to new ideas in sessions focused on Orff, Kodaly, Feierabend, STEAM, Quaver and more. Finally, Dr. Forrest Parker will give some strategies for working with students with ADHD, EBD, and Autism so that every child can feel connected through music.

ELEMENTARY ENSEMBLE DAY

In addition to the traditional track for Elementary music teachers at In-Service Conference, don’t forget that Saturday we will offer sessions that are specifically focused on developing strong and logical foundations for beginning Band, Orchestra, and Chorus. The Band sessions will focus on upper elementary beginners with Joe McIntyre’s Ready, Set, GROW and Valerie Morgan’s Reading, Rhythm, Repetition. Ms. Morgan will also bring a demonstration group of young musicians from Woodward Academy. Our Orchestra presenters win “best session title� awards for Paul D. Scott’s Rocket Science, Quantum Physics, and Beginning Strings and Rachel Smith’s Buy Ms. Smith a Pizza: Suzuki Based Strategies. Finally, you won’t want to miss the joyful and infor-

mational Chorus sessions with Caroline Goldstein who is Cracking the Code with Kodaly, Dr. David Neches who will give strategies for preparing elementary choruses for LGPE, and Andy Beck who will present the Harmony Handbook: Repertoire and Resources for Children’s Choirs.

STATEWIDE ELEMENTARY HONOR CHORUS

We’re excited to be heading back to the Clayton County Performing Arts Center for Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus (February 14-15, 2020) with clinicians Dr. Angela Broeker and Georgia’s own Emily Floyd. The PAC was used for GMEA events years ago, and we are excited to return. Our Statewide Allegro and Vivace Chorus Organizers, Marti Parker and Elementary Chair-elect Amie Schaff, have already started putting in major efforts to make this a fantastic weekend for our singers!

I’m grateful for the scores of colleagues who have been such a tremendous help in getting these events on track, and I can’t wait to see you in Athens and Clayton County! Our job is not to help music shine ON students, but to find ways for music to shine THROUGH them.

See you soon!

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DIVISIONNEWS ORCHESTRA DIVISION Sam Lowder Howdy! I hope you are finding success following the ever-changing tempos life directs. I was beginning to wonder if the summer temperatures in Georgia were ever going to drop. I happily welcome the brisk mornings and cooler evenings, the beautiful fall colors, and pulling out the sweaters. As we transition from pumpkin spice and salted caramel to peppermint and gingerbread, we also start thinking about Athens in January. Well, some of us are still thinking about lattes… I do hope you are excited about spending time with your colleagues, meeting new music educators, reconnecting with past friends, and being inspired and encouraged by some of our state’s most talented students, directors, and clinicians.

This year’s educational sessions and concerts will offer wonderful variety. From teaching our students how to practice and how to become leaders to a jam-packed session of “the best things we do” mini-clinics. Additional sessions include guidance on successful score studying, teaching and retaining the students that are not in your top orchestras, best practices in adjudication, and of course, the always entertaining and amusing music reading session! You will certainly not want to miss any of this year’s performing groups: • Simson Middle School 8th Grade Orchestra under the direction of Dana Tindall • Wheeler Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dwayne Wasson • Schwob Philharmonic under the direction of Paul Hostetter • Westminster Middle School Orchestra under the direction of Bo Na • Johns Creek High School Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Young Kim

Please support your colleagues and music’s future by attending!

In addition to the conference, preparations are almost daily for what promises to be an amazing All-State 2020! This year’s conductors are: Kirt Mosier (11-12 full orchestra), Jeffrey Grogan (11-12 string orchestra), Chuck Cushinery (9-10 full orchestra), Bill Bitter (9-10 string orchestra), and our two middle school orchestra conductors are Richard Meyer and Amy Williams. I want to again thank the All-State Organizers: Cathie Hudnall, Lori Buonamici, Rosie Riquelme, Patricia Cleaton, Bo Na, and Kathy Saucier as well as Joel Perkins, our final audition host, and of course Evelyn Champion, our state All-State Organizer. Thank you all for your hours of tireless service.

It is truly an honor to teach in a state with a reputation for having such special, dedicated, and knowledgeable professionals. Thank you all for what you do for the students of Georgia through music education.

I cannot wait to see you all in Athens in January and again in March!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, concerns, or observations. Are you still thinking about lattes? You are now…

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G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2019

RESEARCH DIVISION Dr. Martin Norgaard I look forward to seeing everyone at the research presentations and poster session during the GMEA in-service conference in Athens in January. I’m excited to report that we had the highest number of submitted research poster proposals ever this year. A committee evaluated all proposals that fit the posted guidelines by scoring anonymized submitted abstracts. I used those scores to select the 16 best proposals. Thank you to Dr. Patrick Freer (Georgia State University), Dr. Laura Stambaugh (Georgia Southern University), and Dr. Rebecca Atkins (University of Georgia) for serving as reviewers.

Previously in this column, I have highlighted research from around the state. This time, I thought I would share some of my own research done in collaboration with Laura Stambaugh and my graduate student Heston McCranie. In a study recently published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, we investigated changes in executive function related to cognitive flexibility and inhibition due to improvisation instruction with middle school band students. Initially we tested a small group of students (n=24) involved in an intensive after-school jazz program with a focus on improvisation and found that they outperformed their peers on cognitive flexibility as measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task. Of course, this could simply be because students who are already “flexible thinkers” choose to participate in extra jazz instruction. To test if improvisation training could actually cause a change in cognitive flexibility we enlisted the band directors at a school in my area to teach jazz improvisation to half of their 7th and 8th grade concert band students (experimental group). Impor-

In a study currently in progress, we are investigating why learning to improvise may increase performance on executive function tests. There is a long line of research of a type of domain general learning referred to as sequence learning. Sequence learning is the ability to implicitly extract the statistical regularities embedded within sequences of stimuli and use those regularities to predict upcoming stimuli or events.

Artist-level jazz musicians often describe learning to improvise as a process of “learning the language� through listening and imitation. We hypothesize that middle schoolers learning to improvise may involve sequence learning processes and in turn train their sequence learning abilities in general. We are currently testing this hypothesis using a sequence learning task in which participants from the previously mentioned after-school jazz program come to the lab and complete visual and auditory sequence learning tasks while electrical activity in the brain is recorded. Pilot results from six participants indicate percentage of sequence learning improvement after 5 months of instruction was positively correlated with percentage improvement of improvisations as evaluated by expert judges. Hopefully, these results will hold as we run more subjects.

today

tantly, they also taught jazz articulation, jazz scales, and jazz phrases to the other half (control group) but those students never improvised.

With this larger group (N=155), we did see a significant improvement in performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task for students in the experimental group, but only for 8th graders. The 7th graders may simply not have enough technical expertise to fully engage in the improvisation exercises.

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As a music educator, I strongly believe improvisation is beneficial for music specific reasons. I believe improvisation exercises in the classroom facilitate ear-training, technique, flexibility, and confidence of our music students. As a researcher, I find it exciting to investigate whether other non-musical benefits also exist.

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DIVISIONNEWS RETIRED MEMBERS Jay Wucher The GMEA In-Service Conference is going to be here before you know it.

I hope you will consider attending and participating in whatever workshops, performances and activities which you choose to attend. I learned a long time ago, sometimes all you have to do to make a difference is simply to show up.

Janice Folsom has been a friend and colleague for over 40 years. To me, she is one of the best examples of combining a distinguished career as a music teacher and a gifted choral conductor for both high school students and adults. Her high school choirs at Fayette County High School were always exemplary and the amazing work she has done with her adult choir, the Southern Crescent Chorale shows that a belief in a lifelong relationship with music as a student/performer of any age is there the taking. I asked Janice if she would be willing to share with us the experiences had in helping mold her into one of the most respected music educators Georgia has ever produced. Please read on.

Where did you grow up and where did you go to school?

I grew up in East Point, Ga. My first five years of school were spent at Marion Smith Elementary. When I was in sixth grade, my family

moved to another part of East Point and I went to Dodson Drive Elementary School. My high school was Headland High School. Fortunately for me, it had an exceptional Fine Arts Department and I was very active in the Choral program. We had the opportunity to have a composer in residence and did a musical each year. We also were asked to perform for the local NBC affiliate morning program on several occasions. I had the opportunity to take music theory my senior year.

My years at Headland and my involvement in the music program at Dogwood Hills Baptist Church were very important in forming my love for music and passion for teaching.

Why did you choose Music Education as a profession?

My family loved music. Since my father was a pastor, I was exposed to many music activities both at home and church. My older siblings all played piano and we would spend many Sunday afternoons by the piano singing both hymns and popular music of the time. I started piano lessons in the first grade and knew immediately that music was going to be my life’s work. I loved making music from the start. I remember playing a piano piece for my 2nd grade class and loving being able to share music with my classmates and teacher! In eighth grade general music, we were given the task of writing a paper on a musical topic. I chose “The Teaching of Music”. I remember doing research in the encyclopedia set my family had in our home, but I didn’t need any research to know what was in my heart. I loved music and wanted to help others love it, too! When the time came to choose a college,

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I wanted to go to an outstanding music school. While most of my friends went to schools in GA, I chose to go to Samford University in Birmingham because it had an exceptional music program. I loved my years at Samford and my involvement in the A Cappella Choir there was monumental in forming my tonal concept and the sense of family that musical organizations can inspire.

Where have you worked (or are still working)?

After completing my master’s degree at LSU, I came back to GA to teach elementary music at Eastside Elementary School in Douglas County. Three years later, I began teaching choral music at Turner Middle School. After a two-year stint there, I was fortunate to get the job as choral director of Fayette Co. High School. This school had just had a chorus teacher for one year before I arrived. I had the opportunity to build a choral program from scratch. I taught there for 29 years before retiring in 2006. The rewards of having a tenure of this length were many. Through the years, I taught many exceptionally talented students as well as students who just loved to sing. Seeing all my students grow in skills and love for music was very rewarding. In addition, the FCHS choirs were recognized for excellence with performances at numerous special events around the state as well as GMEA In-Service performances. Another highlight was the opportunity to perform in NYC biannually from 1981 until 2005 as well as completing several European tours. As the Fine Arts Chair, I conceived and ran the annual Fine Arts Festival at the school. This event spotlighted the enormous talent of the students in all the arts and exposed them to professional artists who came to perform for the student body during the school day.

What do you do now that you are retired or semi-retired (both in and out of music)?

In 2002, I founded a community chorus called the Southern Crescent Chorale. This wonderful group of amateur singers has been a joy for me as their conductor and for the community. They have given outstanding performances, including performing at Spivey Hall annually since 2005 as well as performing at Southern Ground Amphitheater and many churches in the area. They have also performed in many European venues since 2007. The annual Christmas concerts accompanied by a professional orchestra have become a treasured community tradition. I am also fortunate to serve as a head adjudicator for GMEA as well as adjudicating for festivals such as Southern Star Music Festivals. These events give me an opportunity to continue my passion for music education as I hopefully give other conductors some additional tools for improving their craft.

What advice do you have to those young people who are considering Music Education as a career?

Do you love music and working with young people? That is the number one question. If you do, then you are pursuing the right career.

The life of a music educator is rife with long hours and demanding commitments, but there is also the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of your students. Teaching music is not only about pitches, rhythm, tone, and phrasing. It is about being caring, committed, and conscientious. I used to always say “I don’t just teach music; I teach life”. Instilling those life skills was an integral part of my teaching.

I tried to inspire such attributes as self-discipline, collaboration, and keeping commitments. Each year the chorus developed their own core values and we referred to that list as the year progressed. Your job as a teacher of music is to instill a love of the art of making music and teaching your students about being a good productive citizen!

What advice would you give to other retirees or teachers who are getting close to retirement?

Don’t feel like you need to retire because of a birthday or stage in life. Retire when you think the time is right. Be sure to have something to retire to. In other words, plan to have another “chapter” in your life that is waiting for you. I was fortunate to have guidance in that regard.

I knew that I was approaching the time to retire from teaching but wanted to still have music in my life. I spent time preparing for that in planning to found the Southern Crescent Chorale. When I did retire, the Chorale was well established, and I happily continued in the role of Artistic Director and Conductor. In addition, I researched and actively pursued opportunities for adjudicating and workshops. What has surprised me is how much I’ve grown as a musician since retiring. I have learned to work successfully with adult singers and have a wonderful time at rehearsals each week. I have also learned to conduct a professional orchestra. That opportunity was not available to me previously.

I used to always roll my eyes when I heard retirees say they were busier retired than when they worked. Well, go ahead and start rolling those eyes! Not only is that statement true, but along with be busier than ever, you also get to do anything you want to do on the schedule you create. That, my friends, is a blessing beyond measure!!

Another very rewarding activity for me has been my involvement in the Bramwell Theatre Festival in West Virginia each summer. I acted and served as musical director for several plays during my tenure there.

I have also enjoyed traveling with friends and family as well as trips with the Chorale during my retirement years. Experiencing different cultures has given me many ideas for planning concerts as well as trips for the Chorale and planning trips is as much a joy for me as the actual trip!

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The Legacy Joe Left Us

by Jay Wucher As GMEA’s Retired Members Chair, I have had the privilege in the past few GMN issues of sharing what several of our distinguished retirees have done and are still doing. In presenting those articles I could not help thinking about my recollections of a person who had and still does have an immeasurable influence on my life and the lives of so many others.

I first met Joe Kirschner when I was completing a Master’s Degree at the University of Southern Mississippi and I was desperately looking for my first job. As a member of the university’s orchestra and jazz ensemble we had toured the Atlanta area in the Spring of 1972. Paul Mann was then the band director at Roswell High School. He offhandedly remarked to our orchestra director, William Gower that if he knew of any students interested in a teaching job in Fulton County, they should contact Joe Kirschner, Director of Instrumental Music. Dr. Gower was a bigger than life individual (another story, another time) but never worried too much about details other than the musical ones. He called me into his office and announced that he had a job waiting for me in Atlanta and I needed to call Mr. Kirschner as soon as possible. Of course, I did anything Dr. Gower asked me too and if he were alive today, I still would.

I called Joe as soon as I could get to a phone and started the conversation by saying, “My name is Jay Wucher, I attend Southern

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Mississippi and I understand you have a job for me.” The silence was deafening. Joe asked me who I was, and where did I get this information. The tone in his voice clearly conveyed to me that he was thinking, “Who is this idiot and who does he think he is?” Once the dust settled, we actually had a good conversation and he invited me to come for a job interview. That was the beginning of a relationship lasting more than forty years, each one cherished.

Joe was my direct supervisor, my mentor, my role model, a father figure and most importantly, my friend. Anyone who knew Joe could use adjectives such as crusty, direct, and abrupt and be spot on. You never had to worry about where you stood with Joe. He had no patience with slackers and even less patience with inflated egos. Those that suffered from BTLBDS (Bigger Than Life Band Director Syndrome, you can also substitute Chorus or Orchestra for Band) needed to tread lightly around Joe. I remember Joe telling me about a fishing trip he went on with some of his college orchestra colleagues. One of them made the mistake of asking Joe if he would like to have Joe critique some video tapes of the college director’s conducting.

There is no way I can put in print any words of Joe’s response.

Joe’s life lessons were invaluable. I can recall not only what he said, but also how he said it. As a first year band director, I was lucky enough to have Joe visit me on a regular basis. After each visit we would have a debriefing (that is the sanitized word for it). On one occasion, I mistakenly started complaining about the behavior the students were exhibiting during the rehearsal. Joe patiently listened to me spout off for a while. Finally, he cut me off, leaned over, not six inches from my face and said, “If you want better behavior, you need to teach faster and talk less. Their parents didn’t pay for those instruments to have their children hear you talk.” On another visit, I was proud of the work we were doing on our pieces for what we then called festival, the Frescobaldi Tocatta and Gianini’s Overture in Bb. To my ears, both selections were almost ready. About a month before the event, I did a play-through for Joe and asked what he thought. He said, “Well, the Tocatta is about half-way there. When are you going to start working on the other one?” There are countless other stories that I could tell. Multiply that by all the teachers Joe influenced over the years and you would have enough to fill the Library of Congress.

When Joe retired, I took his position, not his place. He would never give me advice unless I asked. He never asked me how the Fulton County Music Department was doing after he left. He did not have to as there were plenty of Fulton County music teachers who would let him know. I remember saying to him that I was apprehensive about taking his position. Joe told me I would do just fine. To me, this was high praise.

I was fortunate to grow up in a home with two loving, supportive parents. A couple of years after I began teaching, my parents moved to Georgia so that they could be close to me. When I lost my dad in 2001, Joe’s role as a mentor and role model also became one of a father figure. We took fishing trips together, often met for lunch after he retired, and just in general really enjoyed each other’s company. As Joe’s health declined, I was one of countless visitors to see when he entered assisted living. I fondly remember taking Joe out one afternoon for lunch to a Korean Barbeque place. We were met there by our dear friend Young Kim, orchestra director at John’s Creek High School. Just knowing that I was one of the people Joe wanted to spend time with in his later years meant so much to me.

Whatever professional success I may have achieved in my career is directly a result of Joe’s influence on me, but it goes so far beyond that. Joe taught me about integrity, responsibility and accountability. Early in my career, Joe told me one of my greatest strengths was to make my students believe that each one was important to me, and me to them. I have tried to honor those words every day of my life. Joe reflected on the work I had done in building on his legacy in Fulton County. He once said that he had built a music department, but I had built a music program. Those words will stay with me forever.

A few months after Joe passed on, there was a beautifully orchestrated memorial service. Friends and family shared countless stories of a man that many of us knew in so many different capacities. I think Joe would have really enjoyed the praise. I also know that what Joe would have enjoyed the most was the flawless playing of Young Kim’s orchestra students. It was, after all, the very essence of what Joe was about professionally. His high standards for himself and the accountability he expected from others was at the core of his very being. What a great legacy to leave.

Jay Wucher retired as Coordinator of Music Education for the Fulton County Schools in 2004. He currently is employed by the Baldwin County Schools as a Fine Arts Consultant. He is GMEA’s Retired Members Chair and State Ethics and Responsibilities Chair.

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friday | jan 24 | 11:15am

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poster session G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2019

presenters Sarah Van Waardhuizen

Perceptions of Administrative Autonomy-Support and Teacher Autonomy-Support in Music Education

Thomas Ryan FitzStephens

Amateurism in Music Education (1967-2019): An Examination of Three Calls to Action

Arthur Wright, III

An Exploration of Stress Among Band Directors in Georgia

Matt Koperniak & William Schramm

Repertoire and Male Student Participation in High School Choir: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Anita P. Davis, Ph.D.

Implementing a Culturally-Responsive Preservice Music Teacher Program

Myriam I. Athanas & Dr. Brian Wesolowski

Assessment of High-Quality Feedback: Examining the Accuracy of Pre-Service Music Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Feedback Effectiveness

Patrick K. Freer

Why We Sing: Young Adult Men, Peer Support, and Choral Singing in Ecuador

Maurice E. Le Flore

Determining Perception Alignment and Efficacy of Peer and Expert Feedback in an Instrumental Music Teacher Training Course

Ira Jenkins

A Shift of Goals and Aims: The American Scholastic Band from 1923 to 1975

Luiz Claudio Marques Barcellos

A Historical Perspective on Dewey's Vision and its Relation to the Study of Popular music in today's classroom

Elise Allen

Sisterhood of the Podium: A Study of Successful Female Band Directors

Dr. Jeremy Stovall & Dr. Renee Baptiste

Hidden Figures: A Case for Equality and Opportunity in the American Symphony Orchestra

Lauren Elysse Garber

Published Research on the Evaluation of Middle and High School Instrumental Teachers, 1907-1927 and 2009-2019: Content, Focus, and Implications for Future Research

Michelle Temitayo Anike Amosu

Field Specific New Teacher Mentor Programs in New Teacher Induction Policies: A Historical Literature Analysis

Krissi Davis

An Examination of Participation Rates of African-American and Latino Students in String Orchestra Programs

Charles Patterson

The Inception of Class String Instruction in United States Public Schools

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linicans “In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way.”

Yoda

INFORMATION LISTED AS SUBMITTED W I N T E R 2019 | G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S

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2020 C linicians SUSAN AHMAD

•WANT TO CATCH MORE FISH USE BETTER BAIT! INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT HOOK STUDENTS ON LEARNING! Susan Ahmad is a graduate of Shorter University. Mrs. Ahmad has been teaching general music at Lake Windward Elementary School in Fulton County for 31 years. She has served as a Fulton County Fine Arts Support Teacher where she coaches and provides support for elementary music teachers across the district for 30 years. She is a co-author of the book “Music á la Cart”, has served in numerous leadership roles across the state, county and at her home school. Susan has presented at music conferences in Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee...including implementing music standards, TKES readiness, choral techniques, differentiated instruction, teaching music from a cart, rigor in the music classroom and PBL. She holds certificates for Expert Teacher, Master Teacher, and Teacher Support Specialist. Mrs. Ahmad was the recipient of the 2018 Atlanta Journal Constitution Celebrating Teachers Award. Mrs. Ahmad has also served as the Minister of Music at Clear Springs Baptist church for 31 years.

ROB AKRIDGE

•BAND DIRECTOR, PARENT, HUSBAND, WIFE: BALANCING THE BAND WITH YOUR LIFE Rob Akridge is a retired music educator with 27 years experience throughout the state of Georgia and is in his sixth year assisting with all aspects of the Redcoat Marching Band. His most recent position was at North Oconee High School in Bogart. During his tenure at North Oconee, both concert and marching bands consistently received superior ratings. The marching band received numerous class, division, and grand champion awards. A former Redcoat, Mr. Akridge received his Bachelors (1987) and Masters (2010) of Music Education from the University of Georgia. He was a Star Teacher state finalist in 1998. Mr. Akridge is an active drill writer, consultant, and adjudicator. Mr. Akridge lives in Bogart, GA with his wife, Carolyn, and children, Abby and Ben.

ANDREW J. ALLEN

•STOP THE HONKS!!! BEAUTIFUL SAXOPHONE SOUNDS FROM DAY ONE Andrew J. Allen is “a master of all sizes of saxophone.” (The Instrumentalist, April 2018) In demand as a soloist and chamber musician, Allen has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, and Croatia. As a concerto soloist, he has appeared with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma State University Chamber Orchestra, and the University of Arkansas Wind Symphony. More than two dozen works have been commissioned and premiered by him from such composers as François Rossé, Robert Lemay, Fang Man, Jesse Jones, Greg Simon, and Jay Batzner.

His first album, recorded with percussionist Gordon Hicken, is now available through Equilibrium Recordings. Equally adept as a jazz saxophonist, Allen has served as a sideman with Gary Foster, Byron Stripling, Jeff Coffin, R&B luminaries The Temptations, and country music legend Ronnie Milsap. Allen's articles have appeared in The Instrumentalist, Teaching Music, The Saxophone Symposium, JazzEd, and School Band and Orchestra, among many other publications. Allen has lectured throughout the United States and abroad, and has presented clinics at music education conferences throughout the country, including the Texas Music Education Association Convention. Andrew J. Allen came to Georgia College & State University as an assistant professor of music in the Fall of 2019. He holds degrees from Tennessee Technological University, Central Michigan University, and the University of South Carolina. Allen is a Conn-Selmer Artist-Clinician and a Vandoren Performing Artist and he performs exclusively on Selmer Paris saxophones and Vandoren mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures.

DR. STEVEN ARMON ANDERSON

•PERSPECTIVES AND ISSUES OF BLACK MUSIC STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION (INCLUDES 3 TALKS) Dr. Steven Armon Anderson is currently the Fine Arts Instructional Specialist for Clayton County Public Schools and adjunct professor at Clayton State University. He has over 13 teaching experience, in collegiate, high and middle school classrooms. He has taught students from various racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, in NC and GA. Dr. Anderson was born and raised in Richmond, VA, and graduated valedictorian of his high school class. He is a proud alumnus of North Carolina A&T State University, where he received his Bachelors in Music Education. He received a Master’s in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Ph.D. in Teaching & Learning (Music Education concentration) from Georgia State University.

He has performed in numerous bands, orchestras, gospel choirs and as a solo artist throughout his lifetime.

TIM ANDERSON

•THE BEST THING I DO: A SESSION OF MINI-CLINICS FROM THE BEST OF THE BEST! Tim Anderson grew up and began his musical career in the Atlanta area. He earned his undergraduate degree from University of Illinois and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia. He has been the orchestra director at Autrey Mill Middle School in Fulton County since 2004. Prior to this he taught in Gwinnett County where in 2003 he was selected as teacher of the year. His orchestras perform and compete regularly throughout the South, most recently winning third place in the ASTA National Orchestra Festival in 2018. Mr. Anderson has served in various GMEA and ASTA capacities, recently retiring after working at the Georgia ASTA Camp for over 20 years. He performs regularly as a cellist throughout the Southeast both live and as a studio musician.

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2020 C linicians

KELSEY ARMSTRONG

•I GOT THE DIPLOMA... NOW WHAT?!

Kelsey Armstrong is in her fourth year teaching, and her second year at Evans Middle School in Coweta County. She has previously taught in Douglas and Troup Counties, and received her undergraduate degree in Choral Music Education at Columbus State University. She currently acts as the Color Guard Director at Northgate High School, and as the Contest Coordinator for the Valhalla Classic Marching Contest at Northgate High School. She continues to perform professionally with the Masterworks Chorale based in Newnan, Georgia.

HAYLEY ATHA

•SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO CHROME: HOW TO USE CHROMEBOOKS IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

Hayley Atha is currently in her 12th year as a teacher in Jackson County Schools, and her third year at South Jackson Elementary as their full time music teacher. A native of Jasper, GA, Mrs. Atha graduated from UGA in 2008 with a Bachelor’s in Music Education from the Hugh Hodgson School of Music.

At South Jackson, Mrs. Atha teaches general music, an after-school Honor Chorus, is on the leadership team, and leads the Sunshine Committee. In 2013 she was the recipient of the Tunes for Tots grant given by Widespread Panic and received 7 sets of orff instruments and drums for all Jackson County Schools. In 2018 she received the Jackson County 1:1 Chromebook grant for her classroom at SJES. She lives in Auburn, GA with her husband, Parkview HS Band Director Jason Atha, and their three cats.

