October/November 2016 Ala Breve

October/November 2016

ala breve The Official Publication of the Alabama Music Educators Association

Conference Issue

SAMFORD MUSIC

Samford University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, music education, performance, composition, and music and worship.

AUDITION AND INTERVIEW WEEKENDS FOR PROSPECTIVE MUSIC MA JORS Nov. 4–5, 2016 Feb. 3–4, 2017 Feb. 24–25, 2017 Graduate Auditions: Feb. 11, 2017 Fo r m s a n d a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n a r e a v a i l a b l e a t s a m f o r d . e d u /a r t s 20 5 -7 26 - 4524 • a r t s @ s a mf o rd . e d u

Samford University is an Equal Opportunity Institution that complies with applicable law prohibiting discrimination in its educational and employment policies and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or national or ethnic origin.

Troy University John M. Long School of Music Annual Events Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic – Middle School December 1-3, 2016

Southeastern United States Choral Clinic – High School January 13-14, 2017

Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic – High School February 2-4, 2017

Guitar Festival February 17, 2017

Vocal Jazz Invitational March 22-23, 2017

Clarinet Day March 25, 2017

Degree Programs Bachelor of Arts in General Music Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Bachelor of Music Education – Instrumental Bachelor of Music Education – Vocal/Choral Music Minor Music Industry Minor Performing Arts Minor

For more information and calendar of events please visit: Music.troy.edu

ala breve October/November 2016

the official publication of the Alabama Music Educators Association Features...

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2017 Conference Quick Facts

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AMEA Governing Board Directory

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AOA All-State Clinicians

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AMEA Presidents - Past to Present

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Phi Beta Mu Tips That Click

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AMEA Professional Development Conference Pre-Registration Form

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FAME Registration Form

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2016 University of Montevallo Kodály Certification Program

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Choral Music Reviews by Diane Orlofsky

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2017 AMEA Conference Schedule

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2017 AMEA Conference Featured Speakers

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Music Teacher’s Guide to ESSA

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AMEA Industry Members

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2017 AMEA Clinicians

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2017 AMEA Performing Groups

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Campus Connections

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Call for Research Posters

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AMEA Schedule of Events

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Feature Article: Music and Senior Citizens ... by Lisa J. Lehmberg, Ph.D

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Feature Article: What Makes a Great Music Teacher by Tony Mazzocchi

Departments...

6 ........................President 8 ................................AOA 10..............................HED 13 ......................Collegiate 14 ..............................ABA 17 .................................AVA 18 .......................Registrar 20 ...................ELEM/GEN

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Advertisers Index American College of Musicians ...............55 Arts Music Shop, Inc ..................back cover AU Bands HS Honor Band.......................31 AU Bands MS Honor Band........................3 AU Music Department .............................16 Faulkner University Music .......................21 Gadsden Music Company.........................62 Huntingdon College Bands.......................54 John M. Long School of Music (Troy).......4 Samford ......................................................2

Smoky Mountain Music Festival................8 Sunburst....................................................10 UA Bands..................................................63 UA School of Music .................................49 UAB Bands...............................................34 UAB Music...............................................61 UNA Department of Music ......................12 University of Montevallo .........................50 University of South Alabama Bands ........53 University of South Alabama Music ........11 Yamaha.....................................................15

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Susan Smith, AMEA President I hope this note finds you all adjusting to your teaching schedule routine and enjoying brightening the lives of all you teach. My letter this month comes as an update on what has been happening since the last issue and all that we can expect for the coming months for AMEA. By now, I hope you have all seen our wonderful newly updated website. Past President Carl Hancock has done a masterful job of designing, consolidating and updating our AMEA website. We want this to be a source of current information and research for all members. You can reach any of the executive board through the site if you have questions or concerns.

It has been inspiring to watch the work and dedication of your AMEA Executive Board in the last two months. When the schedule came out for a round of meetings across the state for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Community Engagement Tour highlighting the benefits to Alabama public school students and professionals as well as detail how ESSA will complement Alabama’s Plan 2020, your division Presidents, Vice Presidents and other leadership jumped in to represent you at each of the meetings. Their attendance and the questions they asked have moved the committee to action regarding music and the arts having a place at the table in the discussion on the structure of how to incorporate the support of the arts in our state.

I appreciate their commitment to AMEA and the cause for music education.

Meetings and attendees: August 9 Montgomery Meeting - Susan Smith and Andy Meadows August 16 Auburn Meeting - Carla Gallahan and Phil Wilson August 18 Shelby County Schools - Becky Halliday, Ted Hoffman August 23 Birmingham City Schools - Greg Gumina, Sam Nordlund August 25 Mobile County Schools - Linda Byrd September 6 Huntsville City Schools - Pat Stegall September 13, Tuscaloosa - Carl Hancock, Josh Meyer, Ginny Coleman I encourage every AMEA member to start a conversation with your principals and school board members about ESSA and what it means at the local level. Resources are available at Governor Bentleys website (http://governor.alabama.gov/essa/)and also the NAFME website(http://www.nafme.org/take-action/elementary-and-secondaryeducation-act-esea-updates/)

From the Southern Division President Elect Greg Gumina, Executive Director Garry Taylor and I attended the Southern Division meeting in Atlanta and heard from each state on the activities of their MEAs. As well, we had training on the implementation of the new National Standards and the efforts of NAFME to encourage diversity in leadership and serving the needs of the membership. I have asked each division to encourage all members to become involved in our organizations to better reflect the makeup of our organization and students we serve.

Conference Update The AMEA Professional Development Conference is an event we all look forward to as a time to reconnect with colleagues and to hear wonderful clinics and concerts. We are excited about our Keynote speaker Scott Lang who is not only a motivational speaker, but is the force behind the Be Part of the Music movement. Lynn Tuttle will join us as well for our Leadership Breakfast and FAME sessions. Lynn is the Senior Regulatory Policy Advisor for the National Association for Music Education and will give us all insight into the progress of ESSA and how we can make an impact at the local level.

Our Intercollegiate Band will be conducted by Dr. John Locke, conductor of the University of North Carolina Greensboro Wind Ensemble. Working to support and strengthen our ties to the music industry community, AMEA has scheduled a reception on Thursday evening in the Exhibits from 9-10:30 with entertainment from 151st National Guard Jazz Combo. We hope this will give our members and vendors additional time to visit and make connections. Remember to register early and reach out to other members to do the same.

Due to responsibilities associated with running for local office, our newly appointed Assistant Executive Director, Mildred Lanier has had to step down. The AMEA board approved her replacement, Dr. Rusty Logan. We look forward to working with Dr. Logan in this role and know he will hit the ground running in supporting our Executive Director Garry Taylor and our Professional Development Conference!

Remember over the next few weeks to be a little selfish as teachers tend to think of everyone around them and not take care of themselves. We exist as an organization to encourage educators, so please let us know what we can do to support you in your mission to enrich the lives of your students each day.

2017 AMEA Professional Development Conference ­ Quick Facts The conference schedule and clinician and performer photos and bios are in this issue of Ala Breve. l

Dates: January 21­23, 2017

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Location: Renaissance Montgomery Hotel at the Convention Center and the Embassy Suites Hotel

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Dynamic Keynote Speaker: Scott Lang

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Lobby performance applications are due by October 1. See the AMEA website (www.myamea.org)for the form.

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FAME applications are due by January 10. Register at myamea.org or print the form on page 22 of this issue.

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Pre­register on­line (myamea.org) or print the form on page 19 of this issue.

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Reserve a room at the conference rate: Visit the AMEA website (www.myamea.org) for links to both the Renaissance Hotel and the Embassy Suites Hotel across the street.

