First Vice President’s Message

RANDALL COLEMAN

Midwest 2021 is now a memory for us all. I often wonder if other professions have an event like the Midwest that is so eagerly anticipated by those in the profession. I know that the Midwest is special to so many of us not just because of the professional development that is available to us…but it is the relationships that we have built over the years…in large part due to the Midwest Clinic… that we are able to renew and energize during the week in Chicago. I am also certain that the fact that MUSIC is central to the Midwest “theme” has much to do with the special aura that surrounds the entire city for those of us fortunate enough to be able to be there IN PERSON this year. Those relationships we have built are so special to us all and to be able to say hello and to reminisce about those special “Midwest Memories” make it such an amazing time. It was so good to be able to finally celebrate our National Band Association’s 60th Anniversary with you. Even though it was delayed by a year, our time together celebrating the NBA’s storied past and incredible future was so enlightening. Thank you all to those who were able to attend and help us “raise a toast” to the next 60 years!

Much of the General Business meeting was dedicated to announcing some well-deserved honors and awards. Congratulations to Frank Ticheli for his work “Lux Perpetua” as it won the NBA Revelli Composition Contest. We were also honored to be able to hear Frank’s incredible new work performed by the US Army Field Band with Dr. Ticheli conducting. On that same concert, was the premiere of James David’s new work “Urban Light” which was commissioned by the National Band Association to celebrate our 60th anniversary. I hope you will check out both pieces if you weren’t able to hear them at Midwest. Three very special conductors were introduced at our General Meeting as the newest inductees into the National Band Association’s Hall of Fame of Distinguished Conductors. These gentlemen are so very deserving of this honor and have all played a role as mentor and friend to so many, myself at the top of the list! Congratulations to Col. Lowell Graham, Professor Joe Hermann, and Professor Don Wilcox, who will all be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame this coming February. Each of you has such a legacy in our profession and this honor is so richly deserved. Our great friend, conductor, composer, historian and “music history guru” Loras John Schissel was also recognized as the most recent inductee into the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts. The “AWAPA” is considered our profession’s equivalent of the Oscar and is awarded to those who have made significant contributions to bands.

We are living and working through difficult and challenging times, and it is exciting to see how the profession we love so much is moving forward.

FIRST VICE–PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

First Vice–President’s Message, Randall Coleman, cont.

The National Band Association is forever indebted to our first President, Dr. Al Wright, who, along with his wife Dr. Gladys Wright, has endowed the Al and Gladys Wright Distinguished Legacy Award. This award is present to those who have made life-long and significant contributions to the profession through achievement in leadership, teaching, mentorship, and service. This year’s winners are NBA Past President Roy Holder and Dr. Julian White, Director of Bands, Florida A&M University (retired). I am certain you will see more about all our award winners elsewhere in the Journal. One of the most special things that our organization does for our members and our profession is the recognition of those who mean so much to us. Congratulations, one and all!

As we look forward to the spring and summer of 2022, one of the NBA’s most significant projects will take place in June 2022. The NBA Young Composer and Conductor Mentoring Project is planned to take place in Washington D.C. with the United States Air Force Band as our primary ensemble. We look forward to hosting the young composers and conductors for several days of clinics, connections, and concerts in our nation’s capital with one of the most incredible wind bands as our host. I would encourage you to also look at the recently updated Selective Music List on the NBA website. The SML committee and our IDEA committee have both worked diligently to prepare this professional document for our members. Please take advantage of all the information contained on the list.

It is my honor to serve the National Band Association. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time if I can ever be of assistance to you or your program. Midwest also reminds me that we are all standing “on the shoulders of giants” as we work to move our profession forward into new and at many times uncharted waters. We are living and working through difficult and challenging times, and it is exciting to see how the profession we love so much is moving forward. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the organization and you, our members.

Randall Coleman First Vice-President National Band Association

NBA WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU

We welcome and encourage members to submit articles for inclusion in future editions of the NBA Journal. Peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed articles are accepted. Please note the following deadlines for submission:

JOURNAL EDITION DEADLINE

Winter Edition (February) Spring Edition (May) Summer Edition (August) Fall Edition (November) January 1 April 1 July 1 October 1 Please submit your article in Word document format to NBA Journal Editor Matthew Talbert at talbertm@ohio.edu. For guidance on how to submit a peer-reviewed article, please see page 87. Articles are published at the discretion of the editor and may appear in a later journal edition.