DR. REBECCA L. ATKINS

•EFFECTS OF FOCUS OF ATTENTION ON VOCAL TONE PRODUCTION AND MUSCLE ACTIVITY

Rebecca L. Atkins joined the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia as Assistant Professor of Music Education (Vocal Music Education) in the Fall of 2016. At the undergraduate level, Dr. Atkinsteaches Choral Methods, Elementary Methods, voice classes, and supervises the vocal student teachers. She also teaches music education courses at the graduate level and supervises doctoral dissertations. Previously she was the Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (2013-2016). She received her Ph.D. in Music and Human Learning at The University of Texas at Austin (2013), an M.M. in Choral Conducting at Missouri State University (2008), and a B.M. in Music Studies at The University of Texas at Austin (1994). Dr. Atkins is an active clinician, adjudicator, performer, and music education researcher. Her current research focuses on the effects of attention on vocal tone quality. She is also drawn to research questions that pertain to the development of performance skills and the refinement of pedagogy. Before her collegiate career, Atkins successfully directed 14 years of middle school and high school choir in the public school systems of Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee, earning superior ratings at competitions.

CASEY BAKER

•WHO AM I WHO ARE WE STEPS TO OVERCOMING SOCIETAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TEACHER AND STUDENT

Casey Baker is the Director of Bands at Floyd Middle School in Mableton, GA and is a full time staff member for the Alan C. Pope High School Marching Band. Prior to Floyd; Ms. Baker was the Assistant Director of Bands at Osborne High School. She has worked with Hillgrove High School, Columbus High School, and other music programs, including the Spirit U summer camp and CorpsVets Drum Corps. Ms. Baker is a Cobb County native and graduated from Alan C. Pope High School. She is a graduate of Columbus State University, and completed her Masters of Music Education from the University of Florida in May of 2016. Her professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the Georgia Music Educators Association, and a serving as a charter member in Sigma Alpha Iota- Lambda Sigma chapter. She continues to serve as a clinician, judge, and instructor throughout the state. Ms. Baker was also a member of Spirit of Atlanta for three years, serving as the trumpet section leader in the 2010 season.

CHRISTINE BASS

•WHERE THE BOYS ARE: RECRUITING, ENGAGING AND MAINTAINING TENORS AND BASSES •FRONT-LOADING YOUR CHORAL REHEARSAL: CONSTRUCTING FOR SUCCESS •VOCAL TRANSFORMATION FOR YOUR CHOIRS

Christine has just retired from the full time faculty at Temple University where she was the Director of Temple University Men’s and Women’s Choruses and Assistant Professor of Music Education. Prior to Temple, Christine taught at Cherry Hill West high school for 22 years where her program grew from 60 to over 320 students in seven choirs. Her choirs have performed at multiple ACDA National Conventions, MENC and ACDA All Eastern Conventions, and with Alan Gilbert, Julius Rudel, Rossen Milanov, Philadelphia’s Singing City, Sister Cities Girlchoir and the Newark Boy’s Choir. Her men’s a cappella group, Men of Note, won three consecutive National Championships for Best of High School A Cappella. Christine earned her degrees from Westminster Choir College, studied conducting under Robert Simpson, Elaine Brown, Andrew Megill and Joseph Flummerfelt and was a member of the Westminster Choir. She received their Alumni Merit Award and Alumni Ambassador Award. Christine was a New Jersey MENC Master Music Teacher and received the Governor's Award in Arts Education. Christine has conducted numerous All State and Honors Choirs including the 2009 ACDA All National High School Honors Choir. She is a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician presenting workshops across the country and internationally. Her educational products are published by Hal Leonard, DVDs; Vocal Transformation, and Where The Boys Are and her new book “Front-Loading Your Choral Rehearsal: Constructing for Success”. For more info please visit: christinebass.com.

2020 C linicians KENNY BEARD

•READY, SET, GROW! ESTABLISHING GREAT HABITS AND HIGH MOTIVATION FOR YOUR BEGINNING BAND STUDENTS. Mr. Beard is the Director of Bands at Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia. Mr. Beard taught in the Georgia Public Schools before teaching at Woodward, at the elementary, junior high, middle school and high school levels. A native of Georgia, Mr. Beard earned his Bachelor of Music Education at Georgia State University and a Master of Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, with Clarinet as his primary instrument. Mr. Beard has received the "Citation of Excellence" from the NBA on eight occasions and listed several times in Who’s Who Among American Teachers. His bands have performed at Georgia Music Educators’ State Conventions, Southern Division MENC Conventions, the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival, the Southern Division of the National Band Association Conference, the Lord Mayor of London’s New Years Day Parade, the Rome, Italy New Year’s Day Parade, the Tournament of Roses Parade, and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Mr. Beard is a member of NBA, GMEA, NAfME, Phi Beta Mu and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and has served as the GMEA State Band Chair, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Band Chairman and as a High School Representative for the NBA Board of Directors.

ANDY BECK

•JUST ADD KIDS •MEET ME IN THE MIDDLE: CHORAL MUSIC FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL VOICES •SINGERS, ARISE! •HARMONY HANDBOOK: REPERTOIRE AND RESOURCES FOR CHILDRENS CHOIRS Andy Beck is the Director of Choral Publications at Alfred Music. A prolific composer and arranger, he has over 450 popular choral works, vocal resources, and children’s musicals currently in print, including the highly regarded method books Sing at First Sight, Foundations in Choral Sight Singing and Vocalize! 45 Vocal Warm-Ups That Teach Technique. Mr. Beck is in demand as a guest conductor, choreographer, adjudicator, and clinician for music educators and students throughout the United States and beyond. In recent years, he has been a commissioned composer and/or guest conductor for honor choirs of all ages, including all-state groups throughout the Southeast. A fine tenor, Andy enjoys performing in and directing musical theatre, singing with the North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir, and has been an Alfred Music studio singer since 1992. With a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Ithaca College and a Masters degree in Music Education from Northwest Missouri State University, Mr. Beck is fully committed to arts education, music literacy, and choral artistry. This passion is evident, not only in his own writing, but also in the high-quality publications available through the catalog he cultivates for Alfred Music.

DR. RICHARD BELL

•COMPOSITION IN THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL ENSEMBLE CLASS Dr. Richard Bell is currently in his eighth year as associate professor of music at Clayton State University. His teaching areas include orchestra, conducting, double bass, music education, music composition and music theory. He is also the conductor of the Southern Crescent Symphony. Richard is a graduate of the Arts Leaders of Metropolitan Atlanta class of 2018, a member of the steering committee for the ARC Arts and Culture Strategic Plan and the state advisor for the collegiate division of the GMEA. He holds bachelors and masters degrees from Florida State University and a doctorate from the University of Georgia. He taught middle school and high school orchestra in the Clayton and Henry County schools for 29 years and served for two years on the faculty of Reinhardt University as conductor of the Reinhardt Orchestra. During his time in the public schools he served as president of the Georgia Music Educators Association and the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Dr. Bell has presented sessions at the GMEA In-Service Conference, the American String Teachers Association National Conference, the Music Educators National Conference and the National Association for Music Education in Ireland. As a composer he has numerous published and commissioned works for school orchestra. His double bass teachers included Ralph Jones, Lucas Drew and Pamela Andrews.

Awards received during his career include the Georgia Music Educators Association Distinguished Career Award, the Georgia String Teachers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation Award, the Walmart Foundation Teacher of the Year Award and the STAR Teacher Award.

DR. RANDI BOLDING

•WALKING THE WALK: PUTTING INTO ACTION WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TRANSGENDER STUDENTS Dr. Randi Bolding is Director of Choral Studies at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM where she conducts the University Singers, Statesmen and Masterworks Chorale. Additionally she teaches choral literature, beginning and advanced conducting, as well as choral methods courses. She previously taught conducting, choral methods, qualitative research and supervised student teachers as well as founded and conducted the Singing Cardsmen, the premiere men’s chorus, at the University of Louisville. In addition to conducting and teaching, Dr. Bolding is an active adjudicator and clinician for regional and state organizations from the middle/junior high school to the collegiate level. Dr. Bolding has worked with ensembles and has been asked to present at state conferences across the country, speaking on topics such as teaching high school at-risk populations, building secondary choral programs, selecting repertoire, rehearsal strategies and developing sight-reading curriculums. She holds degrees from Michigan State University (B.M. in Music Education and D.M.A. in Choral Conducting) as well as from University of Texas at Austin (M.M. in Choral Conducting.) Through all of her accomplishments she is most proud to bear the titles of cancer Survivor and Mommy!

DR. THOMAS BOUGH

•JUST INTONATION: HELP YOUR ENSEMBLE HEAR AND PLAY BETTER IN TUNE Dr. Thomas Bough serves as the Director of Athletic Bands and Wind Symphony Conductor at Northern Illinois University. His 27 years of teaching experience includes 7 years as a high school band director. As a Yamaha artist, he leads dozens of clinics and workshops per year across the country.

In 2018, Bough began work as a DCI Trial Judge. He has presented at the Midwest Clinic, the U.S. Army Tuba/Euphonium Symposium, the International Horn Society Symposium, and eighteen different state music education association meetings around the United States. As an author, he has contributed twenty articles to the Instrumentalist magazine and hundreds of new music reviews. His compositions are published by Alfred Music, Cimarron Music Press and others. Recently, he was appointed as the founding conductor and music director for the Fox Valley Brass Band.

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2020 C linicians FAYE BOYER

•MAPS: MUSIC APPLICATION & PRACTICE STATIONS

Faye Boyer is a teacher who has taught twenty two years from grades K-College and is an Alumni of Columbus State University. She is known and respected Statewide as a singer, church choir director, teacher, and pageant coach. Faye was formerly a Grammy Quarter Finalist after being nominated by a former student. In addition, she has served as the teacher of the year at her school and mentors New Music teachers in the school system. She presently teaches at Lake Joy Primary school in Warner Robins, GA. She presently teaches General Music and Percussion Band. After twenty years of teaching she has learned how to maximize her time through Differentiated Learning Centers. It’s this strategy of developing budding musicians and consumers that has become a real passion for this Columbus State University Alumni. “Once a student has mastered a standard, why continue to simply review the notes on the treble clef, when their potential is so much greater?”

DR. RENE BOYER

•HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER: THE POWER OF RHYTHM AND RHYME IN THE CLASSROOM •JAZZ BEGINNINGS IN THE GENERAL MUSIC CLASSROOM •SIGAM MIS AMIGOS/FOLLOW ME MY FRIENDS

Rene is Professor Emeritus of Music Education at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. She is known nationally and internationally for her work in multicultural and urban music education. Her publications include: Share the Music, Spotlight on Music and Music Studio (McGraw-Hill Education), “Expressions of Freedom: An Anthology of African American Spirituals” (Hal Leonard) and others. She is the Urban Music Consultant for Peripole, Inc., as well as National Music Consultant for Benchmark Publishing.

ERIKA BROWN

•STEAM IT UP IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

Erika Brown is an Orff certified Elementary Music Specialist in the Cobb County School District. She has been the Music Specialist at Big Shanty Intermediate School since 2006. Previously, she taught in San Antonio and Pasadena, Texas and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She earned her undergraduate degree in Music from Louisiana State University in 2004 and her Masters in Educational Leadership and Technology from Kennesaw State University in 2010. At Big Shanty she directs two choral groups, the Eagle Chorus and the Little Eagle Chorus, and a drumming ensemble called the Drumming Eagles. Big Shanty is an AdvancedEd STEM certified school and she has found numerous ways to integrate the STEM process seamlessly into the Music curriculum. She has presented her “Techniques of Classroom Drumming” and “Literacy and STEM in the Music Room” to various local groups. Mrs. Brown is a member of NAfME, GMEA, and AOSA.

BRADLY BUNCE

•AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE: HOW TO TAME LARGE AUDIENCES WITH DIGNITY AND PROFESSIONALISM. Bradly Bunce is in his 11th year of teaching in Georgia public schools. He holds a Masters of Music Education degree from Anderson University and completed his undergraduate work at Valdosta State University. Currently, Bradly is the choral and music technology director at Lee County High School in Leesburg, GA.

DR. SCOTT BURSTEIN

•POPULAR MUSIC EDUCATION AND MODERN BAND •TECH TOOLS FOR USING POPULAR MUSIC IN YOUR CLASSROOM •EMBRACING THE CHANGE: INTEGRATING HIP-HOP INTO ARTS EDUCATION

Scott Burstein is the National Director of Teaching and Learning for the non-profit Little Kids Rock. His duties include managing Little Kids Rock’s musical content, curriculum, and professional development. He previously taught 12 years of public high school in Los Angeles, with subjects ranging from Marching Band to AP Music Theory. Scott studied music at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Eastman School of Music, and received his DMA in Music Education at the University of Southern California. While primarily a guitarist, he has performed on a variety of instruments in the fields of classical music and jazz.

DR. CHARLES CALLOWAY

•THE LEADPIPE: HOW ANYONE CAN LEARN TO TEACH SOUND AND EFFICIENCY ON TRUMPET

A native of Northeast Georgia, Charles taught and performed for nine years in Dallas and Kansas City before returning home to be the Artist Affiliate of Trumpet at Berry College. Adept at orchestral, popular, and chamber music, Charles has performed in concert halls in Germany and China as well as at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. He recently premiered a piece for unaccompanied trumpet on the New Works Recital at the International Trumpet Conference in Anaheim, California, and played at the New Theatre in Kansas City where he worked with Broadway stars such as Shirley Jones. A passionate teacher, Charles maintained a private studio of over fifty students and taught trumpet for some of the premier high school band programs in Texas. His students have been accepted to district and all-state bands in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Georgia, and have gone on to continue their studies at colleges such as Florida State University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Baylor University, and the Conservatory of Dance and Music at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC).

CHORAL STANDING COMMITTEES ADJUDICATION STANDING COMMITTEE

•WHAT ARE MY LGPE PERFORMANCE JUDGES THINKING? •WHAT IS MY LGPE SIGHT READING JUDGE THINKING?

REPERTOIRE STANDING COMMITTEE

•LGPE REPERTOIRE READING SESSION

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2020 C linicians

MIKE CHRISTIANSEN

•INCORPORATING GUITAR ENSEMBLES INTO YOUR CLASSROOM GUITAR CURRICULUM •BEGINNING COMPOSITION AND IMPROVISATION FOR CLASSROOM GUITAR •TIPS ON PLAYING AND TEACHING UKULELE Mike Christiansen is Professor Emeritus in the Music Department at Utah State University. He founded the guitar program at USU where he was Director of Guitar Studies for 39 years. In 1994, he was selected as Professor Of The Year at Utah State University. In December of 2012, Mike was selected as a U.S. Carnegie Professor of the Year. In 2013, he was invited to be a TED speaker. Mike is currently Director of Curriculum for Consonus Music. He has authored/co-authored over 40 guitar instruction books and appears on hundreds of instruction videos. Mike has backed up many artists including: Glen Frey (Eagles), Jack Peterson, Natalie Cole, Alfie Boe, Tommy Emmanuel, Sutton Foster, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

CECILIA CLARK

•KEEPING YOUR STANDARDS USING THE NEW GEORGIA FINE ARTS STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE FOR BAND Cecilia Clark, Director of Bands at Allatoona High School in Acworth, Georgia, is from Upper Marlboro, MD. She attended Duquesne University and received a Bachelor’s of Science in Music Education. Her percussion teachers include Stanley Leonard, Gerald Unger, and Andrew Reamer. She studied conducting with Robert Cameron, Craig Kirchhoff, and Larry Rachleff. Ms. Clark also received a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Duquesne.

She is currently an ABD Doctoral Candidate with an emphasis in Music Education from Boston University. Ms. Clark’s professional experience includes Assistant Band Director at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, GA where she assisted with all band operations, conducted Symphonic Band, sponsored Color Guard, and taught Music Theory and Piano classes. Ms. Clark also served as Fine Arts Department Chair. Prior to joining the faculty at McEachern, Ms. Clark was the Director of Bands at Deer Lakes High School and Thomas Jefferson High School. She also taught beginning band in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Ms. Clark is an active adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician. She has served on the Review Committee for the National Association of Secondary School Principals, as a member of NAfME Band Advisory Committee, and as the DTA Program Coordinator at the Music for All Summer Symposium. Her professional affiliations include the NAfME, GMEA, PAS, NBA, ASBDA, WBDI and Mu Phi Epsilon. She has received Lifetime Faculty Membership in the TRI-M Music Honor Society. Ms. Clark is married to Patrick Clark, Director of Bands at Tapp Middle School.

STEPHANIE CLEVELAND

•SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO CHROME: HOW TO USE CHROMEBOOKS IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM Stephanie Cleveland is the elementary music specialist and chorus director at West Jackson Elementary School in Hoschton, GA. She studied voice and holds a Bachelor of Music from Shorter College and a Master of Music Education from The University of Georgia. After experiencing a voice disorder, vocal health and hygiene are her passion and something she presented on at GMEA 2018 and World Voice Day at Emory 2019. She champions vocal development of her students, producing tuneful singing from the earliest grades. Stephanie is also interested in technology integration into the music classroom and is a first round JCSS 1:1 Chromebook grant winner. She resides in Jackson County with her husband and three children.

RUTHIE COLEGROVE •LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Since 2001, Ruthie Colegrove has served as the Middle School Band Director at the Wesleyan School in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. While at Wesleyan, she started the middle school band program which has grown to include 5th through 8th grade students participating in all GMEA activities and regional festivals such as Southern Star Music festival and Festival Disney. Dr. Colegrove holds a Bachelors from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Saxophone Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Georgia. She studied saxophone with Kenneth Fischer and Craig Whittaker and has been a featured performer at several North American Saxophone Alliance and World Saxophone Congress meetings. Dr. Colegrove currently resides in Peachtree Corners with her husband John and daughters Savannah and Dallas.

BRYAN DANIELS •JAZZ BAND 101

Bryan Daniels received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Clemson University and his Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville under Dr. Gary Sousa. His primary teaching responsibilities include the Symphonic Winds, Concert Band, Jazz Lab Band, and co-directing the Screamin’ Eagle Marching Band. Prior to his appointment at Collins Hill, he served as the Assistant Director of Bands at Dobyns-Bennett High School, a Bands of America Grand National Finalist program. As a trumpeter, Bryan is an active performer, participating in ensembles including Tara Winds, Stateline Wind Symphony, Tennessee Wind Symphony, and the Brass Band of Appalachia and he is an active private teacher in the area. Mr. Daniels has served as a clinician in multiple states and has lead leadership workshops across the state of Georgia. His professional affiliations include the Georgia Music Educators Association, National Band Association, National Association for Music Educators, Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Omicron Delta Kappa.

KRISSI DAVIS

•THE BAND(ORCHESTRA) DIRECTOR IS YOUR FRIEND: BUILDING A COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC DEPARTMENT Krissi Davis is in her 15th year in education as the orchestra director at Grady High School in Atlanta Public Schools. She previously taught at the middle and high levels in Clayton County and Fayette County. While in Clayton County, she directed the Clayton County Middle School Honor Orchestra, and founded the Fine Arts Magnet Orchestra, now Stilwell School of the Arts Orchestra. While in Fayette County, she directed the Fayette Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Ms. Davis earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Georgia State University in 2004, and Master of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia in 2017. She is currently working toward her Ph.D. in Music Education at Georgia State University. Orchestras under her direction consistently earn superior ratings at GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations. Orchestras under her direction have traveled and presented performances in Washington, DC; Orlando, Fla; Symphony Hall in Chicago, Ill; Carnegie Hall in New York, NY; and the 2018 ASTA National Orchestra Festival. Students in her orchestras consistently participate in honor orchestras such as the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Georgia All-State Orchestra. Ms. Davis is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association and currently serves as the GMEA District 5 orchestra chair. Ms. Davis has adjudicated GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations in several districts, presented a session at the 2018 GMEA In-Service Conference. Ms. Davis has also served on curriculum development committees Atlanta Public Schools and Clayton County Public Schools. She has worked as a guest clinician in various capacities and maintains a private violin studio.

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2020 C linicians

GREGORY L. DENSON

•PERSPECTIVES AND ISSUES OF BLACK MUSIC STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION (INCLUDES 3 TALKS) Gregory L. Denson is presently the Director of Bands at East Cobb Middle School in Marietta, GA. He is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and Florida State University, with a Masters in Music Education with teacher certification. Currently as the Director of Bands at East Cobb MS, the band program has grown from 120 students to over 430 in 2 years, with a projected enrollment of 600 in the Fall of 2019. Students participate in 5 large ensembles, 8th Grade Symphonic, 8th Grade Concert, 7th Grade Symphonic, 7th Grade Concert and Jazz Band. Mr. Denson has been selected to present clinics at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic (2017, 2019), GMEA In-Service (2016, 2018), and a host of professional development sessions.

Mr. Denson is Conn Selmer VIP and currently serves as the GMEA District XII Secretary.

JEAVANIE DESARMES

•AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF STRESS LEVELS AND MANAGEMENT AMONG UNDERGRADUATE MUSIC STUDENTS

Jeavanie is currently a Music Education and Biochemistry Honor student at Kennesaw State University. She enjoys spending time with students and professors as she continues to develop in the musical language. Since she became an 18-year-old senior at her university, Jeavanie has had the opportunity to attend, present research, and perform in national conferences across the country. Her interest in research led her to be accepted as a researcher in a cancer research lab and conduct several research projects including two honor research capstones. After graduating, Jeavanie will attend medical school with the goal of becoming a Neonatal Surgeon or Physician. Outside of research, church, volunteer work at various locations including Emory University Emergency Department and ASTA events, different leadership positions, and musical activities, Jeavanie loves to spend time with her parents and her only, favorite two sisters.

DAVID DOVER

•MUSIC TECH ON A SHOESTRING - ONLINE OR FREE SUPPLEMENTS

Mr. David Dover is currently in his third year in Gwinnett County Public Schools as the Music Technology Instructor at North Gwinnett Middle School.

Mr. Dover completed his Undergraduate and Masters in Music Education from the University of Georgia. While working on his masters degree, David managed the computer lab for the School of Music and studied Electronic Music with Dr. Leonard Ball. Although Mr. Dover, has spent most of his 23 years as an educator instructing concert bands, jazz bands, percussion ensembles, music appreciation, and American popular music history, his passion is instructing the creation of music. He also composes and arranges music for various programs in the area. Mr. Dover lives in Peachtree Corners with his wife, Megan, and three children, Owen, Olivia, and Charlotte.

TRAVIS DOWNS

•THE "HOW TO'S" OF TEACHING BLEND/BALANCE AND EXPRESSION TO THE YOUNG BAND

Travis Downs has been sharing his love of music with students for 21 years. He is currently in his sixth year at North Gwinnett Middle School (NGMS) - recently named “Music Program of the Year” by the Georgia Music Educators Association. Before his appointment at North Gwinnett in 2013, Mr. Downsserved as the Director of Bands at Valdosta Middle School (VMS) in Valdosta, Ga., Assistant Band Director at VMS, and Assistant Band Director at Tapp Middle School in Cobb County, Ga. Ensembles under Mr. Downs’ direction have been invited to play at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival, the Georgia Music Educators Association Annual In- Service Conference, the University of Georgia Middle School Festival, and the Grand National Adjudicators Invitational. In addition, the VMS and NGMS Band programs have been the recipient of the GMEA “Exemplary Performance Award.” A six-time recipient of the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence award, Mr. Downs is a member of the Vic Firth Educational Team and a Yamaha Artist/Clinician. He is the GMEA District 13 middle school band chair and has served on the GMEA All-State Band Committee. Mr. Downs’ professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the National Band Association, the Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the Percussive Arts Society.

ASHLEY DRAKE

•FORGET GUITAR HERO - BECOME A GUITAR PRO!

Ashley Drake has been a music educator for eleven years, with positions including piano, guitar, and secondary general music. Mrs. Drake holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Shorter University in Rome, Georgia, and Master of Curriculum and Instruction: Integrated Arts from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She has been a proud member of the Duluth Middle School faculty since she began teaching in 2008 and was honored as Teacher of the Year for 2018. Mrs. Drake currently resides in Norcross, GA with her husband, Phil, and their cat, Gelato.Mr. Downs’ professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the National Band Association, the Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the Percussive Arts Society. Mr. Downs earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia and Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from Louisiana State University.

MARK DULIN

•SOUND THE TRUMPET! PROGRESSIVE TRUMPET TEACHING STATEGIES AND CONCEPTS MADE SIMPLE

Mark Dulin leads an active career as a performer and educator in Atlanta, Georgia. As an orchestral musician he is a former member of the Charlotte, Jacksonville Symphonies and has performed with the Charleston, Winston Salem, Greensboro and Tenerife Symphony Orchestras. He is a member of the Atlanta Chamber Brass and has performed with the Emerson String Quartet, giving the North American Premiere of Dimitri Shostakovich’s op.41A. Dulin has served on the faculties of the University of Akron, Winthrop University, Appalachian State University and the University of North Florida. He has presented masterclasses and lectures at the Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Illinois State University, Western Illinois University, the University of Iowa and the Trumpet Festival of The Southeast. Additionally, Dulin has hosted regional trumpet festivals in Ohio and South Carolina. He currently teaches privately throughout the Atlanta area. He has written articles for the ITG Journal including interviews with Hakan Hardenberger, Gabor Tarkovi, Raymond Mase and Kevin Cobb. He is the co-editor of Vincent Cichowicz Long Tone Studies, Flow Studies Volume I and II. These volumes are published by Studio 259 Productions and Balquhidder Music. Dr. Dulin holds degrees from Indiana University, the University of Cincinnati and SUNY Stony Brook and is a Vincent Bach Performing Artist. He is a student of John Rommel, Marie Speziale, Kevin Cobb, Joe Phelps, Michael Sachs, James Pandolfi and John Entzi.

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DR. ANDY EDWARDS

•DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION 102 Dr. Edwards is in his twelfth year of teaching. This is his ninth year at Peachtree Ridge High School, the third year teaching Music Technology full time.

Previously he was the band director for seven years. He was born and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina. He was a 2004 graduate of James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, SC. Dr. Edwards graduated from Furman University in 2008 with a Bachelors of Music Education and in the summer of 2014 with his Master's Degree in Music Education from the University of Georgia. He has recently completed his dissertation for his Ed.D. in Music Education from the University of Georgia, which focuses on the measurement of music ensemble performance. His primary instrument is the saxophone and he has a passion for guitar and mandolin. Dr. Edwards has also worked as a marching band drill designer for Marching Show Concepts, where he conceived and created shows for several area high schools. Dr. Edwards is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC). He also an active researcher in Assessment in the Music Classroom.

Dr. Edwards enjoys woodworking, mountain biking, and video games. He lives with his wife Kinsey Edwards, daughter Ansley Grace and dog Molly, the three best girls in the world.