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October/November 2016

AMEA Governing Board 2016-2017 President Susan Smith Saint James School 6010 Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36116 president@myamea.org Immediate Past President Carl Hancock University of Alabama Box 870366 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (205) 348­6335 past_president@myamea.org

President, AOA Samuel Nordlund 405 Buchanan Hall Samford University 800 Lakeshore Dr. Birmingham, AL 35229 snordlun@samford.edu President, AMEA Collegiate Joshua Meyer University of Alabama (256) 566­1265 jpmeyer@crimson.ua.edu

Industry Representative Becky Lightfoot Arts Music Shop 3030 East Blvd.

Montgomery, AL 36116 334/271­2787 beckyl@artsmusicshop.com Executive Director Editor, Ala Breve Garry Taylor 1600 Manor Dr. NE Cullman, AL 35055 (256) 636­2754 executive_director@myamea.org

Garry Taylor, Editor & Advertising Manager 1600 Manor Dr. NE Cullman, AL 35055 (256) 636-2754 amea@bellsouth.net

President­Elect Greg Gumina Shades Valley High School 6100 Old Leeds Road Irondale, AL 35210 (205) 956­4638 president_elect@myamea.org

Recording Secretary Carla Gallahan 212 Smith Hall Troy University Troy, AL 36082 (334) 670­3502 recording_secretary@myamea.org

President, AVA Ginny Coleman Tuscaloosa County High School 12500 Wildcat Drive Northport, AL 35475 (205) 342 2670 gcoleman@tcss.net

AMEA Collegiate Advisor Ted Hoffman Univesity of Montevallo Station 6670 Davis Music Building 308 Montevallo, AL 35115 (205) 665­6668 ehoffman@montevallo.edu

Assistant Executive Director Rusty Logan 2020 Janabrooke Lane Auburn, AL 36830 (334) 663­1702 assistant_ed@myamea.org

Treasurer/Registrar Pat Stegall AMEA Registration PO Box 3385 Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 treasurer_registrar@myamea.org

President, ABA Micheal Holmes Mountain Brook Junior High School 205 Overbrook Rd. Birmingham, AL 35213 (205) 871­3516 x 8525 thetubaman@charter.net

President, Elem/Gen Cliff Huckabee The Montgomery Academy Lower School Campus 1550 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334­462­3790 cliffhuckabee@gmail.com

President, Higher Education Becky Halliday University of Montevallo Department of Music Davis 317 Montevallo, AL 35115 (205) 665­6666 AHalliday@montevallo.edu

Alabama Department of Education Arts Education Specialist Andy Meadows 50 North Ripley Street Montgomery, Alabama 36104 (334) 353­1191 ameadows@ALSDE.edu

ADVERTISING & COPY DEADLINES Fall - August/September (Back to School) issue: July 15 Winter - October/November (Conference) issue: September 15 Spring - February/March (All-State) issue: January 15 Summer - May/June (Digital Only) issue: April 15

Unless otherwise indicated, permission is granted to NAfME members to reprint articles for educational purposes. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of AMEA or the Editor. All announcements & submissions are subject to editorial judgement/revision.The Alabama Music Educators Association is a state unit of NAfME: The National Association for Music Education, a voluntary, nonprofit organization representing all phases of music education in schools, colleges, universities, and teacher-education institutions. Active NAfME/AMEA membership is open to all persons engaged in music teaching or other music education work.

Ala Breve is published four times a year (August, October, February & May) by the Alabama Music Educators Association and printed by Hardwick and Son Printing in Dothan, Alabama.

Subscription for members is $4.00 per year as part of annual NAfME/AMEA dues. Subscriptions for non-members is $15.00 per year. Bulk rate postage paid at Dothan, Alabama.

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Samuel Nordlund­ President, Alabama Orchestra Association Autumn in Alabama. Leaves changing, a break in the heat, and of course… All-State Orchestra auditions!

Alabama All-State Orchestra – ALL are welcome!

OK, back to reality. Fall in Alabama is reserved for football and marching band. I know because I was and still am a part of it (football fandom, at least!). As a serious cellist growing up in Alabama, I ended up playing trumpet in band because schools in the Birmingham metro area did not offer string programs of any sort. My experience in band was terrific, and my band directors, Kim Bain and Jim Duren, were and still are as good as it gets. I was a pretty decent trumpeter and I had many outstanding classmates, but when I think back to those days, All-State Orchestra never seemed to be on the radar in band circles. A few brave souls ventured into the Alabama Youth Symphony and were thus indoctrinated into the orchestra world, but the large majority didn’t even consider orchestra although they would participate in several honor bands throughout the year. Now, as a professional cellist and official ambassador of the orchestra community, I would like to begin to strengthen the ties between our outstanding band programs and the orchestra opportunities offered in this state.

An educational festival for elementary, middle, and high school students in band, choir, and orchestra

Do not be afraid! Band students who participate in orchestra will only become stronger band players. They will gain confidence from playing individual parts, learn nuance from balancing with stringed instruments, master skills such as transposition, and be exposed to centuriesworth of timeless orchestral repertoire. I remember sensing a fear of the unknown when terrific wind players decided not to audition for All-State or youth orchestra. If you are a parent or band director, even without an orchestral background, I hope you will encourage your students to

2017 dates: April 21-22, April 28-29, May 5-6 2018 dates: April 20-21, April 27-28, May 4-5

www.SMMFestival.com or call:1-855-766-3008

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participate in orchestra. It may open up a future in orchestral performance to them. If you are lucky enough to have strings at your school, collaborate on a full orchestra production, or simply spend a class period playing part of a Mahler symphony for your students. You may transform somebody’s world, and that is our goal as educators and parents, is it not?

It is my great honor to announce our fantastic 2017 All-State Orchestra conductors. Directing the Festival Orchestra will be Dr. Sandra Dackow, Music Director of the Hershey (PA) Symphony Orchestra, and well-known arranger. Leading the Sinfonia and Consort Orchestras will be a husband/wife duo. Foster Beyers, Sinfonia conductor, is the newly appointed Director of Orchestras at James Madison University, after spending several years in the same position at Concordia College in Minnesota.

Dr. Christina Chen-Beyers, Consort conductor, has extensive experience with collegiate, youth, and string orchestras in Western Minnesota and the Eastern Dakotas.

Complete bios can be found in this edition of Ala Breve and at www.alabama orchestra association.org.

Our second annual Orchestra MPAs will be held April 21 and 22, 2017! We are planning two host sites this year – a northern regional at UNA (Florence), and a South Central regional at ASU (Montgomery). At time of press, details are still being hammered out, but by the time you are reading this, we should have the application process in full swing. Youth Orchestras, school string programs, guitar ensembles, and any other string-involved ensembles are encouraged to register. We had 14 groups participate last year, and we hope two locations will help us increase this number even further. So come on down – ALL are welcome!

AOA Important Dates September 30-October 11, 2016 - District All-State Auditions November 16, 2016 - Results Posted December 1, 2016 - Festival Registration Deadline December 2, 2106 - Begin Notifying Alternates December 15, 2016 - Music Mailed January 19-21, 2017 - AMEA Conference February 9-12, 2017 - All-State Festival October/November 2016

2017 Alabama All State Orchestra Conductors Sinfonia

Festival

Consort

Foster Beyers has served as Director of Orchestras at Concordia College since 2011. In addition to leading the Concordia Orchestra, he teaches instrumental conducting and special topics courses in music history. Prior to coming to Concordia, Beyers served as interim director of orchestra at the College of St. Benedict/St. John University for the 2010/2011 academic year. While there, he led the orchestra in the midwest premiere of Daniel Bernard Roumain’s Symphony for the Dance Floor in February of 2011. From 2008-2011 he was a James Sample Fellow in conducting at the University of MinnesotaTwin Cities where he led the Campus Orchestra and String Orchestra and studied with Mark Russell Smith. In November of 2009 he conducted the University of Minnesota Opera Theater and Orchestra in four performances of Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol. He also worked closely with Minnesota Orchestra Music Director Osmo Vanska in preparation for a performance with the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra of Sibelius’s Seventh Symphony in March of 2011.

