G E O R G I A
M U S I C
E D U C AT O R S
A S S O C I AT I O N
N E W SLE T T E R
MaY
2022
I ’ m no t telling y o u i t ’ s goi n g to be e asy - I’m tel l i n g you i t ’ s go ing to b e wort h i t . A RT
W I L L I A M S
M a Y IN
T H IS
ISSU E
STATE TEACHER OF THE YEAR BARROW COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR AROUND THE STATE DISTRICT 1 DISTRICT 4 DISTRICT 5 DISTRICT 6 DISTRICT 7 DISTRICT 13 DISTRICT 14
A RESPONSE FROM CECIL WILDER IN MEMORIUM W I L L I E RO G E R S C H A R A C T E R D UA N E H U F F
PS FROM THE PRESIDENT
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NEWSLETTER | MAY
GEORGIA
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Michael Kobito
Michael Kobito, high school band director and AP music theory teacher at Woodland High School in the Bartow County School System has been named the 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year. According to State Superintendent Richard Woods, “Michael Kobito is an outstanding educator who exemplifies both student-centered decision-making and the role of the fine arts in providing a world-class education to students. I’m proud to recognize him as the 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year, and look forward to working with him to elevate the teaching profession and advocate for Georgia’s public schools.” Michael not only oversees and manages four concert bands, he is also responsible for a 200 member marching band, basketball pep band, winter guard, jazz band, and a private lesson institute. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Mr. Kobito is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at Georgia College and State University. Next year, Kobito will fulfill the role as ex-officio member of the State Board of Education, and advocate for public education. He will also compete for the title of 2023 National Teacher of the Year.
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NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER | MAY
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NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER |MAY
Michael Kobito
“Michael Kobito is an outstanding educator who exemplifies both student-centered decision-making and the role of the fine arts in providing a world-class education to students. I’m proud to recognize him as the 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year, and look forward to working with him to elevate the teaching profession and advocate for Georgia’s public schools.”
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NEWSLETTER | MAY
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NEWSLETTER |MAY
Michael Kobito
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NEWSLETTER | MAY
CONGRATULATIONS 7
NEWSLETTER |MAY
Michael Kobito
BARROW COUNTY
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Dion Muldrow
Dion Muldrow, GMEA Vice President of Performance Evaluations, has been named the Barrow County Teacher of the year for 2022-2023. A native of Sumter, South Carolina, Mr. Muldrow graduated with honors from Sumter High School in 1995 and received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Georgia in 2001. Prior to receiving his bachelor’s degree, Mr. Muldrow served on the staff of Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps in 2000 as a music rehearsal technician. Dion began his teaching career at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia in 2001. Following his time at Apalachee, Mr. Muldrow served as Director of Bands at Shiloh High School. Prior to rejoining the faculty at Apalachee, Muldrow spent nine years as Director of Bands at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, GA. Bands under Mr. Muldrow’s direction have performed at the Nokia Sugar Bowl, marched through Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios, Universal Studios Theme Park and the 2010 National Fourth of July Parade in Washington, DC. Most recently his bands performed in the nationally televised McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Kennesaw State University Invitational in Kennesaw, GA. Mr. Muldrow’s professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the Music Educators National Conference, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Kappa Kappa Psi Band Service Fraternity and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Personal honors include selection for Who’s Who Among American Teachers on three occasions and selection for Who’s Who in America. Mr. Muldrow is an active adjudicator in the state of Georgia and resides in Athens with his wife, Rachel, daughters, Raegan and Daphne, and son Berlioz.
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NEWSLETTER | MAY
SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER PROGRAMS
ACCESS NOW
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NEWSLETTER |MAY
AROUND THE STATE EVENTS AND NEWS FROM GMEA'S 14 DISTRICTS
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NEWSLETTER | MAY
DISTRICT ONE • Mathew T. Graham was selected as the 2023 Teacher of the Year at the STEM Academy in Savannah Chatham County.
DISTRICT FOUR • Congratulations to the City Schools of Decatur for their selection by the NAMM Foundation as one of the Best Communities for Music Education! The NAMM Foundation recognized the City Schools of Decatur for the outstanding efforts of teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders who are making music part of a wellrounded education for every child in their communities. The CSD Music Department includes: District Music Lead-Teacher Cindy Clark, Nick Brooks,Tyler Ehrlich, Elise EskewSparks, Kristen Gwaltney, David Hirschorn, Tanya Jessup, Christine Kraemer, Heston McCranie, Monica Nelson, Kathryn Pierce, Russ Thompson, and Argean Vokes.