GEORGIA L. EKONOMOU

•STRING ORCHESTRA NEW MUSIC READING SESSION Georgia Ekonomou has been a String Educator/Conductor for 40 years. She is the former Director of Orchestras at The Paideia School and at The Lovett Schools. While at Lovett, The Lovett Chamber Orchestra performed at the 1990 “MENC National Conference”; the 1997 “Georgia Music Educators Conference”; and at the 1997 “International Association of Jazz Educator’s Conference”. In 1991, she was awarded The Lovett Schools “Woodward Award” for excellence in teaching. In January 2017, Ekonomou was awarded the “Georgia/ASTA Lifetime Achievement Award”, in honor and recognition of her contribution to Musical Excellence in the State of Georgia. Currently Mrs. Ekonomou is the Music Director and Conductor for the Atlanta Junior Chamber Orchestra at Emory University. Ekonomou served as assistant conductor for the “Georgia Tech Orchestra”, the “Atlanta Emory Orchestra” and the “Georgia University Orchestra”. During the summers of 2014 and 2016, she conducted the Intermediate Symphony Orchestra at the Interlochen Summer Music Camp. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Music Education from Northwestern University and a Master of Music Education from Georgia State University. Mrs. Ekonomou is a member of GMEA, ASTA, and NAfME and has served on the advisory committee for the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, and on the national Membership committee for ASTA. She is active throughout the United States as Conductor, Clinician and Adjudicator. In July 2016, she was appointed Southern Division Representative to the NAfME Council for Orchestral Education.

DR. STEVEN ELISHA

•THE HIGH ROAD OF CELLO PLAYING: A GUIDE FOR TEACHERS AND CELLISTS OF ALL LEVELS Internationally acclaimed cellist, Steven Elisha, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, Norway, China, Taiwan, Brazil, Israel and the United States. Elisha’s New York debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and premiere performance of Cry of the Dove (a cello concerto written by his sister, Adrienne Elisha) received critical acclaim. As an honorary member and returned guest of the Beijing Cello Society, he has extensively toured mainland China. Featured solo appearances have included the Beijing Central Philharmonic and Symphonies of Beijing, Xian, Jinan, and Canton, Toledo Symphony, Connecticut Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Topeka Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony and the Grand Rapids Symphony. Dr. Elisha regularly gives master classes, workshops and residencies throughout the United States. Elisha is co-founder and cellist of the Elaris Duo, with violinist Larisa Elisha. As a recording artist, Elisha is heard on a Grammy-nominated Musical Heritage Society recording of New England piano trios, Yale Cellos of Aldo Parisot on Delos and Duo Virtuoso on MSR-Classics. Just released at MSR-Classics, DUO VIRTUOSO II, has received high praise in reviews appearing in Fanfare Magazine, Gramophone American Record Guide and other leading music publications. Elisha was featured recently in the 2017 September/October issue of Fanfare Magazine, and winner of the Global Music Awards in the "Duo and New Release Category" for DUO VIRTUOSO II. Dr. Elisha is Professor of Music at Georgia Southern University, where he is Head of Strings and Director of Orchestras.

MEGAN ENDICOTT

•BRAVO BEHAVIOR! EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE POSITIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIORS •WANT TO CATCH MORE FISH USE BETTER BAIT! INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT HOOK STUDENTS ON LEARNING! Megan Endicott is the general music teacher at Dolvin Elementary School. She serves as a Fulton County Fine Arts Support Teacher where she coaches and provides support for elementary music teachers across the district. In addition, Mrs. Endicott is a lead coach for the district Vanguard team and works with educators across multiple grade levels and disciplines to support a personalized learning environment in their classrooms, build capacity, and seamlessly integrate technology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in educational technology from Central Michigan University. She is currently working on her specialist degree in instructional technology and a leadership certification from Kennesaw State University. Mrs. Endicott was recognized and awarded the Atlanta Families’ Award of Excellence in Education in 2015 and Teacher of the Year in 2016. Mrs. Endicott has presented at various conferences on topics such as PBL, Personalized Learning, Rigor & Blooms Taxonomy in music, Voice and Choice, and App Smashing to name a few at conferences such as: ISTE, CUE, TI:ME, GMEA, GaETC and local school district professional development sessions. She has co-hosted PlayDateATL and EdCamp Fulton. Mrs. Endicott serves as an ambassador for TouchCast, Seesaw, WonderWorkshop Innovation Squad, Plickers, Osmo, Quaver's Marvelous World of Music, Edmodo and Symbaloo as well as a Nearpod Certified Trainer and PioNear. She is a published author of the children's book, "In the Hall of the Mountain King", in Tempo MEA journal, and in the Georgia Music Magazine for personalized learning in music.

TIFFANY ENGLISH

•INTRODUCTION TO ORFF SCHULWERK •GOTTA MOVE!

Tiffany English is the music specialist at Sugar Hill Elementary School in Gwinnett County, GA. She holds multiple degrees from the University of Georgia and Piedmont College. Her education also includes Post-Level III Orff Schulwerk teacher education and Level I Kodály training. Tiffany has served the American Orff-Schulwerk Association as president of the Atlanta Area Orff Chapter, Region IV representative on the National Board of Trustees, chair of the Professional Development Committee, and co-chair for the 2014 AOSA Professional Development Conference in Nashville, TN. She also served on the AOSA Executive Committee as Vice President, 2015-2017, and as AOSA President, 2017-2019. Tiffany is a frequent national Orff Schulwerk presenter and was named the Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year in 2007. Tiffany has also conducted several elementary honor choirs throughout the southeastern United States.

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2020 C linicians D. ALAN FOWLER

•THERE'S A HOLE IN YOUR BUCKET: FILLING UP YOUR BAND SOUND FROM THE BOTTOM UP.

D. Alan Fowler is Director of Bands at Eastside High School and Secondary Fine Arts Specialist for the Newton County Schools. He is the Key Club sponsor and Fine Arts Chairperson at Eastside and the Music Director of the Newton County Community Band. A native of Riverdale, Georgia, Mr. Fowler is a 1987 graduate of North Clayton High School and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from UGA, a Master of Music in Conducting from Ball State, and a Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Georgia State. Prior to taking the helm of The Pride of Eastside Eagle Bands in 1996, Fowler taught at Stephens County Middle School in Toccoa, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and Salem High School in Conyers. Having accumulated vast experience working with bands in Indiana, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, and throughout Georgia, he is respected as a band consultant, instructor, and adjudicator. He is also co-founder of Tuba Christmas Porterdale. Active as a low brass artist, Mr. Fowler has performed with Tara Winds since 1995. Inducted in 2016 as a member of Phi Beta Mu, Fowler is also a recipient of the NBA Citation of Excellence. A member of GMEA, NAfME, NBA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and the Covington Kiwanis Club, Fowler has served GMEA in numerous capacities including All-State Organizer, District Chairperson, Treasurer, Band Chair, event organizer, and in-service clinic presenter. He is currently GMEA’s Vice President for All-State Events. Mr. Fowler and his wife Susan live in Covington and are the proud parents of two wonderful daughters, Katie Beth and Grace.

DR. JIM FRANKEL

•TECH TOOLS FOR BUILDING SIGHT READING SKILLS •BRINGING YOUR CHROMEBOOKS TO LIFE WITH MUSICFIRST •SOUNDTRAP & NOTEFLIGHT: THE PERFECT PAIR

Dr. Jim Frankel is the Head of Digital Education for the Music Sales Group, and Director of MusicFirst. Previously, he was the Managing Director of SoundTree, and before that he was the instrumental and general music teacher for 15 years in New Jersey Public Schools. Jim is a widely published author in various state, national and international journals of music education. He is the author of The Teachers Guide to Music, Media & Copyright Law, co-author of YouTube in Music Education, contributing author for Critical Issues in Music Education and co-author of Making Music with GarageBand & Mixcraft. In addition to his writing, Jim is a highly sought-after clinician and keynote speaker in the local, national and international music education community. He is on the Board of Directors for TI:ME and is the past president of ATMI.

PATRICK K. FREER

•RE-VOICE AND REJOICE: ADAPTING CHORAL LITERATURE FOR CHANGING ADOLESCENT VOICES •PERSPECTIVES AND ISSUES OF BLACK MUSIC STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION (INCLUDES 3 TALKS) Patrick K. Freer is Professor of Music at Georgia State University and former Visiting Professor at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria). His degrees are from Westminster Choir College and Teachers College-Columbia University. Dr. Freer has conducted or presented in 39 states and 27 countries, including recent guest conducting for the 2018 NW Division ACDA Youth Honor Choir, the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra (Colombia), and Voces LGTB de Madrid (Spain). Dr. Freer is Editor of the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, Past Editor of Music Educators Journal, and a member of the ACDA National Standing Committee for Research & Publications.

MEGAN GIBSON

•STUFF HAPPENS - REAL SITUATIONS, REAL SOLUTIONS

Megan Gibson graduated from Kennesaw State University in 2016 with a Bachelors in General Music Education. She is currently on her third year of teaching at Brookview Elementary and has been recognized as a valuable contributor to Music Education in Fulton County. Most recently, Ms. Gibson was promoted to serve as part of the Fulton County Fine Arts Support Team and was recognized for her leadership and interviewed by the American School Board Journal. Megan is director of The Brookview Chorus and has had multiple opportunities to reach outside of Brookview by serving as a clinician for the 2018 Fulton County Choral Clinic. Ms. Gibson has also completed her Level I and II Orff Certification as well as John Feierabend's First Steps in Music Certification. Outside of teaching, Ms. Gibson runs a small business, Miss Megan’s Music, and works as an accompanist for Hapeville United Methodist Church. She currently resides in Marietta with her cat and best friend, Lucky.

MIKE GIBSON

•TOP FINALE TIPS FOR EDUCATORS •3 STEPS TO BETTER SIGHT READING WITH SMARTMUSIC

Mike Gibson started his career in 1985 at Greene-Taliaferro High School. Following tenures at Palmetto and Creekside High Schools where he taught instrumental and choral music, Mike became the director of bands at Ridgeview Charter Middle School in Sandy Springs, Georgia where he has served since 1996. During his tenure the Ridgeview program has grown from 97 students in two bands to over 330 students. The program now has three directors and includes 4 concert bands, jazz band, jazz combo, and percussion ensemble. These bands have consistently received Superior or Excellent Ratings at GMEA and national events. Including his high school tenures, Mike’s students have been selected for Fulton County, District V, and All-State bands as well as the ’96 Atlanta Olympics’ Band, MYSO, ASYO and other metro Atlanta honor groups. Mike received his BMus and MMus from the University of Georgia and was named “Teacher of the Year” at Palmetto High and Ridgeview Charter Middle School. Mike is also an active Tuba player and low brass instructor.

NICHOLAS GOLDING

• TAKING THE NEXT STEP: GETTING FROM WHERE YOU ARE TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE

Nick Golding holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in music from Piedmont College, an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction from Lincoln Memorial University, and is a graduate of the Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, Virginia. Mr. Golding also. Since 1994, Golding has been active as a performer, adjudicator, designer and educator in the band and drum corps activity. In his six years at Jackson County Comprehensive High School in Jefferson, Georgia, Mr. Golding’s ensembles have seen great success. While there he has received two Citation of Excellence awards and his bands have performed twice at Kennesaw State University, the Georgia Music Educators Association’s In-Service Conference, the University of South Carolina High School Band Clinic, the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival, and the University of Georgia January Music Festival.

In addition, the marching band has been a Bands of America regional and super-regional finalist. Prior to Jackson County Mr. Golding served for five years as the director of bands at Madison County High School. While there he was twice awarded the NBA Citation of Excellence and his bands performed twice at Kennesaw State University, The UGA January Music Festival, the University of South Carolina High School Band Clinic and the marching band was named the USSBA Group IV A National Champions in 2011. Mr. Golding currently resides in Jefferson, Georgia with his wife, Erica, and their two children, Caroline and Knox.

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2020 C linicians

CAROLINE GOLDSTEIN

•CRACKING THE CODE WITH KODÁLY: APPLICATIONS OF KODÁLY IN CHORAL REHEARSALS Caroline Goldstein is the proud choral director at Webb Bridge Middle School in Alpharetta, GA. Ms. Goldstein received a B.A. in Music from Haverford College and an Ed.M. in Learning and Teaching from Harvard University. Before coming to Webb Bridge, Ms. Goldstein taught chorus at Haynes Bridge Middle School and served on the music staff of the Atlanta Young Singers. Ms. Goldsteincompleted all levels of Kodály training at George Mason University and received her certification in Kodály Teacher Pedagogy in 2015. In addition, she completed level one of both Henry Leck's Creating Artistry Conducting Institute and the Choral Music Experience Institute. She is a member of the VoiceCare Network, having completed the BodyMind and Voice training course in 2018. Ms. Goldstein currently serves as the President of the Kodály Educators of Georgia as well as the Georgia chapter of the American Choral Directors Association's Children's Choir Repertoire and Resources Chair.

DANA GORZELANY-MOSTAK

•STUDYING THE PRESIDENTIAL SOUNDSCAPE: TRAX ON THE TRAIL IN THE CLASSROOM Dana Gorzelany-Mostak is an assistant professor of music at Georgia College where she teaches courses on the history of western music, American music, world music, and music and conflict, as well as directs the Music Theater Scenes class and Women's Ensemble. Her research on music and electoral politics appears in Music & Politics, the Journal of the Society for American Music and the Journal of Popular Music Studies. Her work on America’s Got Talent star Jackie Evancho appears in the edited volume Voicing Girlhood in Popular Music: Performance, Authority, Authenticity (Routledge) and in the journal American Music. Gorzelany-Mostak is also the founder of Trax on the Trail, a Georgia College-sponsored website that tracks the soundscapes of American presidential campaigns.

DR. KAREN GRAFFIUS

•VOICE CLASSIFICATION AND REPERTOIRE GUIDELINES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL CHORUS Dr. Karen Graffius is a native of Louisiana and received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Louisiana College and Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees in Music Education from Louisiana State University. Dr. Graffius has over 30 years experience teaching at the elementary, middle and high school levels and spent 17 years as the choral director at Liberty Middle School in Cumming, GA. Under Dr. Graffius' direction, Liberty choruses consistently received superior ratings at GMEA sponsored Large Group Performance Evaluation and the Liberty 8th Grade Chorus performed at the 2015 and 2019 GMEA In-Service Conference. Dr. Graffiushas directed honor choruses in Lousiana, Tennessee and Georgia and has received numerous awards for her teaching including being named Choral Director of the Year while teaching in Baton Rouge, LA and Teacher of the Year while in LaVergne, TN. Dr. Graffius was recently named the Assistant Choral Director at the University of West Georgia where she directs the Concert Choir and teaches Ear Training and Sight-Singing and Choral Methods.

SARA GRIMES

•TEACHING THE LEFTOVERS: STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING & RETAINING STUDENTS NOT IN YOUR TOP ORCHESTRA Sara Grimes has been the Assistant Director of Orchestras at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia since 2010. Since 2018, she has been the Fine Arts Department Chair. As a graduate of Walton, Mrs. Grimes is proud to be teaching at her alma mater. Mrs. Grimes’ prior teaching experiences include Barber Middle School in Cobb County and West Laboratory Elementary in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Additionally, she was the graduate teaching assistant at the University of Miami and taught undergraduate string techniques Mrs. Grimes holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of South Carolina and Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Miami with cello as her primary instrument. Mrs. Grimes guest conducted the GMEA District V Honor Orchestra in 2017. Additionally, she has presented sessions at The Midwest Clinic in 2016, Florida Music Educators Association Conference in 2009, and presided over sessions at American String Teacher Association conferences in 2008 and 2009. Her thesis research, “Assessment Practices of String Teachers” won first prize at the University of Miami Research Symposium. Mrs. Grimes is a member of NafME, GMEA, ASTA, Pi Kappa Lambda, and has been recognized as a Presser Scholar. In the summer, Mrs. Grimes teaches at Upbeat String Camp. Mrs. Grimes and her husband, William, a middle school band director, live in Marietta, Georgia with their kindergartener, Charlie and toddler, Teddy. In her free time, she enjoys reading and doing Bar Method.

RACHEL GRIMSBY

•FOLK DANCING TRICKS FROM K-6 •PREPARE, PRACTICE, PRESENT: A SOUND BEFORE SIGHT APPROACH TO RECORDER Rachel is a passionate educator, with experience teaching elementary general music and choral music. In 2002 she earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from East Carolina, and in 2010 graduated from The University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music with a Master of Music Education. Rachel is a Ph.D. candidate at Michigan State University where she is a graduate teaching assistant, oversees undergraduate student teachers, and serves with the community engagement program. Her research interests include music and language acquisition in students with disabilities, how music may benefit those with language delays, professional development for in-service teachers and course work for undergraduates in teaching music to students with disabilities. Rachel is the co-author of two publications; First Steps in Music with Orff Schulwerk, and Feierabend Fundamentals: History, Philosophy, and Practice. Rachel is fully certified in Kodály, Orff, and has a GIML Elementary I certificate. She is also a teacher trainer for both First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege Level 1 and 2. Rachel is a member of AOSA, OAKE, NAfME, and is a founding member of FAME. She lives with her husband and two children in Lansing, Michigan.

MANDY GUNTER

•INTRODUCTION TO ORFF SCHULWERK •A MUSICAL AND MEANINGFUL JOURNEY THROUGH CHILDREN'S LITERATURE! Mandy Gunter is currently in her 15th year of teaching Elementary Music at Burnette Elementary in Gwinnett County Public Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Georgia College and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. She has a Certificate of Completion and Master Class training from the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. Mandy has been very active in the Atlanta Area Orff Chapter serving as Mailing Secretary, Vice President, President, Past President, and currently serves as Advocacy Chair. Mandy is currently serving on the American Orff-Schulwerk Association as Region IV Representative on the National Board of Trustees. She also served as Chair of the Advocacy Committee.

Mandy enjoys reading, sailing, and sharing her passion for music education with everyone around her! You can find her teaching Intro to Orff Workshops around Georgia.

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2020 C linicians CASEY HALL

•BRAVO BEHAVIOR! EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE POSITIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIORS

Mr. Casey Hall is a Fine Arts Support Teacher (FAST) for Fulton County Schools and the Music Specialist at Wolf Creek Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. On the FAST Team, he coaches and provides support for elementary music teachers across the district. He is a member of Fulton County's Vanguard Team and works with educators across all grade levels and disciplines to support a personalized learning environment in their classrooms, build capacity, and seamlessly integrate technology. He was selected to be a member of the Working Committee to revise the Georgia Performance Standards for Music in 2017. Most recently, he was awarded the title of 2019-2020 South Learning Community Teacher of the Year for Fulton County Schools.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Georgia State's School of Music. While at GSU, he studied and developed the term, culturally driven pedagogy (a comprehensive term which uses students' culture to drive instructional practices) as well as developed a songwriting curriculum for the Johnny Mercer Foundation. Mr. Hall has presented at various conferences on topics such as Project-Based Learning, Personalized Learning, Leadership, Engaging Music Lessons, Classroom/Behavioral Management, App Smashing, Cultural Pedagogies, and Culturally Driven Pedagogy at international, national, state, and local school district professional development sessions. Mr. Hall also serves as an ambassador for Nearpod as a Nearpod Certified Trainer and PioNear.

TIM HALL

•THE BUSINESS AND CRAFT OF ALL THINGS SOUND

Tim is a unique audio instructor in that he has been both a freelance audio engineer and professor for the past 15 years. He has taught at MTSU, the Art Institute of Tennessee, and Show Gear Online online training sessions with students as far away as Lagos, Nigeria, and Port Harcourt. As a graduate of Loyola University and MTSU, Tim interweaves into the classroom the legal and business consequences of creating audio with the techniques and skills of a highly trained audio professional. Tim has held nearly every job an audio engineer can have and brings that academic knowledge and real-world experience to the classroom. Tim currently works as the lead instructor at Tweed Recording and as the Front of House engineer and tour manager for Grammy award-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum. Tim has mixed concerts in Japan, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and across the US.

DR. DAWN HARMON MCCORD

•CAN WE TALK: BRIDGING THE DIVERSITY GAP IN MUSIC CLASSROOMS

Dawn Harmon McCord, DMA, is Professor of Music Education and Organ Studies at the University of West Georgia and coordinates the graduate and music education program. Her online class, Factors in Musical Learning, is nationally certified through Quality Matters. Dr. McCord has served on the boards of the Georgia Music Educators and Georgia Music Teachers Association (GMTA) including serving as President of GMTA. Dr. McCord is Director of Music and Organist at Carrollton Presbyterian Church. She holds degrees from UGA, LSU, and FSU with studies in Music Education, Piano, Choral Conducting, and Organ Performance. She regularly adjudicates piano events and her research interests related to teaching and learning include piano proficiency, teacher preparation, and all-state choral policies and practice. She has presented her research at international, national, and state conferences. She is currently active in initiatives for Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP).

JEFF HARPER

•TAKING THE NEXT STEP: GETTING FROM WHERE YOU ARE TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE

Jeff Harper is the Associate Director of Bands at Lassiter High School in Marietta, GA. Prior to his appointment at Lassiter, Mr. Harper served as the Director of Bands at McEachern High School. While there the band program performed at the University of Georgia January Music Festival and the GMEA In-Service Conference. Before his appointment at McEachern High School, he was the Associate Director of Bands at Kennesaw Mountain High School and Director of Bands at the West Cobb School. While at Kennesaw Mountain High School, the band program received acclaim through national and regional performances including the Midwest Band and Orchestra clinic, Bands of America, and Winter Guard International. Mr. Harper received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Georgia and a Master of Music Education Degree from the University of Illinois. Mr. Harper was a Drum Major of the UGA Redcoat Marching Band,a member and instructor of the Cadets of Bergen County Drum and Bugle Corps who won the Drum Corps International World Championship in his tenure. Mr. Harper judges for Drum Corps International, Drum Corps Japan, the Japan Marching Band Association, and Bands of America and serves as a guest clinician throughout the country marching bands, concert bands and leadership seminars. Mr. Harper is a member of Phi Beta Mu and a two-time recipient of the NBA Citation Excellence Award. In addition to judging, Mr. Harper has held annual leadership camps and clinics for students at the UGA and Georgia State University. Mr. Harper currently resides with his husband and son in Kennesaw, Georgia.

GRAHAM HEPBURN

•PREPARING THE WAY FOR MASTERFUL PLAY: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY MUSIC •BREAK THE ICE!: BRAIN BREAKS AND MUSICAL MOTIVATORS

Graham Hepburn is a passionate presenter, experienced educator, and the co-founder of curriculum resource provider QuaverMusic.com. As the leader of the Quaver content development team, he works with educators, graphic artists, and developers to create world-class cloud-based resources for the general music classroom. Hepburn received an honors degree in Piano Performance from the Colchester School of Music before touring the world as a musical comedy performer and serving as the Director of Music for Grindon Hall Christian School in England. In the past few years he has presented keynote speeches at many music and educational conventions. These include the NAfME (National Association for Music Education) National In-Service (2017), the Missouri Music Educators Association Convention (2018), the Music City Social and Emotional Learning Conference (2018), the Urban Music Leadership Conference (2018), and the North Carolina’s Music Educators Association Convention (2019).

ERIK HERNDON

•COMPOSING AND ARRANGING FOR THE GUITAR CLASSROOM

Erik Herndon is an educator, composer, and guitarist in Atlanta, GA. Erik is currently the Orchestra Director and Guitar Instructor at Centennial Academy, an active contributor to the Georgia Music Educator’s Guitar Division, and a performing artist in Metro Atlanta with the groups Acoustic Soul, the Expats, the Clibber Jones Ensemble, and the Vesna Quartet.

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2020 C linicians ROBIN HODSON

•EASY ASSESSMENT ON ANY DEVICE •MEANINGFUL TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATIONS FOR THE ELEMENTARY MUSIC CLASSROOM

Robin comes from a musical family; his Grandfather founded a Symphony Orchestra and Music Conservatory in Zimbabwe, and his Mother taught music for 50 years. An accomplished composer and performer, working in a variety of differing genres, he is also a recording engineer, songwriter and arranger.

Robin received a Masters Degree at Magdalen College, Oxford, specializing in choral music. He moved to the US in 1999 and is now a US citizen. He was with Sibelius/Avid for thirteen years, followed by three years with SoundTree. During that time, he became a well-known clinician, trainer and salesman for a wide variety of world class music software and technology products. He joined Jim Frankel and an accomplished team of people to start MusicFirst in 2012, bringing cloud-based music software to schools around the world. He has authored many free guides/videos on how to use and learn all kinds of music software, and he has created a curriculum (published by Hal Leonard) for using Pro Tools in Music Education. He was also a joint author for the book/DVD/curriculum entitled Making Music with GarageBand & Mixcraft.

KATIE HOLBROOK

•I GOT THE DIPLOMA... NOW WHAT?!

Katie Holbrook is going into her second year of teaching general music at Blanchard Elementary School in Muscogee County. She received her undergraduate degree in Choral/General Music Education from Columbus State University, where she also graduated from the Honors College with a completed and passed thesis. Holbrook was in the Top Three for Muscogee County First Year Teacher of the Year.

JAKE HOOD

•GOOGLE APPS AND THE PERFORMING ENSEMBLE Jake Hood is a Director of Orchestras at Collins Hill High School in Gwinnett County, GA. Mr. Hood received his Bachelor of Music Education degree in 2016 from the University of Georgia, where he studied cello with David Starkweather. During his time at UGA, he played with the University Symphony and performed dozens of concerts and recitals as a soloist and chamber musician, including more than 50 premiere performances in UGA's Dancz Center for New Music. He sang as a member of three different choral organizations at UGA and taught for four years in UGA's after-school String Project in Athens, GA. Mr. Hood has taught private cello lessons since 2010 and has officially moved to Suwanee, GA. He is enjoying his second year of teaching at Collins Hill High School along with his private cello studio.

GREG HUCKS

•SO YOU'RE TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL GENERAL MUSIC, NOW WHAT?!