Sandra Dackow earned the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and the Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music of The University of Rochester. She is currently serving as Music Director of the Hershey Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and is a former Music Director of the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra in New Jersey.

Dr. Christina Yi-Ping Chen-Beyers currently serves as the Orchestra Director of the University Orchestra in FargoMoorhead, an ensemble which includes students from Minnesota State University-Moorhead and North Dakota State University. She is also the music director of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in St. Paul and Northern Valley Youth Orchestras in Grand Forks. As a Sample Fellow in Conducting at the University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities she led the Campus Orchestra and founded the Campus String Orchestra and Summer Orchestra.

Mr. Beyers came to Minnesota from Chicago where he served as Music Director of the Ravenswood Community Orchestra, Assistant Director of Choirs at Kenilworth Union Church, and adjunct instructor of music at Loyola College. He also received a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University in Evanston where he studied with Victor Yampolsky and Mallory Thompson. He also taught band and orchestra in the Green Bay Public schools for five years.

Mr. Beyers has led orchestras including the St.Louis Youth Symphony, Northshore Chamber Orchestra, Skokie Valley Symphony, the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra and the Jugendorchester Stuttgart. As an educator he has conducted the Merit School of Music Symphony Orchestra, Music Institute of Chicago Junior Academy Orchestra and the 2010 Minnesota Middle Level Honors Orchestra as well as numerous regional honors orchestras throughout the midwest.

Mr. Beyers has also served as Music Director for the Buffalo Community Orchestra in Buffalo, Minnesota as well as the Seward Concert Band in Minneapolis. Beyers lives in Moorhead with his wife, conductor Christina Chen-Beyers and their daughter Amelia. ala breve

Recent guest conducting has included appearances with the Helena Symphony, Montana, the All-Queensland Honors Orchestra in Brisbane, Australia, the Kharkov Philharmonic in Ukraine, the Rapides Symphony, Alexandria, Louisiana and the Monroe Symphony, also in Louisiana and the Spartanburg Philharmonic, South Carolina, as well as a tour with the Moriah College Orchestra in Australia.

A Native of East Paterson (Elmwood Park), New Jersey, Dr. Dackow has conducted bands and orchestras in the schools of Glen Rock and East Brunswick, New Jersey, and served as Supervisor of Music for the Ridgewood NJ public schools. A former chair of the string department and orchestra director at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, she has been a visiting faculty member during the summer sessions of the Eastman School of Music, Temple University, Montclair State College NJ, Wichita State University, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and the Cork School of Music, Ireland. She most recently served on the faculty of Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, as director of the University Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.

An annual ASCAP award winning arranger, Dr. Dackow has generated over seventy published works for orchestras and is an author of the Orchestra Expressions curriculum. She is active as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician across the nation and Canada, in England, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ukraine, South Africa and throughout Australia and Ireland.

Articles of hers have appeared in major professional journals and she has contributed to, or co-authored music reference books, methods and texts. Dr. Dackow currently serves as President-elect of the Conductors Guild, an international organization.

Dr. Chen-Beyers believes in the value of music as a powerful tool to bridge the divides between people. Her passion for community engagement led her to organize and conduct a performance of Bach’s St. John Passion with musicians from the University of Minnesota Orchestra and Choirs. In conjunction with this concert, she organized a dialogue about anti-Semitism among religious leaders in the twin-cities. Dr. Chen-Beyers is active locally and internationally as clinician and educator.

Recently she was invited to lead the European Middle School Honors Orchestra in Berlin which is organized by AMIS (The Association of Music in International Schools). She was also invited to lead an orchestra as part of the 2011 North Dakota String Teachers Association Orchestra Festival.

As an oboist she has extensive experience as a performer in numerous setting and has played under world-renowned conductors such as Daniel Harding and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

As an educator she currently holds positions as oboe instructor at University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University where she is excited to join the NDSU faculty woodwind quintet.

Dr. Chen-Beyers holds a D.M.A. degree in conducting from University of Minnesota; a Masters Degree in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University and a B.M. degree in Oboe Performance from the University of Toronto. Her principal conducting teachers include Mark Russell Smith, Victor Yampolsky, and Raffi Armenian. Her oboe teachers include John Snow, Grover Schiltz and Keith Atkinson.

Dr. Chen-Beyers resides in Moorhead with her husband Foster and enjoys taking long walks and watching the sunrise over the great plains.

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Becky Halliday ­ President, Higher Education Division Southwestern State University). Mildred Lanier (President-Elect), Katrina Phillips (Secretary-Treasurer), and I were fortunate to review the applicants for these sessions, and we feel that these presenters demonstrate a great deal of experience and expertise that will enlighten and engage our membership.

Greetings! I hope your semester has gotten off to a smooth start. January may seem far off, but be assured that the AMEA has been hard at work preparing an exciting professional development conference for its membership. The Higher Education Division looks forward to welcoming presenters from across the region who will be speaking on an eclectic mix of topics, including advocacy (Dr. Rob Lyda, Auburn), conducting practices (Dr. Blake Richardson, University of Alabama), copyright (Barry Morgan, Cobb County, GA), web content (Dr. Jane Keuhne, Auburn University), collaboration (Dr. Becky Halliday, University of Montevallo), EdTPA (Dr. Nancy Berry, Auburn University), and video game music (Dr. Mark Laughlin, Georgia

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The HED luncheon will take place on Thursday. This is a good opportunity not only to address divisional business, but also for intercollegiate fellowship. If the need arises, I am happy to add items to our meeting agenda.

That evening, the Collegiate Division will join us for a combined mixer, giving faculty and students a venue for conversation in a relaxed atmosphere.

focus on the interaction between applied faculty, student, and accompanist in performance preparation. Topics may include selection of music, rehearsal techniques, communication, and other aspects of accompanying that may maximize successful performances. These panelists will then perform on the Higher Education Division Recital at 4:30 that afternoon.

As always, I look forward to the excitement and rejuvenation brought by the AMEA Professional Development Conference. Please don’t hesitate to contact me to reserve your spot at the luncheon, or if you have questions, comments, or suggestions: hed_president@ myamea.org

In addition, the HED will host a panel discussion featuring studio teachers, students, and accompanists who will share the process of performance preparation. The session title is I’ll Follow You: The role of the accompanist in collaborative playing, and it is scheduled for Thursday, January 19 at 2:15. This session will

October/November 2016

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA

DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC The University of South Alabama Department of Music, through its innovative curriculum, empowers professional musicians, music educators, and those who wish to enrich their lives through the arts. The Department serves the needs of the University to promote general education and to provide a vital cultural link to the great state of Alabama and to the Gulf Coast region. Its excellent facilities and faculty, promotionoftechnology,anddedicationtolife-longlearningprovideawidespectrumofexperiencesforboththestudentandthecommunity.