DISTRICT FIVE • Congratulations to the Johns Creek High School Chamber Orchestra and director Young Kim for being selected once again to perform at the prestigious Midwest Clinic – International Band & Orchestra Conference in Chicago, Il this
December. This is the third invitation for the Johns Creek High School Orchestra (2012, 2017, 2022). This is Young Kim’s fourth time to take a group to perform at the Midwest Clinic, as his first Midwest invitation came when he was directing at Centennial High School in 2005. The Johns Creek High School Orchestra will perform on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. in the 375E room at the McCormick Place Convention Center. • Stephen Lawrence, GMEA State Orchestra Division Chair and Director of Orchestral Activities at North Atlanta High School, was recently awarded the Atlanta Public Schools Excellence in Arts Education Award. Mr. Lawrence, a graduate of North Atlanta High Schooland the prestigious Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Talent Development Program, received his bachelor’s degree at Loyola University, studying with Dean Angeles and Virginia Olander. After two years teaching strings in Rochester, NY, he returned to Georgia. He has spent most of his career at North Atlanta where he has been honored as their Teacher of the Year and then selected as the Atlanta Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year (2018-2019). Stephen has also been named the Georgia ASTA Educator of the Year.
JOHNS CREEK HIGH SCHOOL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
AROUND THE STATE DISTRICT SIX
DISTRICT FOURTEEN
• Jennifer Theilacker, Assistant Band Director at Fayette County High School, had accepted the head band director position at Bennett’s Mill Middle School in Fayette County.
• Kyle Bickwit, Director of Bands at East Hall Middle School in Gainesville and Wes York, Director of Bands at Malcom Bridge Middle School in Bogart have been invited to present their clinic titled “Bassooner the Better: A Guide to Starting Beginning Bassoonists” at the 2022 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. Kyle and Wes first presented this session at the annual GMEA In-Service Conference in January and are ecstatic to bring the session to a broader audience at Midwest in December.
DISTRICT SEVEN • Lanae Dickstein’s session “Let’s Get ORGANIZED!” which was presented at the 2022 GMEA In-Service Conference, has also been accepted to The 2022 Midwest Clinic. This session will provide practical guides on how to make positive changes in your work habits to optimize your mental energy.
DISTRICT THIRTEEN • Hillary Jones, choral director at Jefferson High School since 2014, has accepted an assistant director position at Jones Middle School in Gwinnett County for the 2022-2023 school year.
KYLE BITWICK & WES YORK
• As of the 2022-2023 school year, Emily Boswell will be the new K-5 Music Educator at Bethlehem Elementary in Barrow County. She will make this move after spending three years in the Hall County School system at Mt. Vernon Explorator.
A RESPONSE FROM CECIL WILDER Whatever I have done in my life could not have been done without the help and support of many people. These prominently include my immediate and extended family, my high school band director, Truman Welch, Auburn University Band Director Bodie Hinton, my college trombone teacher, Bill Walls, Bob Richardson, my music theory teacher and jazz mentor and Bill Hill (Georgia State University). Each deserves my profound thanks, as do my friends and professional colleagues, especially David Gregory. David has been among my closest friends since 1969, and has given me professional opportunities I would not otherwise have experienced. To be honest, I have benefitted from fortuitous circumstances, otherwise known as being in the right place at the right time. I have had a truly blessed life, as we sometimes say, “better than I deserve”. Being a member and employee of GMEA has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences of my life and I say a heartfelt, “Thank you,” to all of you who have made that possible.
VIEW THE TRIBUTE TO CECIL
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NEWSLETTER | MAY
I N
M E M O R I U M
WILLIE ROGERS CHARACTER
Willie Rogers Character, 82, a native of Rome, Georgia, died peacefully on February 20, 2022 following a brief illness. Mr. Character graduated from Main High School in Rome and attended Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio where he earned a B.S. Degree in Music Education. Plans to continue his education were interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. After basic training in Arkansas, he attended the U.S. Naval School of Music in Washington D.C.. Upon completion of this course of study, he was assigned a three year tour of duty with the Fourth Armored Division in Goeppingen, Germany. While there, he played the baritone in the division band and was assigned as Conductor of the Fourth Armored Division Chorus. After completing his tour of duty in Germany in 1965, Mr. Character returned home to Rome. He found a position with the Waycross City School System as a city wide music instructor in the elementary schools. This move completely changed his life professionally and personally. He immersed himself into the community, both with his love of music and history. He also met the young woman who would later become his wife. During his years in Waycross, he played for and directed many
church choirs including St. Peter’s Baptist Church, Gaines Chapel A.M.E. Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church, First Antioch Baptist Church and Greater St. Paul Missionary Baptist. He also played for weddings, receptions, banquets, funerals, concerts, plays, and other musical productions. In addition, he composed and arranged over two hundred musical compositions for chorus, orchestra, band, piano, organ, solo voice, violin, and guitar. He loved research, writing, giving lectures and workshops on music in the Bible, as well as local historical studies on African/ American history from 1830 to the end of the 1900’s. Mr. Character also taught private piano and guitar lessons to students of all ages regardless of their ability to pay for lessons. In 1974, Mr. Character earned a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of Georgia in Athens. He also attended Emory University, Shorter College in Rome, and Valdosta State University. In 1992, he retired from the Waycross City school system. He continued to work part time at the local college level until his health began to fail.