Greg Hucks is in his 23rd year as a music educator and is currently the Director of Choruses and MYP/DP Music Instructor at the Atlanta International School. He is in his third year singing with the Orpheus Men's Ensemble of Georgia and serves on the group’s leadership council. He holds a BS in Music Ed. from Jacksonville State University and is currently studying with Dr. Susan Brumfield to complete his Kodaly certification. Greg was the Young Men’s Choir Instructor with the Atlanta Young Singers Youth Chorale for eleven seasons. He has been a member of the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus singing under the direction of Robert Shaw, Yoel Levi, Donald Runnicles, and Robert Spano and has been a featured soloist with the ASO. Greg is an active member of the NAfME, GMEA, ACDA, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

KELLY JACKSON

•DRUMS ALIVE DRUMTASTIC: GET MOVING, GET DRUMMING, GET ACTIVE! Georgia public school system for over 25 years, teaching classes in general/choral music, voice, piano, music theory, and musical theater. She received her B.M. (Music Education) from Furman University, M.M. (Choral Conducting) from Eastman School of Music, and Ph.D. (Music Education) from Northwestern University. Kelly holds Level III Orff Schulwerk certification and has served on the Editorial Board of The Orff Echo. Currently, Kelly is sought after as an accompanist at regional and state levels; serves as an adjudicator in choral music, piano, and theater; and has been involved in numerous productions as a director, pianist, and performer.

GIL JOHNSON

•A MUSIC TECH CURRICULUM YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS WILL ENJOY! Mr. Johnson is the band director and music technology teacher at South Tattnall Middle School. He recently completed his masters of music education degree on a graduate assistantship at Georgia Southern University. Before moving to Georgia, Mr. Johnson served as the director of bands at Northpoint Christian School in Southaven, MS where he instructed instrumental music students in grades 6-12. He received his bachelors of music education degree at The University of Memphis in Memphis, TN. Mr. Johnson resides in Richmond Hill, GA with his wife Kathleen, who is a physical therapist.

KEVIN JOHNSON

•THE "HOW TO'S" OF TEACHING BLEND/BALANCE AND EXPRESSION TO THE YOUNG BAND Mr. Johnson is currently co-director of bands at North Gwinnett Middle School in Sugar Hill, GA. Prior to his appointment to North Gwinnett, Mr. Johnson served as Director of Bands at Rising Starr and at Fayette Middle School until its closure in spring of 2013. The band received prestigious performance invitations on three occasions: the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, the University of Georgia Middle School Band Festival, and at the SEUSS M.S. Band Festival at TSU. The Fayette Middle School Band Program was awarded the “Exemplary Middle School Band Award” by the GMEA. Mr. Johnson has received the Teacher of the Year award on two occasions, has been named in Outstanding Young Men of America, listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers a total of five times, and most recently nominated for the “GRAMMY Music Educator Award.” He is recipient of the Phi Beta Mu “Outstanding Instrumental Music Educator Award” and the National Band Association’s “Citation of Excellence” on three occasions.

His affiliations include NaFME, GMEA and the National Band Association. He serves as evaluator for LGPE, and he has served as the middle school band representative on the GMEA music selection committee. He is active as a clinician throughout the southeast and New York. Kevin Johnson, a native of Blakely, GA, earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Valdosta State University, the Master of Science in Music Education degree from Troy State University, and is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education from Boston University. His research is concerned with effective teacher behaviors.

2020 C linicians HEATH JONES

•THE NEW GEORGIA STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE FOR MUSIC TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES FOR THE TEACHER AND CLASSROOM •THE MUSIC TECHNOLOGY TEACHER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE

Heath currently teaches Music Technology at McConnell Middle School in the Gwinnett County Public Schools system in Lawrenceville, GA. He began his career as a high school band director and after 15 years in high school, he transitioned to the middle school band room for 5 years while going through an unexpected, yet fulfilling transition to becoming a music technology teacher. As part of his development as a music tech teacher, he has been a part of working committees for the Gwinnett County Public Schools and the Georgia Department of Education in developing and revising performance standards and assessments both statewide and at the local level. He serves as the Lead Teacher for Music Technology (6-8) in the Gwinnett County Public Schools and has presented sessions at the Midwest Clinic, NAfME, SCMEA and GMEA In-Service Conferences on topics of Music Technology Standards, Lesson Planning and Cross-Curricular activities to enhance learning for students. He is a certified Soundtrap Educator, Google Level 1 Educator, and Apple Educator. Heath continues to be a passionate advocate for Music Technology as a vital part of a student's music education options and continues to search out new resources and tools to improve instruction and create relevant and engaging activities for the Music Tech classroom. He is the founder and executive editor of the www.mutechteachernet.com website and creator of the MuTechTeacherTalk podcast that can be found on iTunes and Spotify.

MAVIS KALLESTAD

•TOP FINALE TIPS FOR EDUCATORS •3 STEPS TO BETTER SIGHT READING WITH SMARTMUSIC

Mavis Kallestad is a Finale clinician/trainer and piano accompanist in the Minneapolis area. She has represented MakeMusic at numerous music conventions and has taught hands-on Finale workshops to music educators and worship musicians at music technology symposiums, Wisconsin Center for Music Education, VanderCook College, regional workshops and school in-services. Her textbook, Building Successful Finale 'Chops', contains practical step-by-step tutorials for notating musical scores and teaching materials with Finale. Mavis also has authored courses on the Finale YouTube channel.

She holds a Music Education degree from Dickinson State University and is an adjunct faculty member at Hamline University, St. Paul, MN.

BRION KENNEDY

•FORGET GUITAR HERO - BECOME A GUITAR PRO!

Mr. Kennedy has been the director of the guitar program at St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, Georgia since 2010. He teaches two sections of Beginning Guitar and Intermediate Guitar, and one section of Advanced Guitar. The Advanced Guitar Ensemble has performed at colleges and concert halls throughout the Southeast and worked with guest artists including David Russell and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the University of Georgia, Mr. Kennedy studied under the guidance of renowned guitar educator John Sutherland. During his time at UGA, Mr. Kennedy also studied music composition under the tutelage of Dr. Adrian Childs. Mr. Kennedy is currently an owner of the Athens School of Music, where he previously taught, and Vogel Audio, a commercial music production and sound design company. Mr. Kennedy is a member of the National Association for Music Educators and the Guitar Foundation of America. Mr. Kennedy served as the Guitar Chair for the Georgia Music Educators Association from 2017 to 2019.

DR. DANIEL KIRK

•PROGRAM WITH A PURPOSE: CREATING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS IN YOUR CONCERT REPERTOIRE

Dr. Daniel Kirk is a member of the conducting faculty at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia, serving as the Director of Instrumental Activities. In this position, he conducts the Wind Ensemble, teaches courses in Conducting and Music Education, as well as oversees all ensembles, teaching, curriculum, and operational aspects of the instrumental program. Since arriving in Georgia in 2017, Dr. Kirk has served as a guest conductor for numerous GMEA district and county honor bands. Prior to his appointment of Director of Instrumental Activities at Reinhardt University, Dr. Kirk taught in the Blue Valley School District of Overland Park, Kansas for six years. As the Director of Bands at Blue Valley West High School, Kirk managed all facets of the wind band program, which included conducting the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and instructing the nationally renowned Red and Silver Brigade.

The Blue Valley West Symphonic Wind Ensemble was awarded Highest Kansas State Level Honors by the National Foundation for Music Education; this ensemble was also selected to appear in honored performance at the 2013 Kansas State Music Educators' Convention. Kirk was nationally awarded the George N. Parks Leadership in Music Education Award by National Association for Music Education (NAfME) in 2012. Dr. Kirk holds degrees from Missouri Western State University (Music Education and Piano Performance, 2007), Northwestern University (Wind Conducting, 2015), and Michigan State University (Wind Conducting, 2017). He credits his teachers and mentors Avian Bear, David Bennett, Jane Wheat, Mallory Thompson, and Kevin Sedatole. His professional affiliations include CBDNA, NAfME, NBA, GMEA, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

DR. RICHARD KNEPP •NO GUITAR LEFT BEHIND

Associate Professor of Music, Dr. Richard Knepp has been teaching guitar at Young Harris College since 1999. Dr. Knepp holds a DMA from the University of Georgia where he studied under the direction of acclaimed guitar instructor John Sutherland. He also holds a MM in Classical Guitar Performance from Georgia State University and a BMA in Instrumental Performance from Georgia College and State University. Dr. Knepp has performed in ensembles and as a soloist throughout the United States. As a classical guitarist, he is a regular feature on the concert stage and has been a strong advocate for classical guitar education within the state of Georgia. Many of Dr. Knepp’s students have gone on to pursue graduate studies and have had successful careers as performing artists.

BENJAMIN LAM

•LAND IT, NAIL IT, GET THE JOB! Benjamin L. Lam is currently the Assistant Principal at Largo-Tibet Elementary School with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. Before becoming a school administrator, he taught band and general music at all levels: PK – 12th grade. Prior to his appointment at Largo-Tibet, Mr. Lam served for seven years as the Director of Bands and General Music Teacher at Isle of Hope K8 School in Savannah, GA. He also taught at Robert W. Groves High School in Garden City, GA. Mr. Lam is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. He also holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University and an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Valdosta State University. Mr. Lam’s professional affiliations include the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER

DR. TIM LAUTZENHEISER

•OPENING SESSION •USING "ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS" TO CREATE A POSITIVE CULTURE OF LEARNING Tim Lautzenheiser began his teaching career at Northern Michigan University. He then moved to the University of Missouri, and from there to New Mexico State University. During that time, Tim developed highly acclaimed groups in both instrumental and vocal music. Following his tenure in the college band directing world, he spent three years with McCormick’s Enterprises working as Executive Director of Bands of America. In 1981, Tim created Attitude Concepts for Today, Inc., an organization designed to manage the many requests for teacher inservice workshops, student leadership seminars, and convention speaking engagements focusing on the area of effective leadership training. After thirty-plus years of clinic presentations, some three million students have experienced one of his popular sessions. Tim presently serves as Vice President of Education for Conn-Selmer, Inc. He is a nationally recognized voice touting the importance of arts education for every child. His books, produced by G.I.A. Publications, Inc., continue to be bestsellers in the educational community. He is also co-author of popular band method, Essential Elements, as well as the Senior Educational Consultant for Hal Leonard, Inc. Tim is also the Senior Educational Advisor for Music for All, and NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants). He holds degrees from Ball State University and the University of Alabama; in 1995 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the VanderCook College of Music. He continues to teach as an adjunct faculty member at: Ball State University, Indiana-Purdue/Ft. Wayne University, and Butler University. In addition, he is a member of the Midwest Clinic Board of Directors and the Western International Band Clinic/American Band College Board of Directors. He is presently the Chair of the National Association for Music Education Music Honor Society (Tri-M).

DR. CHARLES LAUX

•WE TELL OUR ORCHESTRA STUDENTS TO GO HOME AND PRACTICE, BUT DO THEY KNOW HOW? Dr. Charles Laux is the Director of Orchestras at Alpharetta High School where his duties include directing five levels of orchestra, including the nationally recognized AHS Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Essential Elements clinician, consultant, and contributor for the Hal Leonard Corporation.

Dr. Laux holds degrees in music education from Ohio University, the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. A string educator for over 20 years, Dr. Laux has worked with diverse student populations from elementary school through collegiate level. He served as Assistant Professor of String Music Education at Kennesaw State University from 2012-2016 where he taught string techniques and pedagogy, music education technology integration, supervised student teachers, conducted the KSU Philharmonic and coordinated string outreach activities, including serving as founding director of the KSU String Project. Under his leadership, Kennesaw State University became the largest string education program in Georgia and the KSU String Project grew to serve nearly 110 elementary school students. Previously Dr. Laux directed award-winning school orchestra programs in Nevada, Florida, and Ohio. Endorsed as an artist educator by D’Addario Orchestral and Eastman Stringed Instruments, Dr. Laux has presented over 100 educational sessions for organizations such as the Midwest Clinic, ASTA, TI:ME, the Association for Technology in Music Instruction, and at music conferences spanning 23 states. He regularly presents professional development in-services for school districts across the country and has presented internationally at Colegio Menor San Francisco near Quito, Ecuador. Dr. Laux remains in frequent demand across the nation as an orchestra clinician, conductor, and adjudicator.

DAVE LAWSON

•INSTRUMENT REPAIR: LOW REEDS Dave Lawson received a bachelor’s in Music Ed from Reinhardt University as well as a Bachelor’s in Clarinet performance. He has worked as a clarinet/sax clinician at many middle and high schools throughout Georgia and South Carolina. Dave has worked as woodwind lead tech for River Ridge, Denmark, and Milton high schools. Dave’s repair shop specializes in woodwinds and teaching repair, offering courses throughout the summer for directors and students. He also teaches courses in repair for students in the marching or concert setting during the school year.

DR. GREGORY LEFILS

•IMPROVISATION IN THE CHORAL REHEARSAL! Gregory W. LeFils, PhD. is a visiting assistant professor of choral music education at Stetson University, in DeLand, Florida. His duties include teaching music education classes, conducting, and supervising student teachers. Dr. LeFils holds a Ph.D. in music education from The Florida State University.

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2020 C linicians

DR. ROY LEGETTE

•CAN WE TALK: BRIDGING THE DIVERSITY GAP IN MUSIC CLASSROOMS

Roy Legette is Associate Professor of Music Education in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia. Dr. Legette is an active researcher and some of his work can be found in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Music Education Research, the Music Educators Journal, and Contributions to Music Education. He is past state chair of the research division of the Georgia Music Educators Association, past chair of the Research Advisory Review Panel of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, and a past member of the editorial committee for Update: Applications of research in Music Education. Dr. Legette has presented his work at professional conferences and symposia in the United States, Europe, South America, and Canada. His research interests include music instruction and student self-concept, student motivation and achievement, and factors that influence teaching effectiveness. Dr. Legette is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the International Society for Music Education.

JAMI LERCHER

•FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

Jami Lercher is a third-year doctoral student in choral conducting at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. At Frost, Jami is a Doctoral Teaching Assistant for the Experiential Music Curriculum and the Frost Women's Chorale. SHe has studied under Dr. Karen Kennedy and Dr. Amanda Quist. Originally from the midwest, Jami taught high school choral music for twelve years in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul. She was a founder and co-chair of the ACDA-MN 9-10 Women's Honor Choir, and sang for 8 seasons with the Minnesota Chorale.

JOHN LINER

•SPIRITUALS, GOSPEL AND MORE! TEACHING MUSIC OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

John Liner is an Associate Director of Bands at Morton Ranch Junior High School in Katy, TX. Prior to his appointment at Morton Ranch, Mr. Linerserved as Assistant Director of Bands at Paetow High School. With a deep passion for music of the African Diaspora, Mr. Liner’s love of music led to him studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music where he graduated with a B.A. in Music Education, studying trumpet with Professor Charlie Lewis. Mr. Liner’s talents have been utilized in many ways, gaining over 50 credits as a live show producer, studio musician, and arranger. John Liner utilizes his versatility as a presenter often having travelled over 12,000 miles helping educators implement music of the African Diaspora in their classrooms. As an active member of National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Jazz Education Network (JEN) and Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA), John Liner’s most recent research work has been featured in the Massachusetts Music Educator’s Journal.

TOM LLINAS

•TIPS FOR QUICK & EASY INSTRUMENT REPAIR

Tom Llinas has been repairing band, orchestra and string instruments for over 30 years. He has an AAS degree from State University of New York in Musical Instrument Technology and has continued his education through the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians.

He is currently the Southeast District Repair Manager for Music and Arts. He has presented several clinics on String and Woodwind repair at local and national NAPBIRT Conventions, as well as several Universities NAfME meetings for “Future Music Teachers”.

HOLLY LLOYD

•BAND DIRECTOR, PARENT, HUSBAND, WIFE: BALANCING THE BAND WITH YOUR LIFE

Holly Lloyd is in her 29th year of teaching and is the Band Director at Louise Radloff Middle School in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Previously, she was the Band Director at Langston Chapel Middle School in South Georgia, and Robert E. Lee Middle School in Orlando, Florida. Bands under her leadership have participated in the High Note Festival, the Southern Star Competition, Atlanta Aquarium performance, UGA Midfest, and all GMEA sponsored events. Her bands are very active in the community, and have participated in the Kiwanis Ogeechee Parade and the Statesboro (VA) Clinic opening ceremonies with Congressman John Barrow. Students have been selected to the District Honor and All-State Bands in Florida and Georgia, and a former student was selected as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts for Tuba Performance. Mrs. Lloyd’s bands consistently receive Superior ratings at the GMEA Large Group Evaluations, and her bands are regularly exposed to nationally-renowned composers such as Robert Thurston, J. David Moore, and David Holsinger through a composer-in-residence project. Mrs. Lloyd received her Bachelor’s of Music Education degree and Flute Performance Certificate from Florida State University in 1986, graduating cum laude. Mrs. Lloyd received her MM in Instrumental Conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1994, where she studied conducting with Dr. John R. Locke. While at UNCG, she was conductor of the University Symphonic Band, Pep Band, and guest conductor of the Wind Ensemble. She has conducted the Junior Bands at the UNCG Summer Music Camp on several occasions, and is also an active band and flute clinician in the Atlanta area. She is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, and in 2011 was chosen STAR teacher for Statesboro High School and Bulloch County Schools. She currently is serving on the GMEA Adjudication Standing Committee. Her professional affiliations include GMEA, NAfME, and Tau Beta Sigma Band Sorority. She resides in Snellville, Georgia with her husband Tom. They are the proud parents of sons Ben, David, and Robert.

REBECCA LOAR

•I NEED A VOICE LESSON!

A native of Vero Beach, FL, Rebecca Loar received her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Samford University in Birmingham, AL, and her Master of Music degree in Opera Performance from Manhattan School of Music. Rebecca has been teaching voice for over twenty years and is an active vocal adjudicator and clinician throughout the Southeast. Her students have continued on to perform on Broadway, national Broadway tours, summer opera programs and cruise lines. Many of her students have entered advanced conservatory programs such as Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory and Boston University. Rebecca is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of South Carolina in Voice Performance with minors in both Choral Conducting and Music History. Concurrently she is serving as Adjunct Professor of Voice on the faculty at Anderson University in Anderson, SC. Rebecca resides in Lexington, SC with her husband, Victor and their two children, Charlotte and Nathaniel.

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2020 C linicians SAM LOWDER

•BEST PRACTICES IN ADJUDICATION: HOW TO JUDGE PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS AND ALL-STATE AUDITIONS FAIRLY AND EFFECTIVELY.

Mr. Lowder has been teaching Orchestra in Georgia public schools for 22 years. Sam earned a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia and currently serves as the GMEA Orchestra Division Chair, is the Past President of the Georgia Chapter of the American String Techers Association, and is a highly sought after GMEA Certified Head Adjudicator, clinician and director. Mr. Lowder is a two-time Teacher of the Year and is a professional cellist with the Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra, is a member of the Jonesboro First Baptist Church Orchestra, and performs regularly in various ensembles for special occasions. Furthermore, Mr. Lowder is a Master Mason, York Rite Mason, and Scottish Rite Mason enjoys traveling, movies, and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee

JEREMY LUMPKIN •JAZZ BAND 101

Mr. Jeremy L. Lumpkin is currently in his fourth year at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia where his primary responsibilities include directing The Screamin’ Eagle Marching Band, The Wind Symphony, The Symphonic Band, and The Collins Hill Jazz Orchestra. During his tenure at Collins Hill, both the Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensemble have been invited to perform at The Georgia Music Educator Association’s In-Service Conference, as well as The Kennesaw State University Concert Band Invitational. He was also selected to be a clinician for The 2018 East Tennessee Band & Orchestra Lower Area Middle School Blue Band, as well as The Knox County Middle School Honor Band. Prior to working at Collins Hill, Jeremy was the Director of Bands at West High School in Knoxville, Tennessee. During his four-year tenure at West High School, the concert band made two appearances at the Tennessee Music Educator Association’s State Festival, as well as receiving superior ratings in grades III, IV, V, and VI at the East Tennessee State Band and Orchestra Concert Festival. Jeremy received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, as well as a Master’s Degree in Saxophone performance from The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. In 2014, Jeremy Lumpkin received The Young Music Educator of the Year Award from the Da Capo Association of the Tennessee Music Educators Association. In the same year, he was awarded Teacher of the Year at West High School. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated as well as Phi Sigma Theta Honors Fraternity.

BRAD MAFFETT

•KEEPING SCORE - HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR SCORE STUDY DOESN'T STRIKE OUT A native of Lilburn, Ga., Brad Maffett earned his Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Georgia State University and a Master of Music Education from The University of Georgia. He is currently the Associate Conductor of The Athens Symphony and also teaches Band and Chorus at Franklin County Middle School. He has studied conducting with Frederick Fennell, Robert Rumbelow, Thomas Wubbenhorst, and Jerry Junkin. He resides in Royston, GA with his wife, Angie, and kids, Truman and Emma. When not score studying, he enjoys watching movies and competing as a BBQ cook.

DR. ALISON MANN

•EDTPA: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FROM THE OTHER SIDE Alison Mann is Associate Professor of Choral Music Education and Program Coordinator for Music Education at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches coursework in Choral Methods, Advanced Choral Conducting and Literature, Foundations of Music Education, and Vocal Pedagogy for Ensemble Singing. Mann also supervises student teachers, coordinates edTPA, and serves as Conductor of the KSU Women’s Choir. Additionally, she is a founding singer and personnel manager for Atlanta based professional chamber choir, Coro Vocati. Dr. Mann received her Ph.D. in Music Education and Choral Conducting from the University of Oregon, and a Masters of Choral Music Education and Bachelors of Choral Music Education from Florida State University. Dr. Mann has studied conducting and music education with André Thomas, Kevin Fenton, Sharon J. Paul, and Judy Bowers. Dr. Mann is currently the Southern Division ACDA Women’s Choir Repertoire and Standards chair, and past Georgia state ACDA Membership Chair. She serves on the executive planning committee for the Southern Division American Choral Directors Association. Her professional affiliations include the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the International Society for Music Education. Her research has been presented at the state, regional, and international levels. Dr. Mann is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, and has conducted state ACDA honor choirs, and All State choruses in multiple states.

WILLIAM MANN

•MORE THAN LOW NOTES: DEVELOPING MUSICIANS OUT OF YOUR LOW BRASS THROUGH CHAMBER MUSIC William Mann is currently the Assistant Professor of Trombone at Georgia State University. He is also a founding member of the American Trombone Quartet and second trombone with the Des Moines and Columbus (GA) Symphonies. Prior to his appointment at GSU, William taught at Morehead State University, the University of Missouri, Prairie View A&M University and the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. In addition to college teaching, William taught instrumental music in the Texas Public Schools and served as a private studio teacher for over 12 years. As a member of the American Trombone Quartet, William has performed at the Lille (France) Trombone Festival, the International Trombone Festival, the Midwest Trombone Euphonium Conference, the Big 12 Trombone Conference, Illinois State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and James Madison University. William is regularly sought after as a lecturer, clinician and performer throughout the United States, France and Brazil, including the Bay View Music Festival in Bay View, MI, the Third Coast Trombone Retreat, the Lille Trombone Festival in Lille, France and the Festival Nacional de Musica in Goiania, Brazil. William received his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in trombone performance from the University of Texas at Austin in addition to a Bachelor of Music Education from Baylor University.

JOSH MARKHAM •WINNING LGPE

Mr. Josh Markham is the choral director at Sequoyah High School, located in Canton, Georgia in Cherokee County. He is an avid baseball fan who once visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY with his family. Mr. Markham enjoys losing in chess to his clever children. He is an Eagle Scout and loves the show Seinfeld. Mr. Markham and his awesome wife, Kimberly, live in the Hickory Flat area with their five (yes, five) spirited children.

The Sequoyah Singers Women were featured at the 2018 Southern Division ACDA Conference in Louisville, KY. Singers Women and the Sequoyah Men’s Chorus have also been featured at the 2015 and 2017 GMEA conferences. In the past six years the Sequoyah Boys Quartet has won four state championships and two state runner-up finishes at the GHSA State Literary Meet. Mr. Markham has presented interest sessions at GMEA, ACDA Southern Division, and South Carolina ACDA. He serves as an AP Reader in Music Theory for The College Board and as a Rater for the Praxis Music Exam for ETS. He is a strong advocate for the importance of teaching music literacy and believes that all students can and should be taught to read music. Mr. Markham’s degrees in Music Education are from Shorter College and the University of Georgia. Influential teachers include Martha Shaw, John Ratledge, Bill Caldwell, and Greg Hucks.

2020 C linicians ERIK MASON

•TAKING THE NEXT STEP: GETTING FROM WHERE YOU ARE TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE

Erik Mason is the band director at Mill Creek High School where he oversees all aspects of the band program. In his time at Mill Creek the band has performed at Columbus State University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, the Music For All Southeastern Regional Concert Band Festival, twice at the University of Georgia January Music Festival, the GMEA In-Service Conference, the University of Alabama, and as a Featured Band at the 2019 Music for All National Concert Band Festival. Prior to his tenure at Mill Creek, Mr. Mason served as the Band Director at South Gwinnett High School from 2002-2006 and the Assistant Band Director for both Rockdale and Henry County High Schools. The Pride of Mill Creek marching band is a nine time Bands of America Regional and Super-Regional Finalist and a three time BOA Class AAAA Regional Champion. The band is proud to have represented Georgia four times in parades in London and Italy. The Mill Creek Winds have been named the WGI WSA World Championship Silver Medalists and WSO Silver Medalists and the Mill Creek Winter Guard is a five-time WGI World Championship Finalist. Mr. Mason holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Georgia and has presented three times at the GMEA In-Service Conference. He is in demand across the southeastern US and Europe as a judge and clinician for concert and marching bands and is a five-time recipient of the NBA Citation of Excellence. He lives in Hoschton with his wife Kathy and their three children Aria, Alie, and Clay.

NATALIE MATTSON •LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Natalie Mattson was appointed as charter band director for Twin Rivers Middle School in 2009. Since that time her program has grown to almost 400 band students. Her students perform in GMEA District Honor Band, All-State Band, Solo & Ensemble, First Year Honor Band Clinic, and Large Group Performance Evaluation receiving consistent Superior and Excellent ratings at these events. Mrs. Mattson serves in many facets at her school including mentor teacher, TRMS Tech Committee, TRMS Advisement Chair, and was selected as the 2018 Twin Rivers Middle School Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Mattson earned her Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Georgia where she studied alto saxophone with Dr. Kenneth Fischer, performed in various ensembles within the University system, and was a member of the UGA Redcoat Marching Band. Mrs. Mattson was the assistant band director at Colquitt County High School and then married her college sweetheart. She was hired as Director of Bands at Duluth Middle School in 1997. Mrs. Mattson served as director for twelve years before becoming part of the Twin Rivers Middle School family. She has memberships with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Georgia Music Educators’ Association (GMEA),and the National Bandmasters Association (NBA). Mrs. Mattson has two sons that she thinks the world of who are scholar athletes and involved in the Mountain View High School Baseball and Wrestling programs and the Mountain View High School Band program.