The Music Starts Here T

Ensembles

INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES

VOCAL ENSEMBLES

Wind Ensemble Symphony Band Symphony Orchestra String Ensemble Jaguar Marching Band Jaguar Pep Band Jazz Ensemble

University Chorale USA Opera Theatre USA Concert Choir CHAMBER ENSEMBLES

Flute Choir Trumpet Ensemble Trombone Ensemble Tuba Euphonium Ensemble

Chamber Brass Ensembles Chamber Woodwind Ensembles Percussion Ensemble USA Steel Band USA World Music Ensemble Piano Ensemble Guitar Ensemble

Degrees: BM with Concentration in Music Education (Instrumental or Vocal) BM with Concentration in Performance (Instrumental or Vocal) BM with Concentration in Elective Studies (Business or Specific Outside Fields) MM with Concentration in Music Education (Instrumental or Vocal) MM with Concentration in Music Performance (Piano and Vocal) MM with Concentration in Collaborative Keyboard

Contact Information University of South Alabama, Department of Music % Laidlaw Performing Arts Center, Room 1072 5751 USA Drive South, Mobile, AL 36688 % (251) 460-6136 % E-mail: usamusic@southalabama.edu www.southalabama.edu/music % Facebook: facebook.com/southalabamamusic % Twitter: twitter.com/usouthalmusic

Joshua Meyer ­ President, AMEA Collegiate Division

2017 AMEA Professional Development Conference Highlights for Collegiates: Clinics Chosen especially for the Collegiate Division: l Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle: Resources and Ideas for Pronunciation, Comprehension, and Memorization of Sung Texts ­ Tiffany Bostic Brown and Ian Loeppky, Clinicians l The ‘Few Good Men’ in a Choir of Women: How to Employ Quality Repertoire and Teaching Strategies ­ Greg Lefils, Clinician l Learning from the Great Maestros: Five Principles We Can Apply to our Daily Conducting ­ Blake Richardson, Clinician l Developing Part­Singing Skills in School­Age Musicians ­ Georgia Newlin, Clinician l Copyright ­ Barry Morgan, Clinician l Communication with Parents ­ Anne Witt, Clinician l Congratulations! You Got Hired! Now, Don’t Get Fired ­ Lisa Gillespie, Clinician l Get Organized!: Time Management for Music Educators ­ Frank Buck, Clinician l Woodwind Repair: I Can Do All THAT By Myself? ­ Dave Lawson, Clinician l 0­5: The Developmental Years of a Band Director ­ What I Needed to Know but Didn't ­ Russ Thompson, Clinician Plus 49 other clinic sessions of interest to music educators and future music educators Performances: l Alabama Intercollegiate Band l The Huxford Symphony Orchestra l Alabama All­State Show Choir l Alabama All­State Jazz Bands l 22 Invited Performing Groups (bands, choirs, percussion ensembles, jazz bands) representing Elementary, Middle School, High School and College Special Events and other Conference Highlights: Collegiate Luncheon Collegiate/HED Mixer Keynote Speaker: Scott Lang Conference Exhibits Networking

Don’t miss the 2017 AMEA Professional Development Conference. To pre­ register and learn more about the conference visit the conference page of AMEA’s website, myamea.org

AMEA Presidents ­ Past to Present 1946 Yale H. Ellis 1948 Walter A. Mason 1950 Vernon Skoog 1952 John J. Hoover 1954 Lamar Triplett 1956 Carleton K. Butler 1958 Mort Glosser 1960 Wilbur Hinton 1962 Lacey Powell, Jr. 1964 G. Truman Welch 1966 Jerry Countryman 1968 Floyd C. McClure 1970 Jerry Bobo ala breve

1972 Frances P. Moss 1974 George Hammett 1975 Frances P. Moss 1976 S. J. Allen 1978 W. Frank McArthur, Jr. 1980 Paul Hall 1982 Lacey Powell, Jr. 1984 Johnny Jacobs 1986 Merilyn Jones 1988 Ronald D. Hooten 1990 Ken Williams 1992 Dianne Johnson 1994 James K. Simpson

1996 Johnnie Vinson 1998 Michael Meeks 2000 John McAphee, Jr. 2002 Tony Pike 2004 Becky Rodgers 2006 John Baker 2008 Pat Stegall 2010 Steve McLendon 2012 Sara Womack 2014 Carl Hancock 2016 Susan Smith

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Micheal Holmes ­ President, Alabama Bandmasters Association

Are you ready for another great AMEA Professional Development Conference?

Football games, marching band contests, homecoming parades, shiny new instruments for the beginning band students, concerts, Veteran’s Day performances, air freshener for the middle school band room, the first day of fall and it’s still 95 degrees outside. Don’t you just love band?

I love how much band students love band.

What’s not to love? You get to learn to play an instrument which puts you in a position to perform music. You get to make friends for life, because you sit, march, eat, ride a bus, sweat, and make music with the same people all throughout middle school and high school. I also love the time I get to spend with my colleagues. Friday night games, standing on the sidelines at half-time watching, listening, and discussing how the bands are doing with the visiting band staff never gets old. I enjoy visiting at our District meetings listening to everyone talk about how many beginners they have this year, the theme of their marching band show, how hot it has been, and then to see how happy they are when A. B. Baggett walks in with a box of his homemade fudge.

Speaking of spending time with colleagues, it’s time to make plans to attend our January Alabama Music Educators Professional Development Conference. Those that have been selected to perform or present a session have had this conference on their minds for some time now. We should all plan to be in attendance to support our fellow music 14

educators and their students. ABA will be well represented again this year. We have a nice variety of high school and middle school concert bands, jazz ensembles, and percussion ensembles performing. The Collegiate Honor Band sponsored by the Higher Ed Division will be a featured performing group. There is also an array of clinic/sessions that should prove to be of interest to our attendees. This issue of Ala Breve is filled with schedules, bios, registration forms, and all manner of information needed to prepare you for the conference.

Please make every effort to attend. As you read this issue, you will become better informed of the details of the clinics and ensembles that will be performing. Renew your NAfME membership now if you have not done so. Your membership must be current in order to register for the conference. Pre-register now. Reserve your hotel room now. Our onsite preregistration materials pick-up is very fast and easy. Don’t create a traffic jam by waiting until you get to the conference to renew your membership and register for the conference.

See you in Montgomery!

Check the AMEA/ABA website regularly.

You will find needed forms, All-State Band audition requirements, and access to the Cumulative Music list, ABA Directory, District and State Calendars, and other useful and needed information.

Check the abafest.com site weekly for announcements and calendar updates. Your ABA state officers and district officers will be using this site to keep you informed as well as have you register for events such as All-State and MPA. I hope to see you at Midwest and AMEA. The sun is still shining, so DON’T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN!

October/November 2016

It Pays to

Purchase any qualifying “Step Up” Yamaha wind or string instrument between Oct. 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2016 and receive either a $50 or $100 rebate, corresponding to the level of your qualifying purchase. Join the thousands of professional artists who depend on Yamaha. Get a complete list of qualifying instruments and begin the rebate process at the website below.

www.4wrd.it/SUTY16AAB

Ginny Coleman ­ President, Alabama Vocal Association

It’s hard to believe that the school year is already a quarter complete!

Thanks to all who helped to make this year’s Fall Workshop a success.

I hope that you enjoyed connecting with your colleagues around the state.

I think our interaction with Dr. Redding was just a small sample of what our SATB AllState students will experience in March.

Please continue to send your feedback about Fall Workshop. How can we better fulfill our mission through our Fall Workshop event?

If you have great ideas, let us know.

NEW FOR THIS YEAR Online registration is up and running for all events. We appreciate you helping us work out the kinks in the online registration process. Please be sure to read the instructions within the registration forms and continue to send your questions and concerns. Your feedback is valued.

In an effort to connect with our colleagues who are not plugged in with AVA, we are offering a free registration initiative for State Choral Performance Assessment. Directors may register one choir for free (school fee and student fees waived) if their school has not participated in SCPA in the past three years. Please share with your colleagues who may be interested in taking advantage of this offer.

We are also pleased to be able to provide additional services this year during our SCPA event. Each district chair will contract a recording engineer to record all choirs that perform at SCPA. After SCPA is complete, each director will receive a copy of his/her ensemble’s recordings at no additional cost.

UPCOMING EVENTS We look forward to hearing your students at All-State auditions next month. Please be sure to check the instruction pages provided in your music packets and on the website and make sure that your students are singing the ala breve

correct notes for your district. All-State results will not be mailed this year but will be posted online. After auditions are complete, look for an e-mail notifying you that results have been posted.