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NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER | MAY
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M E M O R I U M
DUANE HUFF
Lawrenceville GMEA member, Duane Huff, passed away April 20. Duane was a musical pioneer in Gwinnett County Schools, having been the county’s first full-time music teacher in 1962. From the very beginning, he was a positive force in music programs. He worked passionately for funding of facilities and equipment. Beginning as a general science teacher at Bethesda School, where he also developed a choral program, Duane was subsequently asked to develop a general music program for the county. He also started band and choral programs at both Berkmar and North Gwinnett High Schools. In the early days of music teaching the Gwinnett Board of Education saw a K-12 music degree as a non-specialist degree, and many teachers covered all music subjects in several schools during the year. Though Duane also had a dream of developing an orchestra program, it would take many years before today’s orchestra programs became commonplace. Duane spent his last fifteen years in public school music as Choral Director at
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Berkmar HS, and his Singing Patriots Mixed Chorus was well known for high quality performances. He retired in 1988. His daughter, Susan, followed in her father’s footsteps as a successful choral director also in Gwinnett County Public Schools. Duane was an avid aviator and carried his love of teaching into the aviation field as a mentor in the Young Eagles Program which strives to interest teens in flying. His activities in aviation included many awards and most notably, the 2020 induction into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Duane Huff’s memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 25th at First United Methodist Church (395 W Crogan St., Lawrenceville, GA 30046). There will be a 2 PM Visitation followed by a 3 PM Memorial Service. A reception will follow.
NEWSLETTER |MAY
P.S. from
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NEWSLETTER | MAY
m the President Over the past months, I have witnessed many rites of passage for music students. Final high school concerts for seniors, final middle school concerts for eighth graders, Fine Arts signing days, graduation ceremonies, and more. As music educators, we teach the same students for a longer period of time than most teachers. We also teach a subject that requires heightened collaboration and teamwork. This allows us to develop relationships with students that many other teachers do not have. Music teachers see students at their best, and sometimes not their best. Our students know us just as well if not better. At the end of another school year, it is bittersweet to see the passage of time, knowing that students are moving on to the next phase of life.
As teachers, we know the power of our words and actions. When we really think about the impact we have, it can be overwhelming given the number of students we teach. In large ensemble classes of many students, it can be difficult to form relationships with every student. In the words of Mark Twain, “I can live for two months off a good compliment.” So can our students! Music teaching is hard work. Seeing students grow over several years can be one of the most rewarding aspects, encapsulated in the moment when they move on to the next phase of life. Maybe that is why I enjoy graduation music so much, whether it is Pomp & Circumstance by Elgar or Good Riddance by Green Day. It reminds me of students at their best: hopeful for the future, yet nostalgic for their school music program.
From time to time, I will be out in public, and a former student will (re)introduce themselves to me. I am always grateful for those moments, but I almost never recognize the student. After all, students grow up and look much different than they did in school! Often, the student will share a memory about something I said or did in class. Unfortunately, I usually have no memory of it whatsoever. But it was important to that student to remember and share many years later.
As you enjoy the summer, the start of a new school year lurks in the shadows. Hopefully, you are excited for the opportunities it will bring. This includes a new crop of students entering your program. These new students are excited for the possibilities and experiences they will have, and just a few years later, they will be moving on just like the students before them. Before you know it, you will be wishing them well, telling them to keep in touch, and feeling those same bittersweet emotions when students move on to the next chapter. Keep that in your mind as these new students begin their journey in your music program. They deserve the same great opportunities enjoyed by the students before them. Best wishes for a safe and happy summer!
Likewise, when I think back to my own experiences as a music student, my core memories are important to me, but my teachers probably do not remember at all. Last year, I joined a group of alumni trombone students gathered on Zoom for a surprise birthday celebration for our teacher. As we traded stories, our teacher occasionally remarked that he did not remember, but it sounded like something he would say!
Matt Koperniak
GMEA PRESIDENT
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NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER ||MAY MAY
MARCHING georgia music educators association
COMPETITIONS AND FESTIVALS
APPLY TODAY
gmea.org/marching-band 18
NEWSLETTER | MAY
upcoming e ve n t s 5/14
Annual Board Meeting
6/1
The Good Ol' Summer Time
n e w 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3 s t a t e w i d e c al e n d a r
ava i l ab l e soon 19
NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER
Ho w luck y am I t o h av e so m eth i n g t h at m ak e s say ing goodb ye so h ard. A . A .
M I LN E