C. LLOYD MCDONALD

•THERE'S A HOLE IN YOUR BUCKET: FILLING UP YOUR BAND SOUND FROM THE BOTTOM UP

C. Lloyd McDonald is the band director at Feagin Mill Middle School in Warner Robins, Georgia. He received the Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Music Education degrees from Georgia College, and the Master of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia. As a professional musician, he remains active as a clinician, adjudicator, and performer throughout the southeast. He is a founding director of Camp ExtravaBANDza, a summer camp serving middle school band students from across Georgia. He serves as the president of the Warner Robins Community Concert Association, and he conducts the Wellston Winds, a local community band. In 2017, he co-founded the Middle Georgia Youth Wind Ensemble, a performing group for high school musicians. Mr. McDonald has been recognized at the local and state levels for excellence in the classroom. In 2014, he was recognized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars as the VFW State Teacher of the Year for his commitment to the promotion of citizenship and patriotism through his teaching. He proudly represented Feagin Mill Middle School as the 2016 Teacher of the Year and Top 10 Finalist for the Houston County Schools TOTY. Professional affiliations include GMEA, NAfME, PAGE, NBA, and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity. An active member of GMEA, he has served as District Chair, event organizer and host, clinic presenter, and “Conference Concierge.” Mr. McDonald lives in Warner Robins with his wife Sue, a former elementary music teacher, and their dogs Flash and Belle.

JOSEPH MCINTYRE

•THREE R'S FOR A SUCCESSFUL BEGINNING BAND; "READING, RHYTHM, REPETITION." •ELEMENTARY BAND DIRECTOR SHARING SESSION

Joseph McIntyre began his musical life at a young age, singing with the Berkshire Boy Choir in the premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass” for the opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He is now a percussionist, composer, teacher, and music publisher. McIntyre has played percussion and timpani with The National Symphony Orchestra under numerous conductors, including Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Slatkin, Lorin Maazel, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Marvin Hamlisch. McIntyre was principle timpanist with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra for 33 years. He is now principle percussionist with the Alexandria (VA) Symphony Orchestra. His compositions, both secular and sacred, have been performed in North America, Europe, and Asia. In 1989 his compostion, “Missa Brevis” for chorus and orchestra, was premiered at Carnegie Hall, in New York, conducted by Jonathan Willcocks.

He has composed numerous orchestral works that are currently available through TRN Music Publishing. He has recently written the musical soundtrack for the film, “Pictures From a Hiroshima Schoolyard.” Joseph McIntyre has taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, St. Mary’s College (MD), and Washington Adventist University (MD). He is currently teaching elementary instrumental music for Montgomery County Maryland Public Schools.

BRANDON MEEKS

•DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR SHOT! ESTABLISHING A CULTURE THAT PRODUCES RESULTS! Brandon Meeks is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a 2018 graduate of Florida State University where he received a Master of Music Education. He is also a 2009 graduate of Western Carolina University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. While at WCU, Mr. Meeks was also a recipient of the prestigious North Carolina Teaching Fellows scholarship program. From 2009-2016 he served as the Director of Bands at East Lincoln Middle School in Iron Station, NC. While at East Lincoln, Mr. Meeks grew the band program to over 180 students and changed the face of the band program by placing high expectations on musical excellence, responsibility, discipline, teamwork, and respect. Under his leadership, the Falcon Band consistently received Superior and Excellent ratings at state festivals. Mr. Meeks is a National Board Certified Teacher and is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Music Education from Florida State University. McIntyre founded JJM Publications in 2014 with the mission of offering quality music to young players.

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2020 C linicians

JOHN MLYNCZAK

•CREATING ON ANY DEVICE: ONLINE MUSIC TECH MADE EASY •NOTEFLIGHT LEARN FOR COMPOSITION, RECORDING, AND ASSESSMENTS •YES, YOU CAN ARRANGE THAT FOR YOUR ENSEMBLE!

John Mlynczak offers an extensive range of experiences in music education and the music industry, and is a frequent national clinician. Mr. Mlynczak is Managing Director of Noteflight, a Hal Leonard company, and Past-president of the Technology Institute of Music Educators. John also teaches Graduate courses at VanderCook College and Boston University Online, and a Google Level-2 Certified Educator. Mr. Mlynczak is a passionate advocate for music education and technology, serving on the NAMM State Advocacy Coalition, the NAfME Advocacy Leadership Force, and is Advocacy Chairman for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. Mr. Mlynczak holds degrees in music education, music performance, and educational leadership.

PATRICK MOORE

•HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING Patrick Moore is an active percussion performer, educator, arranger, adjudicator and clinician. He is a versatile percussionist with experience in many areas of percussion, from concert to marching to world and many others. Patrick earned a Master in Music from Texas Tech University, where he arranged and instructed for the percussion section of the Texas Tech Drumline and Steel Drum Band. He earned a Bachelor in Music from the University of Arkansas and is also pursuing his Ed.D from Abilene Christian University. Currently, Patrick is the Director of Bands at South Carolina State University. Patrick .

Moore has performed and presented clinics at numerous music education conferences in the United States, Guatemala, and China.

BARRY MORGAN

•KEEP ME OUT OF TROUBLE, A LEGAL PRIMER FOR MUSIC EDUCATORS Barry Morgan is serving his 7th term as Solicitor General of the Cobb State Court. Prior to becoming a prosecutor Barry served as a high school band director with the Cobb School District. For the past 27 years Barry has presented legal clinics for music educators. Barry serves on the Board of Directors of Music for All, and the National Advisory Board for United Sound

VALERIE MORGAN

•READY, SET, GROW! ESTABLISHING GREAT HABITS AND HIGH MOTIVATION FOR YOUR BEGINNING BAND STUDENTS •ELEMENTARY BAND DIRECTOR SHARING SESSION Valerie Womack Morgan returns to Woodward Academy after spending 8 years at Simmons Middle School in Hoover, Alabama. Previously, Mrs. Morgan served as Middle School Band Director at Woodward from 1999 to 2010. Mrs. Morgan has also held band director positions at Fayette Middle School and Babb Middle School. Her ensembles have consistently earned superior ratings in all evaluated festival events. Bands under Mrs. Morgan’s direction have received invitations to perform at many state, regional and national clinics and conventions and have won numerous sweepstakes and division awards at national and regional music festivals. In 1998, the Fayette Middle School Symphonic Band presented a concert in Carnegie Hall in New York. Mrs. Morgan received her Masters of Music Education degree from the VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois, and her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Troy University in Troy, Alabama. She is a member of the National Association for music Education, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the National Band Association, and Phi Beta Mu. Mrs. Morgan has been a recipient of the National Band Association, “Citation of Excellence” on numerous occasions. Mrs. Morgan presented a Rehearsal Lab Clinic Session at the 2014 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. Mrs.Morgan has served in many leadership capacities at both the district and state levels for GMEA. Mrs. Morgan is active as a clinician and adjudicator. She is married to Harrison, and they are the proud parents of two WA students, Lily and Harrison.

ELISE NABER ALLEN

•SISTERHOOD OF THE PODIUM: A STUDY OF SUCCESSFUL FEMALE BAND DIRECTORS Elise Naber Allen is band director at Jacksboro Middle School and assistant director at Jacksboro High School in Jacksboro, TX. She has previously served as a band director and general music teacher in the schools of Windthorst, TX, Jamestown, ND, and at Wichita Christian School. She holds a BM in music education and a performer’s certificate in flute from the University of South Carolina, and she is currently a candidate for the MM in Music Education from the University of North Texas. She has performed with the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony and the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the flute/saxophone ensemble The Allen Duo.

JASON NAM

•GOOD TO GREAT: PERSONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE REHEARSING AND CONDUCTING Jason H. Nam is an assistant professor of music (bands/wind conducting) at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he directs the IU Concert Band and teaches undergraduate courses in instrumental conducting and music education. Nam earned a Doctor of Music in Wind Conducting degree from the Jacobs School, where he studied with Stephen W. Pratt. He also earned an M.M. in Conducting and a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Redlands, where he studied with Eddie R. Smith. He has served as a faculty member, ensemble conductor, and assistant director of the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic. In addition, Nam currently serves as resident music director of the Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble. Nam keeps a very busy schedule as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician across the United States and North America. He has been published in the Journal of the National Band Association and the American Bandmasters Association’s Journal of Band Research. His research interests include the music of William Bolcom, the wind chamber music of Igor Stravinsky, the historical development of the wind band repertoire in the twentieth century, as well as effective rehearsal methodologies for conductors. Nam holds professional memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, Conductor's Guild, the National Association for Music Education, Indiana Bandmasters Association, Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society, and is a proud member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity of America. He currently lives in Bloomington, Indiana, with his wife, Melissa and son, Davis.

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2020 C linicians JAMES NEBEL

•WINNING RESULTS: DIRECTOR AND ADMINISTRATOR SOLUTIONS

Raised in DeKalb County and a proud product of Redan High School, Nebel stayed in-state upon his high school graduation and earned his bachelor's degree from Georgia State University in 1996. He began his career as a teacher at Creekland Middle School in Lawrenceville, GA. While at Creekland, he began his coaching career and at Collins Hill High School, where he was part of a staff that won 3 state championships. He later moved to Norcross High School, winning 3 more state championships. Over the years, his role changed as he began to work with struggling students in a variety of intervention programs. Most notably was the STARS (Success Through Academic Rigor and Support) program. In 2012-13, Nebel was recognized as Gwinnett County’s District Teacher of the Year. After 7 years at Norcross, Nebel made the decision to “come home,” moving back to Creekland and serving in the role of assistant principal. After 2 wonderful years at Creekland, Mr. Nebel was extended the opportunity of serving in the role of principal at Sweetwater Middle School, where he has now served for 3 ½ years. Mr. Nebel believes that the fine arts provide students with academic and non-academic benefits that help to develop the whole child. As students in fine arts gain increased levels of self-esteem, motivation, cultural exposure, creativity, and self-confidence, it is the belief of Sweetwater Middle School that these students will be more likely to fulfill their potential in all their classes and will increase dramatically their opportunities for academic success.

DAVID NECHES

•YES! YOU CAN TAKE YOUR ELEMENTARY CHORUS TO LGPE. HERE'S HOW!

David Neches recently retired after 29 years teaching elementary music in Augusta, GA. where he was teacher of the year multiple times and served as lead elementary music teacher for his county. Active as a performer, composer and conductor, David has guest conducted honor choral groups in Ga and SC. His own groups consistently received Superior grades at LGPE festivals. A multiple past presenter at GMEA, David has presented on such topics as creativity, classroom management, and building an elementary chorus. In 2009 David was named one of 50 Distinguished Music Educators

by Yale University in a national search. A composer of many compositions, David’s pieces range from children’s songs to advanced choral works. His choral music is published by Carl Fischer and is sung by choirs across the country.

MARCIA NEEL

•BUILDING YOUR INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PROGRAM: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO RECRUITMENT AND RETENSION

Marcia Neel served as a public school music educator for 36 years—14 of those as the Secondary Fine Arts Coordinator for the Clark County School District, the nation’s fifth largest, headquartered in Las Vegas, NV. She currently serves as president of Music Education Consultants, Inc., a consortium of music education professionals working with a variety of educational organizations, arts associations, and school districts to foster the growth and breadth of standards-based, music education programs. She also serves as Education Advisor to the Music Achievement Council, a 501(c)(6) organization whose purpose is to enable more students to begin and continue in instrumental music programs through effective professional development programs for educators. In 2016, Neel was named Senior Director of Education for the Band and Orchestral Division of Yamaha Corporation of America and more recently, Marcia was named a Yamaha Master Educator. In 2018, Marcia accepted a position on the Board of Directors of the Percussive Arts Society.

KIM NEIDLINGER

•10 GREAT IDEAS FOR FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

Kim Neidlinger attended junior high and high school in Jonesboro, Georgia and was active in elementary and junior high band (clarinet) and chorus (alto, piano accompanist). After graduating high school, Mrs. Neidlinger attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she earned the B.S. in Music Education (voice, piano) and the M. Mus. in Choral Conducting studying under Don Neuen. She attended Georgia Southern University, Statesboro and received the Education Specialist degree in Music Education (ABD). She has taught at all levels - elementary, middle, and high school teaching general music, chorus, beginning guitar, and piano lab in South Carolina and Georgia. She has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus under the direction of Robert Shaw, The Warwick Choral Festival with the London Symphony Festival Orchestra under the direction of Simon Halsey, and as a soloist with the Savannah Symphony Chorus. She has performed on double bass with the Oconee Regional Orchestra, and the Athens Symphony. She has performed with the Blue Ridge Orchestra, and currently is a member of the Western Carolina Civic Orchestra and in the acoustic duo Twelfth Fret with her husband Craig Neidlinger. She has received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Carolina Morning News and Savannah News Press in 1999 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who in August 2018. Mrs. Neidlinger currently resides in Sylva and teaches at Haywood Community College and Western Carolina University as an adjunct instructor in music and field supervisor in music education.

DR. TESS NIELSEN

•MUSIC INDUSTRY PREP: ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET

Tess Nielsen is Fine Arts Director at Frederica Academy. She is the former Performing Arts Director at Ranney School. In the New York Metro area, Dr. Nielsen frequently served as choral arts and music theater clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, and was the Continuo Arts Conducting Fellow in 2016.As an adjunct assistant professor, she was appointed at City University of New York and Rowan University. Dr. Nielsen’s music education research interests include technology mediation, teacher preparation, and the digital aesthetic. Her current research projects focus on ways in which adolescents informally engage with digital music in relationship to their classroom music learning. With a background in contemporary and classical music, Dr. Nielsen’s performance experience includes conducting, accompanying, recording and producing. She recorded on the Teldec International record label and sang with the Annapolis Opera and the Catholic University Opera. Dr. Nielsen was a founding member of Nuova Trice, a classical chamber ensemble that performed frequently in the Washington D.C. metro Area. In the New York Metro area, she performed in concert in the classical and jazz musical idioms. She holds a BME from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Certificate in Vocal Performance from The Conservatory of Music in Vienna, Austria, MM from the Catholic University of America, and a DMA from Boston University. Dr. Nielsen is an active member of CMS, ACDA, NaFME, and AGO, with Orff-Schulwerk certification and NJ and VA State Certified Teacher of Music With Advanced Standing.

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2020 C linicians JOHN PALMER

•KEEPING YOUR STANDARDS USING THE NEW GEORGIA FINE ARTS STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE FOR BAND John Palmer has been in the Walton High School cluster since 1999, directing the band at Dickerson Middle School for 17 years, and at Walton since 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Furman University, a Master of Music Education degree from Louisiana State University, and an Education Specialist degree from the University of Georgia. Prior to coming to Cobb County he taught for three years at South Effingham Middle and High Schools in Guyton, Georgia. Under Mr. Palmer’s direction, the Dickerson Band was invited to perform at the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Band Festival (2015), the Music for All National Concert Band Festival (2010, 2014), the GMEA Annual Convention (2006, 2016), and the UGA Middle School Band Festival (2002, 2009, and 2013). Mr. Palmer has served as an adjudicator for GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations, as a guest conductor for several GMEA Honor Bands and collegiate band clinics, and served on the committee to revise the Georgia Performance Standards in 2017. Mr. Palmer’s professional associations include Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, GMEA, NBA, Phi Kappa Lambda, the National Association for Music Education, Kappa Delta Phi, the Georgia Association of Educators, and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. He has received six Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association, and was elected to Phi Beta Mu in 2008. Outside of band, Mr. Palmer is a vocal advocate for public education and for teachers and state employees. He lives in Marietta with his wife, Elaine, and their two children, Rebecca and Jack.

CLAIRE PAPPAS

•EDTPA: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FROM THE OTHER SIDE Claire Pappas is in her first year of teaching as the Choral Director at Liberty Middle School in Forsyth County. Claire received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education at Kennesaw State University where she studied under Dr. Alison Mann and Dr. Leslie Blackwell. While at KSU, she held leadership positions in Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity, the American Choral Directors Association Student Chapter, and the School of Music Student Advisory Council. Honors during her collegiate career include, being selected as a student conductor for the Southern Division ACDA Conference in 2017, and being selected to present at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in 2019. Claire is a seven-time winner of the Georgia NATS Vocal Competition in the Classical and Musical Theatre Divisions, and a member of Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honors Society.

DR. FORREST PARKER

•TEACHING STUDENTS WITH ADHD, EBD, AND AUTISM: HOW TO MOTIVATE, ENGAGE, AND PROVIDE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Dr. Forrest Parker is an Educational Psychologist and a graduate of Auburn University. He currently works as the lead compliance coordinator for the Woodall GNETS in Columbus Georgia. He works with students who have severe emotional and behavioral disorders. He also works as an educational consultant where he assists schools, teachers, and individual students with problem behavior. Dr. Parker has trained teachers in rural Uganda where he taught as a visiting professor in Education at Great Lakes Reginal University. His research interest includes music as a behavior modification for students with disabilities.

CHRISTOPHER J. PEREZ

•GUITAR 101: THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF STARTING AND MAINTAINING A SUCCESSFUL GUITAR PROGRAM •DECODING THE FRET BOARD FOR GUITAR (1ST POSITION AND BEYOND) •CREATING AND MAINTAINING AN ALL-COUNTY AND ALL-STATE GUITAR FESTIVAL: NUTS AND BOLTS Christopher Perez is an active teacher, clinician, presenter, adjudicator, composer/arranger and musician. He is a graduate of Western Illinois University and is the Director of Guitar Studies at Freedom High School in Orlando, FL. Mr. Perez is a member of NAfME (National Association for Music Education) and serves on the Guitar Council as the Chair-Elect and Chair (2019-2022), FMEA (Florida Music Education Association) and serves on the FMEA Secondary General Music Committee. He was the OCPS (Orange County Public Schools) Guitar Chair (2009-2017) and twice was the All-County Guitar Clinician (High School 2012) & (Middle School 2018). His music is published with Drop6 Media, Inc. and has several arrangements on the FBA State Music List. He is a percussionist with both the Southern Winds Concert Band (DeLand, FL) and Walt Disney World’s “ENCORE! Cast Performing Arts”. Mr. Perez has presented sessions on guitar pedagogy at NAfME, FMEA and OCPS Music Conferences and his Guitar Ensembles continually perform in concert on local, state, national and international stages including the FMEA All-State Music Conference, FMEA State Guitar Festival, the Stetson University High School Guitar Festival, the Florida Guitar Festival at Florida State University and the Long Island Guitar Festival in New York.

CHANTAE D. PITTMAN

•TITLE ONE SO WHAT! DEVELOPING SUCCESSFUL CHORAL PROGRAMS FOR ALL Chantae D. Pittman is the Director of Choral Activities at Campbell High School in Smyrna, GA. Ms. Pittman is passionate about all forms of music. She is deeply committed to serving her community through music. She is a proud graduate of Tennessee State University receiving her Bachelor of Science in Music Education in 2010. Ms. Pittman has since earned a Master's Degree in Music Education at VanderCook College University (Chicago, IL, 2013). She is currently working toward her Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in Choral Music Education. Ms. Pittman has taught students at all levels of public school education. Ms. Pittman has been an active member of GMEA her entire career, serving the students of Georgia and assisting her colleagues in many capacities. She has served the Georgia Music Education Association as an All-State Choir Organizer, District Honor Chorus Organizer, and District IV Treasurer. In Newton County, she re-established the Newton County High School Honor Chorus. Ms. Pittman is also experienced in grant writing, and fundraising. She is currently a “Donors Choose Ambassador” helping other teachers earn money for their classrooms. Ms. Pittman has accumulated vast experience working with choirs across the state of Georgia. She is highly sought after choral clinician, and music education consultant, instructor, and adjudicator. She is very active as a soprano soloist and choral musician as a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus since 2011. She is a member of GMEA, NAfME, NEA, PAGE, Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

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2020 C linicians HARRY E PRICE

•UNDERSTANDING OUR RESEARCH

Prior to coming to KSU as former Chair of the School of Music, he was Head of Music Education at the University of Oregon and is the most recent recipient of the Senior Researcher in Music Education by the National Association for Music Educators Society for Research in Music Education. Dr. Price also was awarded the Ella Scoble Opperman Faculty Citation for Distinguished Achievement in the Teaching of Music and Outstanding Leadership from Florida State University and Faculty Excellence in Scholarship and Teaching Award from the University of Oregon. Currently is on the Board of the International Journal of Music Education and research journal of the Jazz Educators Network. previously served as a member of the editorial boards of the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Research Studies in Music Education, Journal of Research in Music Education, and previously served as Associate Editor of Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. He has served on the faculties of the University of South Carolina as Assistant Band Director, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he directed the 320-member Marching Virginians and was a member of the Music Education faculty, a Professor and Head of Music Education at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He has published widely more than 80 research papers in journals, such as the Journal of Research in Music Education, Psychology of Music, Research Studies in Music Education, and International Journal of Music Education. He has been a speaker at national and international levels, including in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and USA.

ANDREW RATCLIFFE

•THE BUSINESS AND CRAFT OF ALL THINGS SOUND

As a drummer, teacher, and founder of Tweed Recording, Andrew has engineered and produced hundreds of recordings over his 23 year career in Mississippi, including Jars of Clay, Jimbo Mathus, Will Hoge, Pokey LaFarge, American Aquarium and Cedric Burnside, among others. Andrew is passionate about teaching the next generation of audio professionals how to expertly capture sound and imbue his students with the values and professionalism necessary to the calling of music production.

JILL REESE

•UKE AND STRUM (YOU CAN STRUM)! (ALL LEVELS) •UKE AND (YOU CAN) JAM WITH THE BAND! (ALL ABILITY LEVELS)

Jill Reese is Associate Professor of Music Education at The State University of New York at Fredonia. She teaches courses including early childhood music pedagogy, elementary and secondary general music methods, and research methods. She presents and publishes research on topics including ukulele, technology, early childhood music development, improvisation, and professional development of preservice and practicing teachers. She is the founder of Fredonia Ukulele and a YouTube channel that provides play-along videos for ukulele (https://www.youtube.com/user/DrJillReese). She presents various ukulele workshops nationally for teachers, schools, and community groups. She was awarded the 2017 Fredonia College Council Award for Community Engagement for facilitating community ukulele and early childhood music experiences through community-university partnerships.

She completed professional development levels in Orff-Schulwerk and Music Learning Theory and earned degrees in Music Education from Temple University (Ph.D.), University of Michigan (M.M), and Michigan State University (B.M.) and taught vocal/general music in the public schools of Michigan, and early childhood music in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Her book “Navigating Music Learning Theory: A Guide for General Music Teachers” is available through GIA Publications.

DR. JARED REGISTER

•FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO MALE PARTICIPATION IN CHOIR

Dr. Jared Register serves on the music faculty at Savannah Arts Academy, where he conducts three choirs and teaches courses in voice and aural skills.

Prior to Savannah, he taught public school and directed community music ensembles, where his students earned superior performance ratings and juried invitations to honor choirs hosted by GMEA and ACDA. Concurrent with his teaching duties at SAA, Dr. Register also leads the music ministry at Trinity United Methodist Church - Savannah, following a decade of similar positions throughout the state. Register holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Georgia, where he studied choral music education, conducting, and sang with Collegium Musicum and The UGA Hodgson Singers. His research focused on the factors contributing to participation in chorus, where he studied male student attitudes towards singing and motivations/reservations about singing in choir. While a student at UGA, Register received several teaching awards including the Simmons Choral Fellowship in Choral Education, E. Pierce Arant, Jr. Scholarship in Choral Music, Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant award, and the Hugh Hodgson School Director's Excellence Award.

Register also holds the Master of Music degree in Conducting from Georgia Southern University, where he served as a choral assistant, opera chorus master, and accompanist. He is an active member of Georgia Music Educators Association and American Choral Directors Association.

JOHN RENFROE

•WINNING RESULTS: DIRECTOR AND ADMINISTRATOR SOLUTIONS

Mr. John G. Renfroe is the Director of Bands at Sweetwater Middle School in Lawrenceville, GA, and was named Teacher of the Year in 2018. An honors graduate of Lovejoy High School in Lovejoy, Georgia, Mr. Renfroe received his B.A. in Music Education from the University of Georgia and his M.A. in Music Education from Reinhardt University in Waleska, GA. His professional teaching career began in Stockbridge, GA at Austin Road Middle School. Mr. Renfroe has served as Guest Conductor and Clinician in Secondary Schools throughout the State. His bands have most recently performed at the 2017 Holiday Celebration at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion. As a performer, Mr. Renfroe has performed with the Georgia Wind Symphony, Tara Winds, the principal saxophonist with the University of Georgia Wind Symphony, University of Georgia Men’s Glee Club, the University of Georgia African-American Choral Ensemble, the University of Georgia Redcoat Marching Band, and the University of Georgia Wind Ensemble. His awards and accolades include: Lovejoy Middle School Band Most Improved Award in 1997 and Most Outstanding Award in 1998, Teacher of the Year in 2018, Teacher of the Year Runner-up in 2010, 2014, & 2015, the Principal’s Award, Sweetwater Middle School in 2013 & 2014. His professional affiliations include the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA), National Band Association (NBA), Music Educators National Convention (MENC), The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE).

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“Allow things in your life which make your heart sing, feed your soul or nourish you on a daily basis.�

-Andrew Pacholyk

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COME OUT AND

SUPPORT GEORGIA'S YOUNG COMPOSERS

COMPOSITION COMPETITION RECITAL

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

FRIDAY | JAN 24, 2020 THE CLASSIC CENTER OCONEE RIVER ROOM 7:30PM

FRIDAY | JAN 24, 2020 TWEED RECORDING STUDIO AND ACADEMY 7:00PM

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2020 C linicians

CAROLINE RENNER •LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED

Caroline Renner is the Choral Director at Twin Rivers Middle School in Gwinnett County. This is her 3rd year of teaching. Previously, she attended the University of South Carolina where she received her Bachelor's degree in Choral Music Education under the direction of Dr. Alicia Walker. There, she was in various ensembles and was the Music Director for an a cappella group, "The Cocktails" who won the 2016 ICCA Quarterfinals and went on to the White House to perform for President and First Lady Barack Obama. In her free time, she is in 2 cover bands, one rock and one country, and she is a lead vocalist at Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church. She is also a mother of an orange tabby cat named Owen.