Our AMEA Conference will be held January 18th-21st at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Montgomery. We look forward to having J.D. Frizzell join us for this conference. He will present sessions entitled “Reinvigorating The Choral Warm Up: Invest Time To Save Time” and “A Choir Director’s Teaching Philosophy: Choosing Inspiration, Empowerment, and Success.”

He will also share a reading session (sponsored by J.W. Pepper) entitled “Poignant, Yet Accessible Music for Mixed Voice Middle School and High School Choirs.” Other sessions cover topics such as expressiveness, beginning a cappella pop, recruiting and retention, vocal jazz, and diction.

Text @avadir to 81010 to join the AVA Director Re­ mind group and re­ ceive important updates

Congratulations to the choirs who submitted and were selected to share performances with us at AMEA. We will hear from middle schools, high schools, and colleges from all over the state. The number of submissions that we received has increased from previous years. Please consider submitting for the 2018 AMEA Conference. Use the recordings that you receive from your SCPA performance and complete an application by June 1 to be considered.

Thank you for taking to the time to read about your professional association. Please send questions, suggestions, or ideas to me at presidentofava@gmail.com. Your feedback is always appreciated. I am looking forward to seeing you in January!

Ginny

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Pat Stegall, AMEA Treasurer/Registrar Registration for the AMEA Professional Development Conference is now open to all members. This year, you may complete your registration online, renew your membership, or join by going to www.myamea.org. Last year we had record attendance and our membership drive was a great success. Let's continue to grow by renewing your membership and asking other Alabama music teachers to join. Membership offers great opportunities for professional growth, so get started today!

Phi Beta Mu

Tips That Click This is a reprint of “Tips That Click” from the August 2010 Ala Breve.

Welcome to a new column that is designed to share information gleaned from some of the most distinguished and experienced instrumental music teachers in the state. It is the hope of Phi Beta Mu that all of us can learn (and relearn) from this knowledge. The focus of this issue’s column is information that would lead to a smooth beginning for a new director or a director starting in a new position. Below are the responses of four prominent band directors who wished to share with all of us.

Our first contributor is Tommy Brannan, who is a member of the Alabama Bandmasters Hall of Fame, Past-President of the Alabama Bandmasters Association and was for many years the Band Director at Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport. His advice to new directors is: “Be organized! Know what your responsibilities are and take care of them in a timely fashion. Plan your year in advance verifying all dates, activities, and place them on the school calendar (during the summer). This proactive effort helps your administrator and others avoid conflicts. Be a good faculty member!

Don’t isolate yourself in the bandroom. Help out with other activities and been seen as “part of the team”. Brannan concludes with: “Get a good mentor(s). Having more than one is a good thing! Ask questions and then listen and accept their advice”.

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Dan Havely was the band director at Athens High School for thirty years and still directs the Athens Community Band and teaches at Athens State College. Dan’s high school bands were always among the finest in the state and the he attributes this to a simple principle: “Don’t cheat the fundamentals. Spend lots of time on long tones and making sure that every student is engaged in producing the best tone possible.” Havely continues by stating: “Breath support is a concept that can affect positively or negatively almost every area of instrumental assessment. Tone, balance, blend, intonation, precision, and articulation are all influenced by breath support.”

Mike Jones served as band director at Hewitt-Trussville Junior High and HewittTrussville High School for over twenty-five years. He is still serving band directors every week as an adjunct instructor, which gives him plenty of opportunities to see “what works” in band programs. He offers two tips that he believes were crucial to his success.

“My first piece of advice for a new teacher would be to find a really good experienced band director (or maybe two) and worry them to death asking questions. I learned more my first few years from guys like Charley Hulgan and Larry Deagon. I was constantly asking them how to do this and that. Any real teacher will be glad to pass along helpful advice. My second piece of advice is plan, plan, plan!!!

Too many teachers try to fly by the seat of their pants.

Have a plan for your rehearsal and stick to it.

Your students are not stupid. They know when you are just bluffing and wasting their time! Both of these tips worked for me and helped me in my career.”

Our final contributor, Pat Stegall, has been the director for over two decades at Muscle Shoals High School, and has also served as AMEA President and many other positions in AMEA and ABA. His reflections on what directors entering a new position are: “When in Rome, Do as the Romans do! Do not try to change everything at once — Slow and steady wins the race. Your job is about providing opportunities for students to find success, no matter what level you are on. Keep your life in balance. (The hardest one for me, personally).

Keep your relationships with students, parents, teachers and administrators “professional”. Learn everyone’s name as quickly as possible. They all know yours! Play more, talk less. Make plans now to attend the AMEA Conference in Montgomery. You will need the experience to energize you”.

The membership of Phi Beta Mu hopes that all new (and old) band directors and music educators have a great start to your best year ever!

Email Phil Min at pemin@me.com if you have suggestions for the “Tips That Click” columns in future issues of Ala Breve.

October/November 2016

PRE-REGISTRATION FORM AMEA In-Service Conference

LAST NAME _____________________________

FIRST NAME_____________________ (for badge) January Renaissance Montgomery Hotel at the Convention Center and Embassy Suites (across the street) NAfME ID#_______________________________ Please enclose a copy of your card.

Home Address: (City)

(State)

(Zip)

AOA

HED

COLLEGIATE

AOA

HED

COLLEGIATE

Email: Primary Phone: School Name: Principal Division:(check only one) ABA AVA

ELEM

Other Division/s Affiliation:(check all that apply) ABA AVA ELEM

Please tell us if you are: Clinician

Conductor of a performing group at the conference

Current Members, Clinicians, Conductors

Retired

First Year Teachers

Collegiate Members

Pre-Registration $85.00 (On-Site Registration $100.00)

Pre-registration $65.00 (On-Site Registration $75.00)

Pre-Registration $30.00 (On-Site Registration $45.00)

Retired Members

Spouse* or Guest* of AMEA Member Registration $15.00

Non-Member Alabama Music Teacher

Registration Complimentary

TOTAL AMOUNT PAID $

*may not be a music teacher

Name

Pre-Registration $185.00 (On-Site Registration $195.00)

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO AMEA A fee of $35 will be charged for returned checks

No Purchase Orders Accepted. Check or Credit Card Only New

Add

To pre-register with a credit card go to www.alabamamea.org through January 8, 2015

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Mail form and check by Jan. 7, 201 to: AMEA 5HJLVWUDWLRQ, 32 %R[ , 0XVFOH 6KRDOV, AL 35

Important: Forms and payment received after Jan. 7 will be held at the registration desk for onsite registration.

Do not send forms or payment to the above address after Jan. 7, 201 !

THANK YOU! Your conference packet will be ready at the registration desk in the Renaissance Hotel.

Your receipt will be in your packet at the conference. ******************************************************************************************************************************************** Please do not fill in the information below. This is for AMEA bookkeeping ONLY Personal Check #

School Check #

Membership verified and payment receipted by:

Date:

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Cliff Huckabee ­ President, Elementary/General Division

As I type this message, we are just weeks away from our tenth annual Elementary Music Festival and our annual fall workshop on October 21st and 22nd in Birmingham.

I am excited that so many of you are bringing your students to participate in this wonderful festival. We welcome back our festival directors, Ben & Kristina Sisco. They have done a fabulous job organizing and promoting our festival. We have several new schools participating and it is going to be a great weekend for our students and teachers.

Our festival will include two great clinicians, Mr. Roger Sams and Mrs. Vicki Portis. I am excited to hear the two fabulous children’s choirs perform on Friday evening at the beautiful Wright Center on the campus of Samford University. We thank Samford University for their support and generosity in making this festival possible. We also thank Dr. Suzanne Burgess for her partnership with us. Mr. Roger Sams will also present the following day at our Saturday Fall workshop at Vestavia Hills Elementary East from 9 AM to 3 PM. It will be a fabulous weekend to celebrate elementary music education!

If I don’t get to see you at the fall workshop, I hope I will see you at our January Conference. The 2017 AMEA Conference will be held in Montgomery for the last time before making the move to Birmingham at the BJCC, and this is a conference you will

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not want to miss. Pre-registration is now open at www.alabamamea.org and you can reserve your hotel room at the Renaissance or Embassy Suites from there as well. Our conference this year is going to have a wide range of sessions that will include something for everyone.

We welcome Andrea Coleman as one of our main clinicians. She will present several sessions on Thursday and Friday along with a special fun evening session on Friday night.

She was one of our festival clinicians last year, and she has some great sessions to share with us. We also welcome back Roger Sams from “Music is Elementary” along with David Frego and Georgia Newton as our other main clinicians. They will be presenting throughout the conference. David Frego will also have an evening fun session Thursday night on Dalcroze.

We will also hear from several of our own elementary division teachers including Lea Hoppe, Dr. Rob Lyda, and Deanna Bell.

They will also be joined by Dr. Patricia Corbin of Jacksonville State University, and Dr. Suzanne Burgess of Samford University.

We will have two elementary choral performances on Friday afternoon at 1:15 PM in the MPAC featuring the Montgomery Academy 5th and 6th Grade Chorus, under the direction of Meg Griffin, and The Ogletree Elementary Singers, under the direction of Phil Wilson. Other sessions of interest will be presented by Quaver Music and ChordBuddy. This will be one of our best conferences yet! I want you to be a part of the action so get pre-registered today!

If you are not receiving emails from the elementary division, I would love to add you to our email list. Just send me an email and I will add you to our email list: elementaryamea@gmail.com I look forward to seeing you and learning together at our upcoming events.

Respectfully Submitted, Cliff Huckabee Upcoming Events 10th Annual Elementary Music Festival – Samford University Birmingham, AL October 21 Fall Joint AMEA/AOSA Workshop – Vestavia Hills Elementary East Birmingham, AL October 22 AOSA 2016 Professional Development Conference Atlantic City, NJ November 2-5 NAfME 2016 National In-Service Conference Grapevine, TX November 10-13 AMEA 2017 In-Service Conference Montgomery, AL January 19-21

October/November 2016

D E P A R T M E N T

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O F

F I N E

A R T S

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F

FAME uture

A

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M E usic

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Open to High School Juniors and Seniors Thursday, January 19, 2017 9:00 A.M. ­ 4:00 P.M. Renaissance Montgomery Hotel at the Convention Center Application and $20 registration fee are due postmarked no later than January 10, 2017 Student_____________________________________________________________

Grade ____________________

Nominating Teacher ____________________________________________ NAfME # _________________________ School Name ____________________________________________________________________________________ School Address __________________________________________________________________________________ Teacher Phone ________________________________ Teacher Email ______________________________________ This student participates in (circle all that apply): Band

Chorus

Orchestra

Publicity Waiver I give AMEA permission to take photos of FAME attendees and use the photos for publicity purposes. By this authorization, I understand and agree that no participant shall receive remuneration and that all rights, title and interest to the photos and use of them belongs to AMEA.

_________________________________________ Signature of Student

Enclose $20 Registration Fee Make checks payable to AMEA

________________________________________________ Signature of Parent if Student is under 18

The FAME program includes many important topics for students considering a career as a music educator.

AMEA provides a $1000 scholarship opportunity to a FAME participant who plans to major in music education at an Alabama college or university. Visit www.myamea.org for details.

Lunch will be provided by AMEA Apply online at http://myamea.org or mail this application, along with the $20 registration fee, to:

Carl Hancock, AMEA Past President 3404 Kennebec St. Northport, AL 35473­1327 Postmark Deadline: January 10, 2017

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October/November 2016

2016 University of Montevallo Kodály Certification Program Congratulations are in order for 14 Alabama teachers who completed training in the Kodály approach to music education through the University of Montevallo Department of Music.

This past July, Levels 1 and 2 were held concurrently at Vestavia Hills Elementary East (Dr. Mark Richardson, principal; Deanna Bell, music teacher). Participants in each of the 2-week courses engaged in pedagogical activities, folk song research, skill development in choir and conducting, and ear-training activities meant to further the development of the individual’s musicianship. The completion of these activities required work outside of class that included curriculum development, lesson planning, and musical score study.

Instructors for this year’s course were Liza Meyers (Oxford, OH), Michele Paise (Murfreesboro, TN), and Jeremy Howard (Lexington, KY). Level 1 participants were Marsha Alexander, Heather Atkins, Chris Byars, Anne Bell-Alford, Tina Fortenberry, Michael Harrison, Kris Lindley, Karen Morgan, and Sadie Wall. Level 2 participants were Deanna Bell, Sarah Commer, Becky Halliday, Brittany Hopfensperger, and Bonnie Mauldin. The 2017 Kodály Certification Levels 1, 2, and 3 will be held July 10 – 21 on the campus of the University of Montevallo. For more information, please contact Dr. Becky Halliday: ahalliday@montevallo.edu

Instructors L to R: Liza Meyers (Level 2 pedagogy, Level 2 solfa), Jeremy Howard (Level 1 pedagogy), Michele Paise (Level 1 solfa; both levels choir and conducting), and Becky Halliday (director, University of Montevallo Kodály Certification Program)

Participants Front, L to R: Brittany Hopfensperger, Deanna Bell, Heather Atkins, Anne Bell-Alford, Kris Lindley, Sarah Commer, Karen Morgan, and Marsha Alexander. Back, L to R: Chris Byars, Michael Harrison, Tina Fortenberry, Bonnie Mauldin, Sadie Wall, and Becky Halliday) ala abreve

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Choral Music Reviews Alma Redemptoris Mater György Orbán (b. 1947) Text: Liturgical Marian Antiphon SATB Chorus, divisi, and Piano Publisher: Hinshaw Music, HMC 2343 Approximate performance time: (ca. 3’45”) Performance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNtD55xe124 (Salt Lake Vocal Artists, Brady Allred, Conductor) Born in Romania and an immigrant to Hungary, Orbán uses a unique mix of traditional Renaissance and Baroque compositional techniques and infuses modern and unexpected rhythmic and harmonic surprises in an effort to develop eloquent and highly musical text paintings. The interplay here between piano and voices demonstrates Orbán’s sensitivity to the plaintive nature of this text.

The meters change often between 2/4, 3/4, 6/8, and 3/8 (sometimes every measure), which also serves the dramatic narrative of the piece.

Loving Mother of the Redeemer, Gate of Heaven, star of the sea, Assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.

To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator, Yet remained a virgin after as before.

Yet who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting, Have pity on us poor sinners.

Diane D. Orlofsky, Ph.D.

motivic echoes. I love how many of these sections are led by the alto and tenor sections (this piece gives those parts a chance to truly shine!).

Give this one a listen! I think you will enjoy what you hear and your choir will relish every rehearsal with this little gem.

Holocene Words and Music by John Stevens and Toby Gad Arranged by Kerry Marsh SSATBaB (approximate level 3.5), Piano Publisher: Kerry Marsh (kerrymarshvocaljazzmyshopify.com) Approximate performance time: 4’58”

Ave Maria Daniel Elder (b. 1986) Text: Latin SATB divisi, unaccompanied Publisher: Walton Music (Andrew Crane Choral Series, HL00144579, WW1554) Approximate performance time: 4’45” Performance video: https://www.giamusic.com/search_details.cfm?title_id=26782 (East Carolina Chamber Singers, Andrew Crane, Conductor)

Made famous by the Indie folk band, Bon Iver (2011), Holocene was named one of the best songs of 2011 by various music publications.

It was also nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the 54th Grammy Awards and featured in several films.