ROSIE RIQUELME

•GOOGLE APPS AND THE PERFORMING ENSEMBLE Rosie Riquelme, Director of Orchestras at Collins Hill High School, received her Bachelors of Music Education degree from Georgia College and State University where she was a student of Dr. Daniel Kaplunas. Rosie received her Masters of Music Education from the University of West Georgia through their online program and is continuing her own violin studies with Curtis Institute Alumni, Mrs. Valerie Gardner in Winder, GA. In 2019, Rosie became a Level 1 and Level 2 Google Certified Educator. Rosie regularly serves as a guest clinician for various honor orchestras and schools around Gwinnett County, and has served as one of the counselors for the Encore! Summer Music Camp. This 2018-2019 school year is Rosie’s eighth year teaching orchestra and eighth year at Collins Hill High School. While teaching at Collins Hill, all orchestras have consistently received straight superior ratings at the annual large group performance evaluations. As a violinist, she has performed with various groups including the Omaggio String Quartet, GCSU String Ensemble,

RICK RODRIGUEZ

•WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER. A REALISTIC APPROACH TO TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND Rick Rodriguez is a music educator and freelance trombonist in Atlanta, Georgia. He holds a Masters Degree in Jazz Studies from Georgia State University (2009) and also attended the University of Texas at Austin where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education (1992). Rick is currently the Director of Bands at Summerour Middle School in Norcross, GA. Since arriving at Summerour in 2013, Mr. Rodriguez has doubled the size of the band program to include over 270 students and four bands. The Summerour Symphonic Band has consistently earned Superior ratings at the Georgia Music Educators Association, Large Group Performance Evaluation. Mr. Rodriguez is also on the teaching staff of the Rialto Jazz for Kids program which is based at Georgia State University. In addition, he organizes and leads the GMEA District XIII Jazz Honor Band event. Previously, Rick served as Director of Bands at Morningside & Springdale Park Elementary schools and at Inman Middle School in the Atlanta Public Schools. He also served as a band director in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Rick maintains an active performance schedule. He frequently performs with various ensembles, including the Joe Gransden Big Band, Orquesta MaCuba, Atlanta Latin Jazz Orchestra and several variety bands in the metro area. Rick has performed with Larry Harlow, Tony Vega, Paquito Guzman, Luisito Rosario, 10,000 Maniacs, Kate Earl, Joel Osteen, Patrick Davis, and Francine Reed. Rick resides in Peachtree Corners, GA with his wife Kelly. They have two children, Nick (23), Izzy (17) and a dog named Grits.

DAVID ROTH

•TAKING THE NEXT STEP: GETTING FROM WHERE YOU ARE TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE David Roth joined the faculty at Kell High School as the Assistant Director of Bands in 2008 and was named Director of Bands in 2011. Under his direction, the Kell Wind Ensemble has performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the Music For All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival, the GMEA In-Service Conference, and the UGA January Music Festival. In 2010, the Kell Wind Symphony performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, and the marching band won two BOA Regional Championships. Prior to Kell, Mr. Roth was the Assistant Director of Bands at Kennesaw Mountain High School where he conducted the Wind Symphony at the 2006 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and was a part of the band’s multiple BOA regional championships. A native of Marietta, Georgia, Mr. Roth graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Music Composition and earned his Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois. He was a member of the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps from 2000-2003, serving as the corps’ drum major from 2001-2003. While a member of Carolina Crown, he helped found the Carolina Crown Student Leadership Task Force, an initiative aimed at enhancing the level of student leadership within the corps that is still in effect today. Mr. Roth is currently an active clinician, guest lecturer, adjudicator, and music arranger across the Southeast and a member of Phi Beta Mu. Mr. Roth lives in Kennesaw, GA with his husband Jeff and five-year old son Jacob.

DAVID ROW

•DIVIDE AND CONQUER: LEARNING CENTERS IN ELEMENTARY MUSIC •OPEN DOORS, OPEN MINDS MUSIC ADVOCACY EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR David Row loves teaching music to kids. A Nebraska native and Midwesterner at heart, Davidnow lives and teaches in the Cherokee County School District outside of Atlanta, GA. He holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory, completed three levels and a master course in Orff Schulwerk training, and has extensive experience with critical thinking in the arts. David is an active clinician and has presented workshops at state and local conventions across the country. He loves sharing and networking with other educators and tries to actively engage the larger music education community through his podcast, social media, and with “Musical Monday” LIVE videos on Facebook where he shares his lessons for the week along with favorite resources, tips, and tricks. On his blog, MakeMomentsMatter.org, David shares ideas about classroom content, management, lesson plans, critical thinking, and much more!

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JEFFREY ROWSER

•BRINGING FIELD EXPERIENCE CLOSER TO HOME: USING TECHNOLOGY TO OBSERVE MASTER TEACHERS

Jeffrey Rowser, a 38-year veteran teacher, recently chosen 2017 “STAR TEACHER” , 2014-15 Morgan County Schools “Teacher of the Year” and 2013-14 “Georgia Music Educator of the Year” is a native of Attalla, Alabama. Mr. Rowser later graduated from Auburn University (AU) with his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music Education. He studied with Lawrence Morgan, Dr. Johnnie Vinson and Bob Richardson. While at Auburn, he was drum major of the Auburn University Marching Band for three years. His appointment by Dr. Bill Walls made Jeffrey the first African American Drum Major at Auburn University and possibly in the Southeastern Conference. His bands have received special invitations to perform in London, Toronto, Hawaii, Orlando, Hollywood (CA), Kansas City, Tampa, New York and Hollywood. He is a frequent clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor of National, Regional and State Band events. He has served on the Georgia Music Educators Board of Directors and organized several district events. Rowser endorsed the Georgia Vision Project for Public Education and has served as spoke person promoting the support for Public Education in Georgia’s Public Schools. He is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association, National Association of Jazz Educators, National Association of Music Educators, Phi Beta Mu Bandmaster Honorary and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is married to the former Vernelle Jones, an Auburn Alum, and they have three daughters, Kayla Danielle, a professional ballerina with Nashville Ballet; Hilary Dionne, Kennesaw State graduate and employed at Osh Kosh Corporate, and Carmen Elise, is a student at Valdosta State University.

JOHANNA ROYO

•ENGAGING THE NEW GENERATION OF MUSIC STUDENTS

Johanna Royo received her BM and MM in Vocal Performance from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM and PhD in Music Education with a minor in Musicology from the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. Secondary teaching experiences included private and choral instruction at Allegro School of Music, the Arizona School for the Blind, and directing the University of Arizona High School Outreach Choir in Tucson, Arizona. Through the AmeriCorps Artist in Residence program, she taught voice and music history classes, after-school programs, and summer programs at Alma d’Arte Charter High School in Las Cruces, NM. She also has extensive performance experience and has served as an adjudicator at competitions in New Mexico.

MARKEISE RUSSELL

•SPIRITUALS, GOSPEL AND MORE! TEACHING MUSIC OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

Markeise Russell received a B.A. in Music Education from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and a M.A. in Educational Leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Mr. Russell currently serves as the Band Director and Lead Music Educator at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago, IL. Before taking the helm of the music department at Senn High School, Mr. Russell worked as the Founding Director of Choral Music and Band Director Intern and for the Noble Network of Charter Schools. Mr. Russell was recently named a quarter-finalist for the 2018 Grammy Music Educator of the year Award. His Band Program recently received the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and Stubhub Instrument Grant valued at $59,000. Outside of teaching at Senn High School, Mr. Russell is an active performer, clinician, and festival adjudicator. Mr. Russell is currently working on an album that is set to be released in the summer of 2020.

JOE SALTER •WINNING LGPE

In his twentieth year as a music educator, Joseph Salter is the chorus director at Dean Rusk Middle School in Cherokee County. Mr. Salter has taught music and chorus at all grade levels and has held teaching positions in both Georgia and Oklahoma. Mr. Salter is an honors graduate of Oklahoma City University and earned a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Southern Nazarene University. He has had the honor of conducting many elementary and middle school honor choruses over the years and was selected as Teacher of the Year at James L. Dennis Elementary School in 2004. Joe is a member of ACDA, NAfME, and GMEA, where he serves on the All State Chorus standing committee. Joe and his wife, Becky, live in Waleska, GA.

DR. SHELLEY SANDERSON

•EDTPA LIKE A BOSS: SIMPLE STEPS AND ADVICE ON MAKING THE BEST PORTFOLIO

Dr. Shelley M. Sanderson, a native of Warner Robins, GA, joined the Young Harris College music faculty in the fall of 2015 as the Coordinator of Music Education. Dr. Sanderson teaches all Music Education courses and has an Applied Voice studio. Dr. Sanderson received her PhD from the University of Florida (2015) and is a graduate of Georgia College and State University (MME) and Georgia College and State University (BME). She has had previous K-12 teaching/conducting experiences in Middle Georgia school systems. She taught general music, chorus, piano, music appreciation, and musical theater, and has musically directed and conducted multiple musicals. She had the opportunity in 2009 to perform with her Houston County High School choir in Carnegie Hall, New York City under the direction of guest conductor John Rutter. Dr. Sanderson has run a private voice and piano studio since 2006, has been published in the Florida Music Director and The 5th, 6th, and 7th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education, and is an active choral clinician and conference presenter. Dr. Sanderson was awarded the David Wilmot Prize for Excellence in Music Education (2014), while at the University of Florida and was the vocal winner for Georgia College and State University Aria/Concerto Competition (2010). Her major research interests include musical theater on the high school level, ethics in music education, music and the exceptional child, and music education assessment.

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2020 C linicians PAUL D SCOTT

•ROCKET SCIENCE, QUANTUM PHYSICS AND BEGINNING STRINGS Paul Scott has over 35 years teaching strings in both public and private schools. He worked from 1984-88 in Cumberland County under Susan Ellington, after which he spent 10 years as the orchestra coordinator for District Five Schools in Columbia, SC. - a fledgling program at the time. Paul's tenure included the development of a district orchestra, formation of a district parent support group, and expansion of the program into the 5th grade. In 1999, Paul accepted the position of director of music at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee school, serving for 17 years. His students have placed in Georgia All State Ensembles in band, orchestra and most recently the GMEA Jazz Band (2016). His ensembles have provided music in Asheville, Atlanta, Athens, Highlands, and covered everything from jazz, pit orchestras, religious ceremonies, weddings, receptions in both large and small ensembles. Most recently, Paul has returned to Cumberland County Schools, where most of his teaching is with beginners and second year students - an age level he is passionate about.

Paul is a published composer (Kjos Music), and has been commissioned for original orchestra works three times by Wofford College. He was the 1983 winner of the NPM composition contest, and was commissioned by the NC Eastern Regional Orchestra to compose "Air For Strings" - premiered by the same in 1991. Paul resides in northeast Georgia with his family and three dogs.

DR. CATHERYN SHAW FOSTER

•BRINGING FIELD EXPERIENCE CLOSER TO HOME: USING TECHNOLOGY TO OBSERVE MASTER TEACHERS Dr. Catheryn Shaw Foster currently serves as Assistant Professor of Practice of Music Education at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Her responsibilities include working with graduate students in the Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction program. Foster received her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, her Master of Music Education (MMEd) from Valdosta State University, and her Bachelor of Music Education (BMEd) from Columbus State University. Prior to her appointment at Virginia Tech, she served on the faculty at Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, North Carolina as the Program Coordinator for Music Education and Lecturer in Music Education. Dr. Foster also served as the Associate Director of Bands at High Point University (NC). Prior to obtaining her doctorate, she taught public school in Georgia, serving as the Director of Bands at Lowndes Middle School in Valdosta and the Assistant Director of Bands at Perry High School in Perry. During this time, Foster was an active member of Districts VIII and XI, serving as the District Chair, as well as the Honor Band Coordinator for District VIII. Foster serves as a clinician, adjudicator, professional development facilitator, and guest lecturer throughout the southeast. She has presented her research at state, regional, and national conferences. Her current research includes the HBCU faculty experience, Growth Mindset in music instruction, and assessing musician participants for groupings in neuroimaging studies. Her professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education and the Virginia Music Educators Association. Dr. Foster lives in Thomasville, North Carolina with her husband, Dr. Marc Ashley Foster, Chair of the Department of Music and Director of Choral Activities at High Point University, and two bonus sons, Michael, who is a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Pearson, who is a Junior at Ledford High School.

KIRA SINK

•THE DOG CAN'T EAT THEIR HOMEWORK IF IT'S DIGITAL: CREATING AND GRADING PAPERLESS ASSIGNMENTS Kira Sink is the band director at Evans Middle School in Newnan, Georgia. Mrs. Sink has taught at Evans since 2017, returning home to Newnan after teaching at Villa Rica Middle School and Kennedy Road Middle School. Under Mrs. Sink’s direction, the band at Kennedy Road returned to Large Group Performance Evaluation for the first time in 15 years, and the band at Evans most recently earned an overall superior rating at GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation. Mrs. Sink graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education in 2008. As a performer, she was originally a flute player who became a baritone player with Spirit from JSU drum corps (2006 and 2007) and Atlanta CV (2008-2012) , and “retired” from drum corps as the drum major for Atlanta CV. Mrs. Sink also served on the Board of Directors for Atlanta CV for four years. Professionally, Mrs. Sink is a member of Georgia Music Educators Association and Tau Beta Sigma. She lives in Newnan with her husband Chris and their two boys, Emery and Everett.

RACHAEL A. SMITH

•COMPOSITION IN THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL ENSEMBLE CLASS •BUY MS. SMITH A PIZZA: SUZUKI BASED STRATEGIES FOR BEGINNING VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA •ELEMENTARY ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR SHARING SESSION

Rachael Smith currently teaches 4-12 orchestra at The Academy for Classical Education in Macon, Georgia. Prior to teaching at ACE, Ms. Smith spent 10 years in the Bibb County Public School District teaching middle and high school orchestra. The majority of her teaching career has been spent teaching middle school students. Her ensembles regularly receive superior ratings at LGPE. Ms. Smith graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in music education. In 2015, Ms. Smith received her master's degree from Georgia College. Ms. Smith has received training for Suzuki Violin and has also attended many workshops and conferences throughout her teaching career. In 2018, she r of a grant from received a grant from the Foundation for Online and Blended Learning to incorporate composition through project-based learning using online music notation software. She enjoys mentoring young teachers and sharing ideas with colleagues throughout the state.

RYAN M. SMITH

•IMPROVING PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE: STRATEGIES FROM A COLLEGIATE PERSPECTIVE

Ryan M. Smith is currently Assistant Professor of Percussion at Valdosta State University. Prior to his appointment at VSU, he served on faculty at Georgia College and State University, Toccoa Falls College, and the Georgia Governor's Honors Program. His primary teachers have included Dr. Thomas McCutchen and marimba artist She-e Wu, and he has performed in masterclasses with Leigh Howard Stevens, Michael Burritt, She-e Wu, Frederic Macarez, James Ross, percussion group NEXUS, and Alan Abel. Dr. Smith is the Principal Timpanist with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Principal Percussionist for the Albany (GA) Symphony Orchestra, Acting Principal Percussion for the former Macon Symphony Orchestra, and timpanist with Gwinnett Ballet Theatre. An advocate of new music, he has commissioned and premiered works for solo percussion and percussion ensemble from composers such as Gene Fambrough (UAB), Doug O'Grady, Nathan Tingler, Dave Deason, and Timothy K. Adams, Jr. He is an active member of the Percussive Arts Society, the National Association of Collegiate Wind and Percussion Instructors, and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. Dr. Smith holds degrees in Percussion Performance from the University of Georgia and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He is sponsored by Innovative Percussion and Dream Cymbals and Gongs.

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2020 C linicians JOHN SNYDER

•THE BUSINESS AND CRAFT OF ALL THINGS SOUND

As a lawyer, music producer, musician, and teacher, John cares deeply about the legal and business consequences of recording and producing music, as well as the methods available to the musician and producer to extend their music’s reach. The alignment of creative education and the development of the creative workforce with the creative economy defines his work, his teaching, and his efforts on behalf of his community. His knowledge of music business history and the development of popular music was acquired from his work for many of its founders, including Creed Taylor at CTI Records and Herb Alpert at A&M Records. Throughout his career, John has managed, recorded,and produced artists in multiple genres, including jazz, blues, pop, gospel, and R&B. Recordings he has produced have received 32 Grammy nominations and 5 Grammys over his 35 year career. As a faculty member of the College of Music and Fine Arts at Loyola University New Orleans, John also served as the Chair of the Music Industry Studies Department. He has worked with governors in Louisiana and New Mexico to help further the arts and education in their states. John is currently the President of Tweed Recording in Athens, GA and the President of the Artists House Foundation, which was funded by Herb Alpert to help musicians and music entrepreneurs create sustainable careers.

BRANDON SOLOFF

•I GOT THE DIPLOMA... NOW WHAT?!

Brandon Soloff has been Co-Director of Bands at Taylor Road Middle School in Johns Creek, Georgia since 2017. He co-leads the Taylor Road Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Little “Big” Band. Mr. Soloff maintains a busy teaching and performing schedule in his private studio, and serves on staff with the Chattahoochee High School Marching Band. At age ten, Soloff began his study of trumpet and has since studied with Thomas Hooten (Principal Trumpet of the LA Philharmonic), Robert Murray, and the late Lew Soloff. Mr. Soloff graduated Magna Cum Laude from Columbus State University's Schwob School of Music in Columbus, GA with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. Mr. Soloff has performed at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, TN in 2015 with the Schwob Wind Ensemble. In addition to the Schwob Wind Ensemble, he also participated in the Schwob Philharmonic, Schwob Jazz Orchestra, Columbus State University Trumpet Ensemble (National Trumpet Competition Ensemble Semi-Finalists 2014-2016). Mr. Soloff’s professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Educators, Georgia Music Educators Association, and the International Trumpet Guild. He is a member of the Cobb Wind Symphony. Soloff resides in Norcross, Georgia with his lovely wife Bethany. In his spare time, Mr. Soloff enjoys cheering on his favorite sports teams.

WES STONER

•FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

Wes Stoner is a third-year doctoral student in choral conducting at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. At Frost, Wes is a Doctoral Teaching Assistant for the Experiential Music Curriculum and the Symphonic Choir. He has studied under Dr. Karen Kennedy and Dr. Amanda Quist. A Georgia native, he spent 15 years teaching high school choral music in the Clayton and Cobb County School Districts. He served as the GMEA Choral Division Chair in 2015-2017. Wes sang for ten seasons with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and sings with Coro Vocati, a professional choir based in Atlanta.

HALEY STRASSBURGER

•STUDYING THE PRESIDENTIAL SOUNDSCAPE: TRAX ON THE TRAIL IN THE CLASSROOM

Haley Strassburger is a junior at Georgia College, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music Education with a concentration in Instrumental Music. She is primarily a percussionist, and she is also a skilled clarinetist and pianist. Haley is a member of Georgia College’s honors program, Eta Sigma Alpha, and the professional Music Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Iota (serving as Treasurer and Secretary) and currently holds the position of President in her university’s chapter of CNAfME. She recently completed a summer internship at Interlochen Center for the Arts’ Summer Arts Camp as an Ensemble Librarian. A native of Atlanta, Haley looks forward to attending graduate school and pursuing a career as an orchestral conductor.

DR. ANDREA STRAUSS

•CREATIVE STRATEGIES FOR FUELING CREATIVITY THROUGH INTRINSIC MOTIVATION AND INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES •BAND NEW MUSIC READING SESSION

Andrea Derenzis Strauss is the Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tara Winds Community Band and has taught elementary through college at both public and private schools in Georgia. She is the first woman college band director in Georgia and is the former Director of Bands at Georgia Tech and former Associate Professor of Music at Shorter University. Her university ensembles have performed in Australia, China, and Ireland, as well as at conferences for the Southern Division CBDNA/NBA and GMEA. From 1992-1996, Dr. Strauss served as Associate Director of the Atlanta Olympic Band and Director. She has conducted in Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Japan, adjudicated in Canada and Ireland, and presented clinics on various aspects of music education and conducting for the NAfME Divisional and National Conferences, TBA Convention, NDSU Summer Symposium, GMEA In-Service Conferences, and numerous universities. Dr. Strauss has performed 16 times at the GMEA In-Service Conference. She is a charter member of Tara Winds (31 years) and prior to her current appointment, she served as principal clarinetist and Associate Conductor with performances at the 48th and 55th Annual Midwest Clinics. While performing with Tara Winds, she also served as the Assistant Conductor with the Cobb Wind Symphony and performed at the 57th Annual Midwest Clinic. Under her leadership as Conductor, Tara Winds has performed for the 69th Annual Midwest Clinic, the Southern Division CBDNA/NBA Convention, the GMEA In-Service Convention, and various university band clinics and district honor bands.

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DR. JASON SULLIMAN

•IT'S ABOUT TIME: A 21ST-CENTURY COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE ON THE PEDAGOGY OF TIMING •PLAYING THE LONG GAME: PLANNING BEYOND BEGINNING BAND WITH YOUR BEGINNING BRASS STUDENTS Dr. Jason Sulliman is the Assistant Professor of Trombone at Troy University (AL) and the trombone tutor for the North American Brass Band Summer School as part of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Previous teaching positions include the University of North Alabama and Vincennes University. Jason earned his Doctorate in Brass Pedagogy from Indiana University where he is also finishing his Master’s in KinesiologyMotor Learning/Motor Control. Jason has also earned Masters’ Degrees in Conducting and Trombone Performance from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor’s Degree in Trombone Performance from the University of Massachusetts. Jason was the music manager and conductor for the Broadway show, “Blast!”, and performed multiple roles over several national and international tours including tenor trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, and tuba. Jason has performed with several orchestras all over the United States including the Alabama Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, and currently holds the bass trombone position with the Meridian Symphony in Meridian, MS. With a passion for motor learning and performing arts wellness, Jason has given hundreds of clinics and presentations at various conferences and universities, maintains an active Youtube channel, and promotes 21st-century practice techniques through his website, www.jasonsulliman.com. Jason Sulliman is proud to play on M & W Custom Trombones.

JOHN E. SWEAT

•LETTING GO. EMPOWERING YOUR STUDENTS TO BECOME LEADERS. John Sweat is originally from Macon and graduated from Central High School in 1987. He holds degrees in Violin Performance from the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. He has been a member of several symphony orchestras in Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama, including a 20-year tenure with the Macon Symphony. Currently in his 21st year of teaching in the Bibb County Public Schools, John is the director of orchestras and the guitar ensemble at Howard High School. He is no stranger to the music scene in Macon, having served as adjunct faculty for Wesleyan College and Mercer University. In 2013, John received the first annual Robert McDuffie Center for Strings Award from the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. Under his direction, the Howard High School Orchestra program has earned consistent superior ratings from the GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation. The orchestras have performed for several local organizations for senior citizens, children’s hospitals and shelters. They have also performed at the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta, The Walt Disney World Resort, the Universal Orlando Resort, Charleston, SC and St. Augustine, FL. John serves as the Chair of the Orchestra Division of District XI. He enjoys serving as an adjudicator for other districts throughout the state. John is the Fine Arts Department Chair at Howard High School and was selected as their Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 academic year.

BONITA THOMIE

•MAPS: MUSIC APPLICATION & PRACTICE STATIONS Bonita Thomie received her degrees from Macon, Jr. College, Georgia College, and Georgia State University. She has been teaching Music 41 years combined in the Bibb and Houston County School Systems and served as an adjunct professor at Wesleyan College. She was GMEA District Eleven Elementary chair for eight years, was teacher of the year at two schools, and GMEA State Elementary chair for two years. She is a past director for the Houston County Honor Choir which under her leadership performed at the GMEA Teacher In-Service Conference. She is the Minister of Music at New Fellowship Baptist Church in Macon, GA, presently the MIOSM Chair for GMEA, and presently teaches music at Parkwood Elementary in Warner Robins, GA where she teaches general music, chorus, strings, and percussion band. Ms. Thomie has discovered allowing students to work at their own pace with through Music Application & Practice Stations is a great motivation for them. The students love it.

AMEDEO TRITTO

•ROUTINIZATION IN THE CLASSROOM: WORKING WITH UNAVOIDABLE CERTAINTIES Currently in his 18th year of teaching, Amedeo has taught music in both public and private schools in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Georgia. He currently teaches middle school in the Jones County public schools. Amedeo has presented and lectured at various music education conferences on both the state and national levels. Topics of his presentations have included movement disorders in musicians and routinization in the classroom. He is also a contributing author for Planning Instruction in Music, available through GIA Publications. An avid opera lover, he has appeared in various operatic roles and has toured the United States, as well as France, South Korea, and China. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance and a Master of Music degree in Music Education both from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Education degree in Music Education at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. An ordained Baptist minister, he has also served as Associate Pastor: Music since August 2006 at Haddock Baptist Church. His wife Monica is an elementary music educator and they are proud parents to 15-year old triplets, Sophia, Samuel, and William.

ROLAND VENTURA

•WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER. A REALISTIC APPROACH TO TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND Roland Ventura is currently in his 22nd year of education and the Director of Bands at Pinckneyville Middle School in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. Since his appointment in 2007, the Pinckneyville Band program has grown to include over 340 students. Students in the PMS Band program participate in several GMEA band events such as District Honor Band, All-State Band, Solo & Ensemble, and Large Group Performance Evaluation. In 2018, the Pinckneyville Band Program was awarded the prestigious Exemplary Performance Award from the GMEA Board of Directors. In addition to his duties as band director, Mr. Ventura serves as Department Chair for the Pinckneyville Connections Department and has been a Gwinnett County Lead Teacher for Middle School Bands since 2014. He has also served as the Middle School Band Chair for District XIII and is the past the Multi-Cultural Chair for the Georgia Music Educators Association. In 2013, Mr. Ventura had the honor of being selected as the Teacher of the Year for Pinckneyville Middle School. Mr. Ventura has had the pleasure of teaching students ranging from middle school through college. He is a member of the National Band Associaiton (NBA), the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA), Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity and Phi Beta Mu, International Bandmaster’s Fraternity.

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REBECCA WADE-CHUNG

•SO YOURE TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL GENERAL MUSIC, NOW WHAT!

Rebecca Wade-Chung is currently serving on the faculty of the Atlanta International School as a collaborative MYP Music Teacher and the Director of Secondary Orchestras. Prior to Atlanta, Rebecca spent six years in Shanghai, China where she last served as the Curriculum Coordinator for Music at the Shanghai United International School. She has taught general and ensemble based music on all grade levels and has been teaching in collaborative environments for over ten years. Rebecca holds a BM in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an MM in Music Performance from Appalachian State University.