Pitchfork Media included the following description in its review: “ . . .the rising and falling choir changes create a sense of motion that develops throughout the whole song, a tide-like ebb and fly that ends with an abrupt denouement, so swift it withholds almost as much pleasure as it yields” (Staff Lists: The Top 100 Tracks of 2011”, Pitchfork Media, December 12, 2011).

One of the band members, Justin Vernon, explained the song in this way: “It’s partly named after the geological era but it’s also the name of a bar in Portland where I had a dark night of the soul…it is a metaphor for when you’re not doing well, but it’s also a song about redemption and realizing that you’re worth something; that you’re special and not special at the same time”.

Filmed in Iceland, the official music video of the song debuted on the National Geographic Channel and also came to some acclaim. It captures the ethereal nature of the piece (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcyIpul8OE).

Kerry Marsh’s arrangement of Holocene stays true to Bon Iver’s original performance intent (capturing the undulating movement created by the mixed meters and equal importance of sound and silence), but fleshes it out with his own signature harmonies, dissonances, and sensitivity to musical nuance. Kerry believes this piece can serve as a crossover chart, “working well with both traditional choirs as a “special” piece in the program and with vocal jazz ensembles as a ballad” and I quite agree.

Listen to the original and then listen to the demo on Kerry Marsh’s website (kerryarshvocaljazz.myshopify.com/products/ holocenessatab-14) – I fall in love more and more with this piece with every hearing and think you will, too!

Part of J.W. Pepper’s Editors’ Choice collection and the Andrew Crane Choral series, this setting of a very familiar Latin text is a great programming choice for a more advanced a cappella choir.

One critic commented that Elder created a “gorgeous soundscape” and Elder’s bio indicates that his music draws from the Impressionist movement, using “lush lyricism to jagged polyphony”. I describe the opening statement (one that he employs throughout) as creating cascades of polytonal sound that envelops the listener. All parts are featured as the text often spins out, quickly utilizing one voice to eight voices. This effect creates a liquid texture that gives way to

Dr. Diane Orlofsky is Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Troy University, where she oversees the choral program and teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in music education. She is the conductor of the Troy University Concert Chorale and the Director of the Troy University vocal jazz ensemble, frequency.

A suggested pairing for this piece would be the Palestrina (c. 15251594) version of the same title. One of four Marian antiphons, this version of Alma Redemptoris Mater was traditionally sung during the liturgical season that runs from the first Sunday of Advent until February 2. This lovely Renaissance setting has a meditative quality and is based on the more ornate version of the Gregorian Chant (which can be intoned at the beginning of the piece). This piece is readily accessible on cpdl.org.

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October/November 2016

2017 Conference Schedule Wednesday, January 18, 2017 5:00­7:00 PM

AMEA Governing Board Meeting ­ Renaissance, Riverview 2

5:30 ­ 6:00 PM

All­State Show Choir Registration ­ Exhibit Hall B

6:00­9:00 PM

All­State Show Choir Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall B

7:15­9:30 PM

ABA Governing Board Meeting ­ Renaissance, Riverview 1

7:15­9:30 PM

AOA Governing Board Meeting ­ Renaissance, Riverview 3

7:15­9:30 PM

AVA Governing Board Meeting ­ Renaissance, Riverview 4

7:15­9:30 PM

Collegiate Division Governing Board Meeting ­ Renaissance, Riverview Boardroom

Thursday, January 19, 2017 7:45­8:45 AM

AMEA Leadership Breakfast ­ Renaissance, Ballroom B Featured Speaker: Lynn Tuttle, NAfME Director of Content and Policy

8:00 AM­5:00 PM

Conference Registration ­ Renaissance Registration Booth

9:00­9:50 AM

ABA Concert Session, MPAC Tuscaloosa County High School Velvet Blue Jazz Band ­ Mike Guzman, Director

9:00­9:50 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A How Do We Do Acapella Pop?! ­ Megan Rudolph, Clinician

9:00­9:50 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E The ‘Few Good Men’ in a Choir of Women: How to Employ Quality Repertoire and Teaching Strategies to Keep Them Singing ­ Greg Lefils, Clinician

9:00­9:50 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD Composition in the General Music Classroom ­ Roger Sams, Clinician

9:00­9:50 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 5 In Defense of Music Education: Developing Alabama’s Voice for Advocacy ­ Rob Lyda, Clinican

9:00­9:50 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Riverview 3 Sight Read It: Developing Music Reading Skills in Young String Players ­ Andrew Dabczynski, Clinician

9:00 AM­12:00 PM

All­State Show Choir Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall B

9;00 AM­12:30 PM

Intercollegiate Band Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall A

9:00 AM­4:00 PM

FAME, Riverview 1

10:00 AM

Grand Opening of the Exhibits ­ Exhibit Hall C Featured Performance by the 151st Army National Guard Jazz Combo

10:30­11:30 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Sing, my Tongue, the Glorious Battle: Resources and Ideas for Pronunciation, Comprehension, and Memorization of Sung Texts ­ Tiffany Bostic Brown and Ian Loeppky, Clinicians

10:30­11:30 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD Rondo Rendevous ­ Andrea and Joey Coleman, Clinicians

10:30­11:30 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E I Don't Play the Guitar, But I Want to Teach Guitar! Come and Learn How! ­ Travis Perry, Clinician

10:30­11:30 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Riverview 3 Fixing Broken Baroque: Approaching the Baroque in the Beginning and Intermediate String Class Andrew Dabczynski, Clinician

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Thursday, January 19, 2017 10:45­11:30 AM 12:00­1:00 PM

ABA Concert Session ­ MPAC Hewitt­Trussville Middle School Honors Band ­ Brandon Peters, Conductor HED Luncheon ­ Renaissance, Riverview 4

12:00­1:00 PM

Past President’s Luncheon ­ Renaissance, Riverview 2

12:00­1:00 PM

FAME Luncheon ­ Starlight Foyer

1:00­2:00 PM

ABA Concert Session ­ MPAC Pizitz Middle School Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble ­ Kim Bain, Conductor

1:00­2:00 PM

AVA Concert Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Berry Middle School 6th Grade Choir ­ Rachel Smith, Conductor Alabama State University Trebled Soul Vocal Jazz Ensemble ­ Tyrone Hayes, Conductor

1:00­2:00 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, CD Learning from the Great Maestros: Five Principles We Can Apply to our Daily Conducting Blake Richardson, Clinician

1:00­2:00 PM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites Audio Cubes: STEAM instruction for the Music Classroom ­ Deanna Bell, Clinician

1:45­2:45 PM

All­State Jazz Bands Registration ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 7

2:00­5:00 PM

All­State Show Choir Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall B

2:15­3:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Recruiting and Retaining Singers ­ Joel Dunlap, Clinician

2:15­3:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom B The Effective and Efficient Rehearser: Getting More Out of Your Band in Less Time!