KODY WALLACE

•EXPRESSIVITY: WHAT IS IT, AND HOW DO WE TEACH IT?

Kody Wallace is a PhD student in Music Education and Choral Conducting at Florida State University, where he serves as a graduate assistant for the Choral Department. He also serves as Choir Director at First United Methodist Church in Monticello, Florida. Prior to graduate study, Mr. Wallace taught in Pinellas County Schools. Choirs under his direction consistently received exemplary ratings, were invited to performances throughout the Southeast, and collaborated with artists including the Florida Orchestra and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Mr. Wallace's research interests include Renaissance literature for Holy Week, achievement motivation in the choral classroom, , expressivity, and the psychology of gesture. He received his Masters in Music Education from Florida State University, and holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from the University of Florida.

MIKE WALSH

•KEEPING YOUR STANDARDS USING THE NEW GEORGIA FINE ARTS STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE FOR BAND

Michael J. Walsh is in his 35th year of teaching high school bands and his 15th year as Director of Bands at Alpharetta High School in Atlanta, GA. Previously, Mr. Walsh was the Director of Bands at North Springs HS in Sandy Springs, and before that, Director of Bands at his alma mater Amos P. Godby High School in Tallahassee, FL. He is currently piloting the first Music Technology and Audio Production program at Alpharetta HS with an emphasis on Pro Tools. Bands under the direction of Mr. Walsh have performed at the GMEA State Convention, The UGA Jan-Fest, The University of Alabama's Band Clinic, Georgia State University's Honor Band of Distinction clinic, Music for All Regional Concert Band Festival, and three times on stage at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Mr. Walsh has served with GMEA as both District 5 Band Council Chair and as a member of the All-State Bands revision committee. Mr. Walsh has presented and conducted several times at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. He has been awarded the National Bandmasters Association's "Citation of Excellence" on 6 separate occasions. Mr. Walsh was inducted into Alpharetta High School Foundation's "Hall of Fame" in 2012.

Mr. Walsh earned his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from The Florida State University and his Masters of Music Education Degree from The University of Georgia. He and his wife Laurie have resided in Alpharetta for 21 years. His children Andrew and Megan are still in the Atlanta area.

MICAH WEBER

•WALKING THE WALK: PUTTING INTO ACTION WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TRANSGENDER STUDENTS

Originally from Mentor, Ohio, Micah Weber is a female to male transgender man. He has been involved in music for over 10 years and studied two years of music education at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. He has experience in instrumental ensemble settings through participation in several different ensembles throughout high school and college, as well as experience in choral settings through participation in the Singing Cardsmen at the University of Louisville. He is currently studying personal training and nutrition and striving to obtain national Personal Training Certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

MYRA WHEAT

•"STUFF HAPPENS - REAL SITUATIONS, REAL SOLUTIONS" Myra Wheat has been a music teacher for 38 years so far. She has worked in a variety of rural, urban, and suburban school settings, and has taught students in kindergarten through 12th grade. After graduating from James Madison University with a vocal music education degree in 1980 and teaching music in Crawford County, Georgia, for two years, she performed professionally in “The Sound of Music”. She returned to teaching music in Fulton County. She earned a Master’s degree in educational leadership from Georgia State University, served on the judging panel for the Schools of Excellence program, worked with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), was the GMEA district V elementary chairperson for three years, became a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in 2005, and served on Fulton County’s fine arts leadership team for over ten years. While on the fine arts leadership team, she helped set the elementary music curriculum, create countywide music assessments, choose textbooks and other resources, present countywide workshops, and mentor younger colleagues. Myra co – authored a book entitled, Music a la Cart and has presented workshops on the local, state, and national levels.

Although she retired in May of 2012, she still works part – time for the Fulton County school system, which also gives her time for other pursuits, such as driving her mother all over the country to see her favorite singing group, The Oak Ridge Boys. Myra has also worked for the Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) since the summer of 2016 in the STARS program.

DR. ASHLEY WHELCHEL

•SIGHT-SINGING TEACHING PRACTICES, ASSESSMENTS, AND ATTITUDES AMONG GEORGIA PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS TEACHERS

A Georgia native and lifetime lover of harmony, Dr. Ashley Whelchel is the Choral Director and Fine Arts Department Chair at North Hall High School in Gainesville, Georgia (District 14). She has taught chorus for 10 years to a variety of grade levels in both private and public schools and, in addition to her choral activities, serves as North Hall's Assistant Band Director and Assistant Musical Theatre Director. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brenau University in 2004 with a Bachelor's in Music Education, then earned her Master's in 2013 and her Doctorate in 2019 from the University of Georgia under the direction of Dr. Roy Legette. As an avid pianist and enthusiastic percussionist, she has played for several GMEA events including All-State and district honor choirs. She has also served as an honor chorus clinician and as an invited judge for performance evaluation workshops throughout North Georgia. She lives in Gainesville with her husband Andrew, a banker who knows just enough about music to find her interesting.

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BRIDGET WILDES

•TAKING THE NEXT STEP: GETTING FROM WHERE YOU ARE TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE Bridget Wildes is in her seventh year as the Assistant Director of Bands at Mill Creek High School. Mrs. Wildes received her Bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University, where she was a member of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and served as an inaugural drum major for the GSU Panther Marching Band. In 2019 she received her Master’s Degree in Music Education from Kent State University. At Mill Creek High School, Mrs. Wildes is the primary conductor of the Symphonic I and Symphonic II Bands, the leader of the Mill Creek Music Institute, supervises all chamber music groups, and assists with the Pride of Mill Creek Marching Band, Mill Creek Winds and Mill Creek Jazz Band. Her ensembles have been invited to perform at the Kennesaw State University, the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Band Festival, the GMEA In-Service Conference, the University of Georgia January Music Festival, the University of Alabama Honor Band Clinic and the 2019 Music for All National Concert Band Festival.

The Pride of Mill Creek Marching Band has been a BOA Regional and Super Regional finalist and a Class AAAA Champion. The Mill Creek Winds were named the WGI WSA World Championship Silver Medalists in 2016 and WSO Silver Medalists in 2018. Bridget Wildes is an active clinician, adjudicator and freelance musician, as well as the District 13 High School Band Chair. She has presented sessions at GMEA In-Service Conference and GSU Summer Leadership Institute. Bridget and her husband Jacob, a band director as well, reside in Suwanee with their son, Caleb.

ERIC WILKINSON

•ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES THAT WORK Eric Wilkinson is the director of the Wando High School Choir in Charleston, South Carolina and is co-author of "Habits of a Successful Choir Director" published by GIA Publications. Wilkinson's choirs have performed at the ACDA Southern Division Convention in 2014 and they have also performed solo concerts in Carnegie Hall, St. Peter's Basilica, the Washington National Cathedral and Pearl Harbor. Under his direction the Wando Choirs have premiered new choral works by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Michael John Trotta, and David Brunner. Mr. Wilkinson is a National Board Certified Teacher and was awarded the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award in 2007.

LAWRENCE WILLIAMS

•WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER. A REALISTIC APPROACH TO TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND •GOOGLE IS MORE THAN A SEARCH ENGINE: USING TECHNOLOGY FOR EVERYDAY TASKS IN YOUR CLASSROOM

Lawrence Williams is the Associate Band Director and Instructor of Music Technology in his second year at Summerour Middle School in Norcross, Ga. Since his arrival at Summerour, the Symphonic Band and Concert Band have consistently earned Superior ratings at the Georgia Music Educators Association, Large Group Performance Evaluation. Mr. Williams is a native of New Orleans, LA and graduated Cum Laude from the University of Georgia in 2017.

He obtained a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and a Music Business Certificate from the Terry College of Business. While at the University of Georgia, Mr. Williams served as Drum Major of the Redcoat Marching Band and worked with the Concert Bands and Tuba/Euphonium ensemble as a guest conductor. He also served as Vice President of the Collegiate National Association for Music Educators. Mr. Williams was most recently featured as a soloist in the University of Georgia’s 2018 Midfest Festival as well as the 2018 GMEA In-Service Conference. His studies include conducting with Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger as well as tuba with Mr. David Zerkel. As an educator, Mr. Williams serves actively as a clinician, adjudicator, and private lessons instructor for both tuba and conducting. His professional affiliations include Georgia Music Educators’ Association, National Association for Music Education, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

CHRISTOPHER WILSON

•AN ANALYSIS OF BEGINNING PERCUSSION EDUCATION THROUGH WIND BAND REPERTOIRE AND METHOD BOOKS

Percussionist Christopher Wilson is an adjunct instructor at Southeast Missouri State University and percussion instructor for the Lutheran Summer Music Academy. Dr. Wilson received his Doctor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado studying percussion performance with a secondary area in wind conducting. Dr. Wilson's dissertation, An Analysis of Beginning Percussion Education Through Wind Band Repertoire and Method Books, is a survey of commonly-used first-year method books and their ability to introduce instruments and technical concepts according to recent trends in Grade 1 band literature. He is also a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and Eastern Washington University. His principal teachers include Gray Barrier, Nancy Zeltsman and Martin Zyskowski. He is a sponsored member of Pearl Drums' Regional Education Arts Program and an endorser of Encore Mallets.

FRIDAY + SATURDAY

FREE COFFEE IN THE EXHIBIT HALL

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COURTNAYE WOOD

•STEAM IT UP IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

Courtnaye Wood is an Elementary Music Specialist in the Cobb County School District. She has an undergraduate degree in music from Kennesaw State University. She has been music specialist at Brumby Elementary School since 2003. Brumby is a Microsoft Innovative Educator School and is an AdvancedEd STEM certified school. She has presented at local STEM trainings on her incorporation of STEM in the music classroom. Courtnaye is certified in Feierabend's First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege and is Level 2 Orff certified. She is a member of NAfME, GMEA, FAME, and ACDA.

TREY WRIGHT

•BLUES IMPROVISATION FOR THE GUITAR CLASSROOM

Trey Wright is a jazz guitarist and composer based in Roswell, Ga. Trey is currently Senior Lecturer of Jazz Guitar and Jazz Studies at Kennesaw State University and is a columnist for Jazz Guitar Today. In addition to his work at KSU, Trey has also taught at LaGrange College, Gainesville College, the Atlanta Institute of Music, and the University of Georgia. Trey leads or co-leads several jazz groups including the Laura Coyle and Trey Wright duo, the Trey Wright Trio and the Hibbard/Wright Project. In addition, Trey also performs freelance in the Atlanta area and has performed with Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Corey Christiansen, and Darmon Meader of the New York Voices. Trey has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival; Jazz A Vienne; the International Festival of University Theatre of Casablanca Morocco; the World Sacred Music Festival in Bangalore, India; and in Montepulciano, Italy. In early 2008, Trey began playing with the Georgia Symphony Jazz Orchestra. Trey has released five CDs under his own name including his most recent project Begin Again which was released on Blue Canoe Records in February 2019. Over the past two years, Trey’s Blue Canoe releases were included as part of Delta Airlines In Flight Entertainment on domestic and international routes. Several of Trey’s compositions have been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and the Trey Wright Trio’s arrangement of Thom Yorke’s “Analyze” was included on the compilation Head Radio Retransmissions: A Tribute to Radiohead on the German label ESC records.

ODELL ZEIGER, IV

•SPIRITUALS, GOSPEL AND MORE! TEACHING MUSIC OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

Currently the gospel chorus director at Providence College, Odell Zeigler IV is a multifaceted educator, researcher and musician. In addition to his duties as chorus director and music specialist at Carl G. Lauro Elementary school, Mr. Zeigler is a musician on staff for RPM voices of Providence.

His performances are frequent in performing arts venues throughout the state of Rhode Island. A native of Chicago, Odell Zeigler IV has held various music positions throughout the state of IL. He has worked with several bands and choirs while residing in Illinois. He has also taught numerous private students. Outside of music, Mr Zeigler has worked with several community center agencies to enhance African American learners’ literacy in music and other core subjects. Odell Zeigler IV’s advocacy for music education is extensive. His advocacy extends into his research. His research interest focuses on “The Hermeneutics of Gesture and Movement on singing”. Odell Zeigler IV has spent a great deal of time researching and presenting psychological research at various conferences in the Midwest. Mr. Zeigler is an active member of the American Choral Director’s Association, and the National Association for Music Educators, Odell attends educational conferences every year. He worked with Illinois Music Educators Association Conference from 2011-2016. Odell holds a B. A. (Music Education & Psychology) from North Central College in Naperville, IL and holds a M.M.Ed from the University of Rhode of Island.

WHY MENTION IT AGAIN? BECAUSE WE'RE BREATHING #COFFEEKEEPSGMEARUNNING SP O N SO RED BY

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SCHOOL of MUSIC where PASSION is

heard

2020 AUDITIONS February 22, 2020 March 21, 2020 April 25, 2020

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musicKSU.com

WHERE TEACHING MEETS RESEARCH

THE MASTER OF MUSIC EDUCATION ONLINE online.uga.edu/mmed

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INFORMATION LISTED AS SUBMITTED

2020

erforming Groups “Music is there for everybody. It's a river we can all put our cups into and drink it and be sustained by it.”

John Williams W I N T E R 2019 | G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S

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Performing Groups 2020 ATLANTA WIND SYMPHONY

DAVID KEHLER, CHRIS SHUMICK, AND TYLER EHRLICH DIRECTORS

In 1979, a dedicated group of musicians gathered to form a band designed to provide a glimpse of the arts to the community. They were first known as The North Fulton Community Band, but later evolved into the Atlanta Wind Symphony. Over the past 40 years, this group has become internationally respected for its musical excellence, contribution to music education, and service to the community.

Since its inception, the AWS has performed for television, charity benefits, state officials, and presidents in a wide variety of venues, from outdoor parks and civic celebrations to Carnegie Hall. Comprised of more than 60 adult musicians ranging in experience from some of Atlanta’s finest professional musicians and composers to hobbyists, this group commits to delivering extraordinary performances.

AWTREY

SYMPHONIC BAND

TARA MELVIN & STEPHEN CAGLE, DIRECTORS

The Awtrey Middle is located right on the border of Kennesaw and Acworth in Cobb County, GA. The 8-1 Band is made up of our band program's top performing 8th Graders. They have continually received Superior Ratings at District LGPE. In addition to performing, many of our students audition and are selected for district Honor Band, participate in our Band Buddies Program, and are also selected to be members of our Jazz Band.

COLLINS HILL

PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE JAMI' FENNELL, DIRECTOR

The Collins Hill percussion ensemble performed at West Georgia University in 2012. Since that time the percussion section has been an integral part of the Collins Hill bands all of which have received Superior ratings at LGPE the past three years.

DUTCHTOWN HIGH SCHOOL

WIND SYMPHONY

WOLSON GUSTAMA & JEFFREY HUGHLEY, DIRECTORS

The Dutchtown High School Wind Symphony is a consistently Superior-rated ensemble at the Georgia Music Educator Association Large Group Performance Evaluation and other adjudicated events. The ensemble has performed at the Kennesaw State University Concert Band Invitational, the Minority Band Director National Association Concert Band Invitational, and the Dixie Classic Grand National Adjudicators Invitational. Students in the Dutchtown High School Wind Symphony are represented in honor bands and ensembles throughout the state of Georgia.

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Performing Groups 2020 GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

JAZZ ENSEMBLE

DR. RICK MASON, DIRECTOR

The Georgia Southern Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. Rick Mason, provides a venue for qualified musicians to perform jazz in a 19-member big-band. The group performs at least four concerts each year on campus as well as off-campus performances with a repertoire ranging from Big Band Era standards to contemporary styles and original jazz compositions. Each year the Jazz Ensemble performs with world-class guest artists. Guest artists who have performed with the group include Bobby Shew, Tom “Bones” Malone, Jon Faddis, Byron Stripling, The Eric Mintel Quartet, Harry and Ken Watters. The Jazz Ensemble’s popular concerts serve to expose listeners throughout southeast Georgia to this authentic American music.

HERITAGE

WIND ENSEMBLE

BLAIR CALLAWAY, DIRECTOR

The Heritage High School Band was formed in the summer of 2008. The band started with 63 high school students and presently has an enrollment of 200+.

The high school band program consists of two concert bands, marching band, pep band, jazz band, winterguard and several small ensembles. The Heritage Band program was a 2018, 2015 and 2012 recipient of the GMEA Exemplary Performance Award. The wind ensemble has received all superior ratings in each of its eleven years. During this time the band has had 92 Georgia All-State Band members, 11 All-State Jazz Band members and 300 District 7 Honor Band members. The wind ensemble was a featured ensemble at the 2017 Music For All National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, IN. The band has also performed at the 2016 University of Alabama Honor Band Festival, 2015 University of Georgia “Janfest”, 2013 Southeastern United States Honor Band Clinic held at Troy University in Troy, Alabama and the 2011 Loyola University Invitational Concert Band Festival held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Band members have been participants in the NAfME Honor Ensembles and the U. S. Army All-American Marching Band.

MABRY

7TH AND 8TH GRADE SYMPHONIC BAND JILL BARNOCKI & STEPHEN FIELDS, DIRECTORS

Mabry Middle School is located in Marietta, Ga. The school is a National Blue Ribbon and a Georgia School of Excellence, as well as a received AdvancED STEM National certification. The band program consists of 350 students in grades 6th through 8th grade. The program is proud to be the main feeder program for the Lassiter High School Band. Bands in the 7th and 8th grades are divided into Symphonic and Intermediate Band that are determined by individual auditions. The Symphonic Band meets together twice a month after school.

MILTON HIGH SCHOOL

WIND ENSEMBLE

CHRIS SHUMICK, DIRECTOR

Since its founding in 1949, the band program at Milton High School has been an integral part of the school and community and has a decades-long history of excellence. All students are auditioned into three concert band classes or a ninth-grade percussion ensemble that meet daily as part of the academic schedule. After being founded in the fall of 2000, the Milton Wind Ensemble quickly gained a reputation of excellence. Previous invitational performances include the University of Southern Mississippi (2002, 2005), the Southeastern United States Band Clinic (2003), University of South Carolina (2003, 2007, 2015), the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival (2004), the MENC national conference (2006), Columbus State University (2010), the University of Georgia (2003, 2007, 2011, 2018), the University of Alabama (2012, 2019), the Georgia State University “Bands of Distinction” Clinic (2014), the Georgia Music Educators Association State Conference (2004, 2015), the Kennesaw State University Band Invitational (2016) and the Music for All Southeastern Concert Band Regional Festival (2016). The Milton Band was the recipient of the 2014 Georgia Music Educators Association "Exemplary Performance Award," in 2015 was named a "commended winner" in the Foundation for Music Education's Mark of Excellence Awards, and in 2016 was named a southern division "Blue Ribbon Program of Excellence" by the National Band Association.

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Performing Groups 2020 NORTH COBB

WIND SYMPHONY

SHELDON FRAZIER & SCOTT PANNELL, DIRECTORS

The North Cobb Band Program was established in 1958 with the building of North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, GA. The band program serves over 300 students through a comprehensive band curriculum with extra-curricular offerings including symphony orchestra, jazz band, various chamber ensembles, and marching band. The Wind Symphony is the most advanced performing group of the band program, earning consistent Superior ratings at the GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation and has had the honor of being invited to perform at the 2006 and 2012 GMEA State Conference, and the 2019 University of Georgia January Honor Band Festival. North Cobb band students regularly participate in the Georgia Governor's Honor Program, Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Cobb County District Twelve Honor Band and the GMEA All State Band.

POPE HIGH SCHOOL

WIND SYMPHONY

BO SODDERS & JOSH RUDOLPH, DIRECTORS

Alan C. Pope High School is located in Marietta, Georgia, a community of Cobb County in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. Pope High School was founded in 1987 in the Cobb County School District, a nationally recognized community for its commitment to, and support of music education programs. The Cobb County School District is the 2nd largest school district in the State of Georgia, servicing 16 high schools, 25 middle schools, and 68 elementary schools. Cobb County Schools have been consistently named a “Best 100 Communities for Music in America”. The Pope High School Band Program is comprised of three concert bands (Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Symphony), brass methods course, two jazz bands, marching band, percussion and chamber music ensembles. The Pope High School Marching Band was named a recipient of the prestigious Sudler Shield of Marching Excellence by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The Pope High School Wind Symphony has had a rich tradition of excellence, performing at the GMEA In-Service Conference, Music for All National Concert Band Festival, University of Georgia’s JanFest, and the Kennesaw State University Concert Band Festival in the recent past.

TAYLOR ROAD MIDDLE SCHOOL

SYMPHONIC BAND

ANGELA REYNOLDS & BRANDON SOLOFF, DIRECTORS

Taylor Road Middle School is located in northeastern Fulton County in Johns Creek, Georgia. The school opened in 1991 and currently enrolls approximately 1350 students in grades 6 – 8. Nearly 600 students at Taylor Road participate in the band, chorus and orchestra programs. The band program at Taylor Road is directed by Angela Reynolds and Brandon Soloff. Currently, there are almost 300 students in the band program. Students in both 7th and 8th grades are grouped by ability level forming the Concert and Symphonic Bands. Taylor Road students participate in Jazz Ensemble, Little “Big’ Band, Rialto Jazz for Kids Program through Georgia State University, GMEA Solo and Ensemble, various honor bands and GMEA All State Band. The Taylor Road Bands have consistently earned superior ratings at GMEA District V Large Group Performance Evaluation.

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Performing Groups 2020 VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY

JAZZ ENSEMBLE

DAVID SPRINGFIELD, DIRECTOR

The Valdosta State University Jazz Ensemble, directed by David Springfield, is the premier performing ensemble in the Jazz area. The group performs at least four concerts per year with a repertoire ranging from big band era standards to contemporary styles and original compositions. Recent guest artists include vocalist Carmen Bradford; saxophonists Don Braden and Chris Vadala; trumpeter Marvin Stamm; trombonists John Fedchock and David Gibson; drummers Dennis Mackrel and Mike Clark; guitarist Bob Sneider; bassists John Clayton and Chuck Israels; and composer Fred Sturm. The Jazz Ensemble has performed at the Georgia Music Educators In-Service Conference, the North American Saxophone Alliance Southeast Region Conference and at Spivey Hall in Atlanta.

BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMBER CHORUS

DR. CHRIS FOWLER & TAYLOR GREER, DIRECTORS

The legacy of choral singing at Buford High School spans for decades and continues daily through the music of our three choirs: Bel Canto Chorale, Advanced Freshman Chorus, and Chamber Chorus. The BHS Chamber Chorus is an auditioned group comprised of roughly 50 singers which meet daily and perform advanced music for the high school level and has consistently received superior ratings at GMEA’s LGPE in performance and sight reading. It is led by Dr. Chris Fowler, who will begin his 28th year at BHS in August 2019, and Mr. Taylor Greer, who was delighted to join the BHS family in 2018. Our members are involved in a variety of individual and group performances annually including regularly scheduled concerts, civic and community functions, seasonal appearances, district Honor Chorus, district Large Group Performance Evaluation, All-State auditions, GHSA Literary Meet, and the annual Spring Variety Show, which has become a school and community tradition. Over the decades, our Choral Music Department has made three GMEA appearances, has performed at the GAEL In-Service Conference, Carnegie Hall, and the Georgia Governor’s Mansion. The Buford High School Literary Team presently holds the GHSA State Literary Team Championship in Class AAAAA and set the all-time record for most consecutive state wins. Students from this group presently hold the state championships in Girls Solo and Quartet, and hold GHSA’s all-time, all-classification record for most consecutive wins in Trio, with seven consecutive state championships. Alumni from this group enjoy professional careers as singers, music educators, film actors, and stage performers.

GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY

WOMEN'S CHORUS JENNIFER SENGIN, DIRECTOR

The Georgia State University Women's Chorus is the newest choral ensemble at the university and performs throughout the year both on and off campus. Reinstated during the 2018-2019 school year, the membership includes students majoring in fields across the entire university. The ensemble's mission is to highlight the vast array of repertoire for treble voicing. In addition, the ensemble seeks to promote and feature compositions and poetry by women.

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Performing Groups 2020 KENDRICK HIGH SCHOOL

SINGERS

MATTHEW WHITE, DIRECTOR

Formed in 2013, the KHS Singers are the premier singing ensemble at Kendrick High School. They consistently receive Superior Ratings at Large Group Performance Evaluation. They are in constant demand around the community. The KHS Singers have won Grand Champion and Sweepstakes Awards for the 6 of the last 8 years at the Southern Star Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. They were one of four high school choirs invited to sing for the 100th Birthday Celebration of Robert Shaw in 2016.

LOVINGGOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL

EIGHTH GRADE CHORUS CARLA HENRY, DIRECTOR

The Lovinggood Middle School choral program has strived for excellence since the school opened in August 2006. Its top group, the LMS Eighth Grade Chorus, is a non-auditioned ensemble that enjoys performing a varied repertoire for the West Cobb County community. The Eighth Grade Chorus has consistently received superior ratings at GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations. Members of the choral program have participated in several GMEA-sponsored events at both the district and state level, including Statewide Sixth Grade Honor Chorus, District XII Honor Chorus and All-State Chorus. Serving over 300 students through choruses in grades 6-8 and various small ensembles, the choral program continues to encourage students to enrich their lives through music.

SANDY CREEK

ADVANCED WOMEN'S CHORUS VELMA PAGE JENKINS, DIRECTOR

The Sandy Creek High School Chorus program encompasses the Patriot Singers, Advanced Women’s Select, Intermediate Women’s Chorus, and the Beginning Women’s Chorus. The Advanced Women's Chorus has a long standing tradition of excellence that dates back to its inception. This group later became the Advanced Women's Select Chorus under the leadership of Velma Page Jenkins in the Fall of 2016. The ensemble has consistently earned superior ratings at GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation. Members of this ensemble are selected to participate in District Honor Chorus, All-County Honor Chorus, Spivey Hall Honor Chorus, and All-State Chorus. The ensemble was recently selected to participate at the Clayton State University High School Chorus Festival in the Spring of 2018.

SAVANNAH ARTS ACADEMY

CANTABILE

DR. JARED REGISTER, DIRECTOR

The Savannah Arts Academy choral program strives to achieve the highest possible standard of musical excellence while instilling in its members a life-long appreciation of music; an abiding love of beauty; a keen sense of respect for themselves and others; and the self-discipline necessary to lead their family, school, and community. The SAA choral program has a rich twenty-year tradition of choral excellence that is unique among American high schools. One of seven performing choral ensembles at SAA, Cantabile features forty-six members of the choir selected from the high school’s auditioned choral program. Members of Cantabile frequently participate in performance tours of Washington, D.C. (2019), Reykjavik, Iceland (2018), and New York, N.Y. (2016). Students in Cantabile also participate in All-State Chorus, All-State Reading Chorus, GMEA Honor Choirs, GHP, and NATS each year. The SAA choral program is co-directed by Russell Watkins and Jared Register.

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Performing Groups 2020 SOUTH FORSYTH MIDDLE SCHOOL

CHAMBER CHOIR

MAXWELL MARSHALL, DIRECTOR

Chamber Choir is a relatively new, select choral ensemble at South Forsyth Middle School. The school’s chorus program began in 2013 with an enrollment of 80 students, which has since grown to over 240 singers in all. Chamber Choir is comprised of just 38 of the best and brightest from the choral program; almost half of its members have been selected to sing in the GMEA All-State Chorus. This group has received superior ratings at Large Group Performance Evaluations singing works from from likes of Narverud, Ramsey, Stroope, and Whitacre. What began as an extracurricular group that met outside of school just once per week will now meet as a regular class beginning this year.

SOUTHERN CHORALE

DR. SHANNON JEFFREYS, DIRECTOR

Southern Chorale is the premiere choral ensemble of Georgia Southern University and is directed by Dr. Shannon Jeffreys, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. Southern Chorale’s membership draws from the most talented vocal students to provide a professional foundation for performance and choral music education majors and a meaningful musical experience for those University students who wish to continue to sing in an elite ensemble. This primarily undergraduate ensemble performs literature from all styles and periods with an emphasis on a cappella repertoire and masterworks with orchestra. In addition to numerous campus and community performances, Southern Chorale has appeared at conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, National Collegiate Choral Organization, and National Association for Music Education. The choir won significant prizes in the Anton Bruckner International Choral Competition in Linz, Austria in 2013 and months later earned the highest score given in Sing ‘N’ Joy International Competition and Festival, winning the Spiritual Category. During the summer of 2016, Chorale won the Grand Prize in the mixed category and the spirituals category at the Laurea Mundi Budapest. This summer, they will compete in the Ave Verum ICC in Baden, Austria and the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany. Southern Chorale collaborates with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and Chorus most recently performing Brahm’s Ein deutches Requiem.

THE DAVIDSON

CHORALE

PHILLIP R. STREETMAN, DIRECTOR

The Davidson Chorale from the John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School in Augusta, GA performs regularly at prestigious events and venues in their home state of Georgia, across the nation, and internationally. Founded in 1981 by the late Kitty Lamb, the Chorale achieved national notoriety under director Dr. James Dunaway, garnering invitations in 2004 and 2005 to appear at the American Choral Directors Association Divisional and National Conventions, as well as performances at the Georgia Music Educators Association conference in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. In 2007, and again in 2008, The Chorale became the first high school ensemble to present a concert on the National Gallery of Art Concert Series in Washington, D. C. Under Mr. Streetman’s direction, in 2016, The Chorale toured Ireland performing in Dublin with the distinguished honor to sing for the Low Sunday Mass at historic Christ Church, then to Kilkenny, where Chorale gave an ambassadorial concert to the Mayor and City Council. In 2017, Chorale competed against over 25 choirs in a national choral competition at Walt Disney World and successfully earned superior ratings, won Best in Class and won the National Competition. In 2018, the Chorale toured Spain with a world premiere performance at the beautiful La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona as well as performing in some of the most beautiful venues from Toledo to Madrid with standing room only performances. In 2020, they were selected to perform at Notre Dame at their Sunday mass in Paris as part of their France/Normandy tour.

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Performing Groups 2020 DYNAMIX ORFF ENSEMBLE

CHELSEA COOK, KANISHA HOWARD, AND JASMINE THOMPSON, DIRECTORS

The Dynamix Dekalb District (Honor) Orff Ensemble is a 501(c)3 non-profit music organization consisting of racially diverse 3rd to 8th grade xylophonists from an urban low-income school district in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. The organization was established to provide musical training, performance experience and increase self-confidence among students who would not normally receive this opportunity in a public school setting. All student musician recruitment is conducted throughout public schools within Dekalb County, Georgia. In 2012-2016, under the name “Dynamic Dolphins” the group performed at the White House, competed in the Music USA festival in Orlando, Florida and won 1st place, were instrumental grand champions 3 years in a row and have made several television appearances. December 2018, the Dynamix were selected to perform at the International Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The Midwest Clinic is the largest music education conference in the world and has showcased the finest performances from ensembles from around the globe for over 70 years. Dynamix was the first group from the Dekalb County School District to perform at the festival in over 30 years.

DULUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL

8TH GRADE GUITAR ENSEMBLE ASHLEY DRAKE, DIRECTOR

Duluth Middle School is located in Duluth, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. The school has an enrollment of 1,450 students with over 850 participating in band, chorus, guitar, or orchestra. The guitar program currently has over 240 students enrolled in grades 6-8, under the direction of Ashley Drake.

The Duluth Middle School Guitar Program originated as a general music class in 2008, becoming one of the first middle schools in Gwinnett County to offer a performing guitar ensemble. Year-long guitar ensembles were then established in 2012, and today, guitar is a fully established fine art with six year-long classes. In 2014, the DMS Advanced Guitar Ensemble was featured on GCPS TV in the 2014 ArtStage Sounds of the Season program. In 2018, the DMS Advanced Guitar Ensemble performed at the GMEA in-service conference. Continuing our mission to expand our presence in the community, the Duluth Advanced Guitar Ensemble has performed several times at Eddie Owen’s Red Clay Music Foundry, located in the heart of the Duluth community.

OFFICIAL PHOTO NOT SUBMITTED

UGA

GUITAR ENSEMBLE DANIEL BOLSHOY, DIRECTOR

The UGA Guitar Ensemble features guitar majors as well as non-majors studying in one of the programs offered at the Hodgson School of music: at the Undergraduate level, guitarists can choose to major in performance, music education, music composition, music therapy or a general AB music degree, it is also possible to minor in guitar, or participate in the guitar ensemble without majoring in music at all. At the Graduate level, guitarists can pursue performance degrees at the Master and Doctorate levels. The UGA Guitar ensemble performs on campus, as well as throughout the Athens area and around the state. The DMS guitar program continues to grow thanks to the addition of guitar programs developing in the elementary feeder schools as well as the on-going support of faculty, staff, and administration of Duluth Middle School. The mission of Duluth Middle School is to inspire all students to achieve academic excellence and to embrace the rigor required to thrive in a global society.

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Performing Groups 2020 JOHNS CREEK HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA YOUNG KIM, DIRECTOR

The Johns Creek High School Orchestral program, in its tenth year, has performed in several prestigious performance venues. Some of the venues include performing at the prestigious Midwest Clinic--an International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago, Illinois (2012 and 2017); invitational performances at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) In-Service Conference in Savannah, Georgia (2011, 2015); music festivals at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida (2011, 2018); 2012 National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., for its Centennial Celebration.

The orchestra toured Europe twice (2014, 2019) performing in cities in Italy (Rome, Florence, Assisi, Siena, Padua, Venice);Austria (Vienna, Salzburg); and Czech Republic (Prague). The Johns Creek High School Orchestra received the "Community Service Award" twice from the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce (2010 and 2011) for its services to the community. Some of its community-related services include performing at the "Johns Creek Arts on the Creek" and "Annual Korean Fall Festivals." The Johns Creek High School Orchestra also received the "GMEA Exemplary Performance Award" in 2017. The orchestra members regularly perform for local and national conventions as well as for various community-related events. In addition, several members of the orchestra perform regularly during weekends at various assisted living homes in the Atlanta area through a club called "Notes of Joy," which was founded by two of its own students.

SCHWOB PHILHARMONIC PAUL K HOSTETTER, DIRECTOR

Acknowledged as one of the finest ensembles in the Southeast, the Schwob Philharmonic presents a rich diversity of orchestral repertoire under the direction of Maestro Paul Hostetter (www.paulhostetter.com), the Ethel Foley Distinguished Chair in Orchestral Activities. The Philharmonic is comprised of undergraduate and graduate student instrumentalists drawn from 21 countries around the world and it regularly works with guest conductors such as Yoel Levi, David Lockington, Robert Spano, George del Gobbo, and Victor Liva, as well as guest soloists including international pianist Jon Kimura Parker, cellist Wendy Warner, Charlie Vernon (Bass Trombonist of the Chicago Symphony), Alexander Kobrin (Van Cliburn Gold Medalist), Henry Kramer (Avery Fischer Career Grant recipient), the French Horn section of the Metropolitan Opera, Marianne Gythfeldt (clarinet soloist), David Krause (Principal Trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera), and numerous others. Many students in the Schwob Philharmonic also have active professional careers while in school, performing in orchestras including the symphonies of Columbus, LaGrange, Albany, Augusta, Savannah, Charleston, Charlotte, Alabama, Jacksonville, and Atlanta among others. Its graduates perform in quartets professionally, have full time orchestral positions, and teach in universities worldwide. Its recent conducting graduates have positions with the Charleston Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Hilton Head Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and recently Rodderick Cox was awarded the George Solti Prize for emerging conductors.

SIMPSON MIDDLE SCHOOL

8 GRADE ORCHESTRA TH

DANA TINDALL & JENNIFER MANN, DIRECTORS

Simpson Middle School, located in Marietta, GA, has a long-standing tradition of excellence in the Fine Arts and was designed as the first STEAM certified middle school in Cobb County. Nearly a third of the student population is enrolled in orchestra classes and in particular, the 8th grade orchestra is consistently awarded many honors including Superior ratings at the Large Group Performance Evaluations and in District based Solo and Ensemble Festival performances. In addition, many of these eighth grade students participate in higher level ensembles such as the Cobb County Honor Orchestra and Georgia All State Orchestra events. The Simpson Middle School orchestra has been invited to perform in many local community events and also has students participate at the Middle School Honors Performance Series at the Royal Festival Hall and at Carnegie Hall. In addition, a large percentage of the 8th grade orchestra is active in the Georgia Youth Symphony and the Tri-M Music Society organization at Simpson. Almost all of the 8th grade orchestra students continue their orchestral training at the high school level, with many being awarded college scholarships in music.

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Performing Groups 2020 THE WESTMINSTER MIDDLE SCHOOL

ORCHESTRA

BO NA & REBECCA COLBORG FREDERICK, DIRECTORS

The Westminster Schools Orchestra program was established in 1981 by Peg Neuen and has maintained its standing in the school. The program is made up of five performing groups: Allegro and Presto Orchestras (Lower School), Prelude Strings and Junior Chamber Orchestra (Middle School), and Chamber Orchestra (Upper School). Unique to this orchestra program is the chamber music component; all members of the Presto, Prelude, Junior Chamber, and Chamber Orchestras participate in chamber music ensembles. Westminster has been hosting the final auditions for the GMEA All-State Orchestras annually in January. The Junior Chamber Orchestra (JCO) is a very active performing group. In 2016-17, the Orchestra performed in the Georgia Governor’s Mansion holiday performances, within the Westminster community at varying services throughout the year, and as a joint service-learning trip to Walt Disney World and the Orchard Heights Gracious Retirement Living Center. The JCO has also performed at the High Museum of Art in conjunction with their 2015-16 “Habsburg Splendor” and 2014-15 “Make A Joyful Noise” exhibits. Individuals within the orchestras have excelled as well. Each year, several members of the JCO have participated in the GMEA All-State Orchestras. Last season, members of the JCO performed in the Emory Junior Chamber Orchestra, Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. Students also participated in Franklin Pond, Fall Into Spring, and the Emory Youth Chamber Music Program.

WHEELER HIGH SCHOOL

ORCHESTRA

DWAYNE WASSON & MARK HOSKINS , DIRECTORS

The Wheeler High School Orchestra is under the direction of Dwayne Wasson, who was named Director of Orchestras in 2006. The Wheeler Symphony Orchestra is a select ensemble of approximately 100 students at Wheeler High School in Cobb County. The orchestra performs a wide variety of music from traditional to contemporary. Each year, the orchestra performs approximately five concerts. Additionally, the students in the orchestra participate in solo and ensemble, as well as area youth orchestras. The orchestras receive outstanding support from parent volunteers, the Wheeler community, and the administrators at Wheeler.

Each year since 2006, the orchestra has received superior ratings at the GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation. In 2018, the Chamber Orchestra was selected to perform at the GMEA In-Service Conference. Also in 2018, the orchestra performed as a demonstration group at the ASTA National Conference in Atlanta.

LOBBY Don't Miss These!

PERFORMANCES • • • • • • 60

ARABIA MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL CLARINET QUARTET ATHENS SYMPHONY CAMERATA DANIELL MIDDLE SCHOOL CELLO CHOIR FANNIN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BRASS QUINTET GROVETOWN HIGH SCHOOL WARRIOR LOW BRASS ENSEMBLE NORTH ATLANTA HIGH SCHOOL QUINTET XI G E O RG I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2019

• • • • • •

PARKVIEW HIGH SCHOOL CLARINET QUARTET PAULDING COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FLUTE CHOIR PEBBLEBROOK HIGH SCHOOL STRING ENSEMBLE STEPHENSON HIGH SCHOOL TRUMPET CHOIR THE GEORGIA COLLEGE SAXOPHONE QUARTET UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA TUBA QUARTET

HELPING MY KIDS BECOME YOUR KIDS PRACTICAL IDEAS TO TRANSITION STUDENTS INTO HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC

HONORING A

GEORGIA

GROUNDBREAKER "You have to be an activist if you want to see change made. I was a very quiet person - an unlikely person to integrate UGA. But having grown up during a time when everything was separate but not equal I was tired of that."

MARY FRANCES EARLY

Reprinted by permission from the University of Georgia College of Education

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In 1961 Mary Frances Early made a courageous choice to leave her graduate program at the University of Michigan and enroll at the University of Georgia alongside undergraduate students Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Homes, who were the first African American students to integrate the University. Ms. Early knew both Holmes and Hunter because they were all alumni of Turner High School in Atlanta, and she was so inspired by their bravery that she decided to join them and enroll in the graduate school.

In August 1962, she became the first African American to graduate from UGA, earning a master’s degree in music education.

Throughout her distinguished teaching and leadership career, Mary Frances influenced thousands of students and teachers in the Atlanta Public Schools, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University.

Mary Frances is also a symbol—a symbol of courage, hope, change, and all that is possible when one person— one woman—stands up and speaks up. She continues to inspire University of Georgia students, alumni, faculty, and staff as she regularly returns to campus to speak, attend events, and interact with students.

To honor the courage and grace Mary Frances displayed, the barriers she broke, and the legacy she leaves as its first African American graduate, the University of Georgia is naming the College of Education in her honor. Funds raised in Mary Frances’ honor will be used to support scholarships for students who, like Mary Frances, have overcome challenges to attend UGA and to support college and campus activities aimed at strengthening diversity and inclusion. We invite you to join us in supporting the Mary Frances Early College of Education.

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MARY FRANCES EARLY A TRAILBLAZING TIMELINE Naming the College of Education for Mary Frances Early honors her long career as an educator and advocate. Born in Atlanta in 1936, she graduated as the valedictorian of Turner High School in Atlanta in 1953. The timeline below highlights signfificant events in her life.

1961-1962 Transfers to UGA as a master’s student, inspired by the violence surrounding integration at UGA, and becomes the first African

1962-2005 Teaches in Atlanta Public Schools as well as Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and

• Receives UGA • Documentary about her life, "The Quiet Trailblazer," premieres on Georgia Public

1981 Named first African American president of the Georgia Music Educators

2013 Receives an honorary doctorate of laws degree during Spring

• Portrait is unveiled in the UGA Administration

1957 Graduates as valedictorian from Clark College with a bachelor’s degree in music

2000

1967 Graduates from UGA with an educational

1983-1994 Serves as director of music for Atlanta

• Annual lecture at UGA is named in her honor • Receives Outstanding Alumna Award

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Your Brain and Singing

WHY SINGING IN A CHOIR MAKES YOU HAPPIER

Reprinted with permission from Choral Director Magazine https://www.choraldirectormag.com/articles/vocal-pro/your-brain-and-singing-why-singing-in-a-choir-makes-you-happier/

Any of us who have sung in choirs know all too well the joy it brings not just the audiences, but also the choir members themselves. And why wouldn’t it? When we raise our voices with lots of other gorgeous voices in a big, beautiful space, it feels like we’re altering molecules. The power, the mojo that this (relatively) small time commitment offers…how is it possible? Well, according to various scientific reports, we are altering molecules…inside our brains, with different changes occurring whether listening to music, singing, or singing with others.

In Stacy Horn’s wonderful book, Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness While Singing with Others, we get a first-hand account of how mu66

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sic uplifts and empowers, with various scientific evidence cited. Horn has been singing with The Choral Society of Grace Church (in New York City’s Greenwich Village) since 1982; she evocatively describes her own experience while explaining how science is finally catching up with what vocalists have known since the dawn of time: singing heals.

Choirs are known for singing about somber topics, including death. Requiem masses by Mozart, Haydn, Verdi and Berlioz are extremely popular selections for choirs worldwide. Yet, even though the content isn’t necessarily joyful or soothing, endorphins — hormones produced by the central nervous system — release and in-

BY

teract with opiate receptors in the brain, diminishing pain and triggering an almost analgesic feeling in the body. Our brains get an endorphin “rush”, which apparently feels a lot like taking morphine. Singing (both listening to it and doing it) can also release dopamine, a chemical that works to help regulate the brain’s pleasure and reward centers. Music has also been found to release serotonin, a neurotransmitter found mostly in the digestive tract that helps regulate our moods, social behaviors and appetite; other studies have shown that cortisol levels can be lower when listening to music and singing. In addition, Dr. David Huron, a music professor at OSU, postulates that singing may increase prolactin production; prolactin is found both in tears and in nursing mammals, and it helps regulate the immune system.

increased their other activities. I can attest that some of my greatest memories are of forming and leading a choir at an assisted living facility and seeing with my own eyes how the songs from my elders’ era affected them; they laughed, cried and told stories about first hearing that song performed.

Other forms of happiness await us via singing as we age. Neuroscientists have shown that musical memories engage broader neural pathways than other types of memories – that’s why hearing an old song can flood one with very specific emotions and visual cues. When dementia and Alzheimer’s patients are encouraged to sing along songs from their youth, they sometimes respond with wide-eyed wonder and exhilaration, and sing out in a way that surprises not only those around them, but themselves as well; it’s a beautiful phenomenon to witness. Additionally, doctors are now finding that singers have more circuit connections between the right and left sides of their brains than non-singers.

Memorizing words (left brain function) and music (right brain function) could keep those nerve cells and synapses in excellent working order.

The even better news is that while we always strive to be the best choristers we can be, our voices don’t have to be “professional strength” to derive these myriad health benefits. Horn cites a 2005 study that showed that singing even at an amateur level was beneficial to people’s emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being. Before moving back to New York, I joined Nashville in Harmony, a talented and love-filled group of largely non-professional singers in Nashville, Tennessee. Being one of 150 voices banding together for the common good has brought me exhilaration I’d not felt in all my years of singing…and that’s a lot of years. Back when we recorded to tape.

Here we are at a 2016 rehearsal. The exhilaration is palpable: https://bit.ly/2HdNbfS

Dr. Gene D. Cohen of George Washington University kept track of a senior singers’ chorale in Arlington, Virginia. The singers’ average age was 80 (65 the youngest, 96 the eldest). Findings showed that the singers suffered depression less frequently, made fewer doctor’s visits each year, needed less medication, and

So please, sing. Sing a song. Sing out loud. Sing out strong. (See what I did there? C’mon, who remembers Sesame Street? The Carpenters? Sigh.)

JAIME

BABBITT

But, as Horn will agree, the most remarkable phenomenon that a choir vocalist experiences are the many “take your breath away” moments that come as a result of being one of many voices coming together in harmony. I’m sure many of you reading this have had your own version of these types of experiences: goosebumps on your arms, hair standing up on the back of your neck, bursting into tears (that would be me), and more. A 2004 study by Dr. Gunter Kreutz showed that singing in a choir–as opposed to simply listening to choral music–increases SIgA production (antibodies in saliva that help immune function) and other positive physical responses.

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FRIDAY + SATURDAY

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OBSES

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COFFEE IN THE EXHIBIT HALL

SSED?

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THE

VETERAN 10 Questions for Experienced Teachers

Dr. Brian M. Toney is the Band Director at Greenbrier High School (GA). His previous positions include positions in Pennsylvania and Maryland, Assistant Band Director at Greenbrier High School, Band Director at Riverside Middle School, and the founding Band Director and Fine Arts Department Chair at Grovetown High School (GA). Under his direction, the Band of Warriors has grown from 67 to 178 members and consistently earned superior ratings. At Greenbrier, all facets of the band program have distinguished themselves as premier groups through consistently earning superior ratings at ensemble adjudications, and placing significant numbers of students in district and all-state bands. Dr. Toney graduated with a Bachelors in Music Education degree from Grove City College (PA), a Masters in Music Education from Lebanon Valley College (PA), and a Doctorate in Education with concentrations in music education philosophy and relevant assessment of student performance from the University of Georgia. He lives in Evans, Georgia, with his bride and college sweetheart Amy, sons Simon and Nolan, and a quirky dog named Toby.

1. PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR MUSICAL BACKGROUND AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE. My primary instrument is trumpet. I began my teaching career at West Frederick Middle School (MD) and taught five years at Palmyra Area High School (PA) before coming to the Columbia County School System. In Columbia county, I have been an assistant band director at Greenbrier High School, the band director at Riverside Middle School, and was the founding band director at Grovetown High School. I am now the band director at Greenbrier High School. Over my teaching and playing career, I have had the opportunity to play in many different types of ensembles, though I have always been more interested in teaching than playing. I have a BME from Grove City College (PA), an MME from Lebanon Valley College (PA), and an Ed. D. from the University of Georgia. I am currently in my 19th year of teaching public school music.

2. WHAT FIRST DREW YOU TO MUSIC EDUCATION? I had pretty good success on my instrument throughout junior high and high school, but I decided I wanted to be a band director while I experienced my first halftime performance as a drum major my junior year of high school. It was far from a perfect performance from me or the group, but was the biggest thrill of my life at that time.

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3. WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR TEACHING CAREER? WHAT LESSONS DID THAT PERSON TEACH YOU? Dr. Edwin P. Arnold was the Band Director and Head of Fine Arts at Grove City College while I was in undergrad there. He taught us all about how to administrate a program focused on making sure students had opportunities to grow. The program he oversaw was aimed at making its students directors rather than conductors.

He taught us how to handle the important "Administrivia" of our jobs, so we could bring music to our communities. The outstanding directors and administrators in the Columbia County School System, GMEA District 10, and Professors Dr. Brian Wesolowski and Dr. Mary Leglar of the University of Georgia have also been heavily influential in shaping my musical and educational thinking.

I have truly been blessed.

4. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGES TO MUSIC EDUCATION IN THE COURSE OF YOUR TEACHING CAREER? Technology and marching band have evolved drastically since I began my teaching career in ways that I would never have predicted. Technology has allowed directors and students so much more information and also provided many distractions to music making. Many of us would be "lost" without our iPads and projectors. Marching band is now so different that it's even changed its classification to be an aspect of the Pageantry Arts. I had never heard that term when I began teaching. From ways of teaching drill, instrumentation, music literature, and costumes/uniforms, marching band now seems completely different, not better or worse, just different. At the same time, I believe it is still the most important ensemble in most high school band programs due to its public presence and total program involvement of students, parents, community, and staff.

5. HOW HAS YOUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY EVOLVED THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER? When I began teaching, I cared more about having the best students and cared very little about aspects outside of performance.

As I continued teaching, I found the good in having students in my programs who may be able to grow as people and musicians, sometimes even at the expense of the highest levels of performance. I'm also much more open to different types of music learning inside and outside of performance ensembles now.

6. WHAT HAS BEEN THE PROUDEST MOMENT DURING YOUR TEACHING CAREER? While I have had some wonderful moments, I'm more thankful than proud. I'm thankful I have been able to offer students the opportunities to do things they hadn't thought they could do. We can all agree that instilling confidence and belief in students who had little to none is very rewarding. The time that probably stands out the most is when I took a group to California by plane, as many of those specific students had never flown before. One day on that trip we had the chance to briefly see the beach area by the Santa Monica Pier. The temperature was mid 60s at best and the water temperature had to be in the 50s, but those kids had never seen the Pacific Ocean before. Most of them ran to it and played in the water in their street clothes. I asked a couple of kids what they were thinking. The answer I got was that that knew they would probably never see the Pacific Ocean again and wanted to make the most out it while they could, even if it meant being cold and wet. Fortunately, we were scheduled to head right back to the hotel after that! That was a special moment.

7. WHAT WISDOM/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS DO YOU HOPE STUDENTS GAIN FROM THEIR TIME IN YOUR PROGRAM?

8. IS THERE A PARTICULAR MUSICAL WORK OR COMPOSER TO WHICH YOU FEEL ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE EXPOSED? No, but I would say that Alfred Reed is my favorite composer.

Sometimes students are not at a place where simple "exposure" to a given composer will relate or connect to where they are as people or musicians. Students (and directors) need to have literature that they can relate to and grow through.

9. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TEACHERS BEGINNING CAREERS IN MUSIC EDUCATION? This is a heavy profession and an often imposing and daunting job. Young directors need to have a solid support system inside and outside the world of music education, continue to hone their individual teaching and musical skills, and not try to do everything on their own. Students will amaze and disappoint you, just as directors amaze and disappoint students. Learn from both successes and failures while staying humble and hungry, then go home, regroup, and do your best the next day and every day. You can't do more than that. Be comfortable with that.

10. WHAT STILL INSPIRES YOU ABOUT TEACHING? I am continually inspired to see how much students will grow through their own motivation or through the encouragement and prompting of others as an ensemble. I love seeing students pour themselves into something that means the world to them (music or each other) and the synergistic effect of the combined efforts of their peers and those who believe in them--often times even more than they believe in themselves.

Of course I want all my students to take the opportunity to grow to be highly skilled musicians, but beyond that--more important than that in many ways--I want my students to learn how to build authentic community. I believe that learning how to be a part of or create a sense of community is one of the hardest things adults have the challenge to do. I want them prepared for that. I hope that they have true community in my programs.

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