Will Petersen, Clinician

2:15­3:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD Honors Level Band: Implementing an Advanced High School Instrumental Music Curriculum in Your School System ­ Shelby County Band Directors, Travis Bender, Moderator

2:15­3:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E Developing Part­Singing Skills in School­Age Musicians ­ Georgia Newlin, Clinician

2:15­3:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 5 Panel Discussion ­ I’ll Follow You: The Role of the Accompanist in Collaborative Playing

2:15­3:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites Move to the Cirque ­ Andrea and Joey Coleman, Clinicians

2:15­4:15 PM

Reading Session ­ Renaissance, Riverview 3 J.W. Pepper presents New Orchestra Music

2:30­5:30 PM

Intercollegiate Band Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall A

3:00­5:00 PM

All­State Jazz Bands Rehearsal ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 1,6,7, and Riverview 7

3:30­4:15 PM

ABA Concert Session ­ MPAC Oak Mountain Middle School Advanced Band ­ Heather Holmes, Conductor

3:30­4:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Facial Expression in Performance: Optional or Required? ­ William Powell, Clinician

3:30­4:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom B Copyright ­ Barry Morgan, Clinician

3:30­4:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites Recorder Playing for Singers and Instrumentalists of all ages: More than “Lightly Row!” Patricia Corbin, Clinician

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October/November 2016

Thursday, January 19, 2017 4:30­5:30 PM

Concert Session ­ MPAC HED Recital

4:30­5:30 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Blast to the Past: Teaching Music History as an Integral Part of the Daily Lesson Plan Kristi Howze, Clinician

4:30­5:30 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD The Fundamental Warm­Up: It Really Is Important ­ Donald Dowdy, Clinician

4:30­5:30 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 5 Clarinet Deconstructed: Breaking Down the Instrument to Build Up Your Section ­ Kip Franklin, Clinician

4:30­5:30 PM

AOA Meeting ­ Renaissance, Riverview 3

5:45­6:45 PM

HED/Collegiate Mixer ­ Embassy Suites

7:00­9:00 PM

All­State Show Choir Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall B

7:00­9:00 PM

All­State Jazz Bands Rehearsal ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 1,6,7, and Riverview 7

7:00­9:00 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD Dalcroze Eurhythmics: Where Do I Start? and Meaningful Movement ­ David Frego, Clinician

7:00­9:00 PM

ABA Concert Session ­ MPAC Oak Mountain High School Wind Ensemble, Kevin Ownby and Travis Bender, Conductors UAH Wind Ensemble ­ C. David Ragsdale, Conductor

7:00­9:00 PM

AVA Concert Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Vestavia Hills High School Just Singin' ­ Megan Rudolph, Conductor Ramsay High School Concert Choir ­ Clarence H. Janes, Jr., Conductor Troy University Collegiate Singers ­ James E. Brown, Conductor University of Montevallo Concert Choir ­ Melinda S. Doyle, Conductor

7:30­9:30 PM

Intercollegiate Band Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall A

9:00­10:30 PM

Exhibit Hall Reception ­ Exhibit Hall C Featured Entertainment ­ 151st Army National Guard Jazz Combo

Friday, January 20, 2017 7:30 AM­1:00 PM

Conference Registration Open ­ Renaissance, Registration Booth

8:00­9:00 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E Create and Integrate Web Content ­ Jane Kuehne, Clinician

8:00­9:00 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Riverview 3 The Big Picture: Deeper Learning and Interdisciplinary Connections in the Orchestra Class Andrew Dabczynski, Clinician

8:00­9:00 AM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites Developing Part­Singing Skills in School­Age Musicians (Repeat Session) ­ Georgia Newlin, Clinician

8:00­9:30 AM

ABA General Meeting ­ Renaissance, Ballroom B

8:30­11:30 AM

Intercollegiate Band Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall A

9:00 AM­12:00 PM

All­State Show Choir Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall B

9:00 AM­12:00 PM

All­State Jazz Bands Rehearsal ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 1,6,7, and Riverview 7

9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Reinvigorating The Choral Warm Up: Invest Time To Save Time ­ J.D. Frizzell, Clinician

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Friday, January 20, 2017 9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E Playing Well Together: Preparing Pre­service Teachers for Collaboration with Music Specialists Becky Halliday, Clinician

9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 5 Communication with Parents ­ Anne Witt, Clinician

9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites M2 = Music Squared ­ Andrea and Joey Coleman, Clinicians

9:45­10:15 AM

ABA Concert Session ­ MPAC Homewood Middle School Percussion Ensemble ­ Chris Cooper, Conductor

10:30­11:45 PM

AMEA General Session ­ MPAC Awards AMEA Business Meeting Homewood Middle School Synergy Drum Circle Keynote: What's Right with Education…MUSIC ­ Scott Lang, Clinician

12:00­1:00 PM

Phi Beta Mu Luncheon ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

12:00­1:00 PM

Collegiate Luncheon ­ Embassy Suites

12:00­1:00 PM

ACDA Board Luncheon ­ Renaissance, Riverview 2

1:00­3:00 PM

Intercollegiate Band Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall A

1:15­2:15 PM

Elem/Gen Concert Session ­ MPAC Montgomery Academy 5th and 6th Grade Chorus ­ Meg Griffin, Conductor Ogletree Singers ­ Phil Wilson, Conductor

1:15­2:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A A Choir Director’s Teaching Philosophy: Choosing Inspiration, Empowerment, and Success J.D. Frizzell, Clinician

1:15­2:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom B Building a Model Student Leadership Team ­ Scott Lang, Clinician

1:15­2:15 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E Buzz Is a 4­Letter Word: Strategies for Beginning Brass ­ Robert Waugh, Clinician

1:30­4:30 PM

All­State Jazz Bands Rehearsal ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 1,6,7, and Riverview 7

2:00­5:00 PM

All­State Show Choir Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall B

2:30­3:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Turning Our Ears On, Through Active Listening and Jazz Improvisation ­ Matt Leder, Clinician

2:30­3:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom B Booster Club Legal issues ­ Barry Morgan, Clinician

2:30­3:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD A Glimpse Into a Kodaly Inspired Classroom ­ Lea Hoppe, Clinician

2:30­3:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E Classroom Management Made Easy ­ Otto Gross, Clinician

2:30­3:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 5 “Where do I begin?”—Beginning, Intermediate, and Early Advanced Music for Vocal Jazz and Contemporary A­Cappella Ensembles ­ Diane Orlofsky, Clinican with Troy University frequency

2:30­3:20 PM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites Congratulations! You Got Hired! Now, Don’t Get Fired ­ Lisa Gillespie, Clinician

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October/November 2016

Friday, January 20, 2017 3:30­4:20 PM

ABA Concert Session ­ MPAC Bob Jones High School Wind Ensemble ­ Leigh Thomas, Clinician

3:30­4:30 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Poignant, Yet Accessible Music for Mixed Voice Middle School and High School Choirs J.D. Frizzell, Clinician

3:30­4:30 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E Together We Sing: Adventures in Creating an Inclusive Choral Ensemble ­ Ellary Draper and Ginny Coleman, Clinicians

3:30­4:30 PM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites Get Organized!: Time Management for Music Educators ­ Frank Buck, Clinician

3:30­4:30 PM

Elem/Gen Meeting ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

4:30­5:00 PM

Exclusive Exhibit Time ­ Exhibit Hall C

4:45­5:45 PM

Intercollegiate Band Dress Rehearsal ­ MPAC

6:30­8:00 PM

All­State Jazz Bands Rehearsal ­ Renaissance, Montgomery 1,6,7, and Riverview 7

7:00 PM

All­State Show Choir Rehearsal ­ Exhibit Hall B (if determined necessary)

7:00­9:00 PM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD Be My Neighbor ­ Andrea and Joey Coleman, Clinicians

7:00­9:00 PM

AVA Concert Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Pleasant Valley Chorale ­ Nichole Hill, Conductor Smiths Station High School Concert Choir ­ Faye Haag, Conductor Gadsden State A Cappella Choir ­ John Harrell, Conductor Auburn University Chamber Choir ­ William Powell, Conductor

7:00­9:00 PM

AOA/ABA/Collegiate/HED Concert Session ­ MPAC Huxford Symphony Orchestra ­ Blake Richardson, Conductor Alabama Intercollegiate Band ­ John Locke, Conductor

Saturday, January 21, 2017 7:30­8:45 AM

All­State Show Choir Dress Rehearsal ­ MPAC

8:00­9:00 AM

AVA General Meeting ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A

8:00­9:00 AM

ABA General Meeting ­ Renaissance, Ballroom B

8:00­9:00 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD Woodwind Repair: I Can Do All THAT By Myself? Dave Lawson, Clinician

8:00­9:00 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E Video Game Music: The Great Teaching Experiment ­ Mark Laughlin, Clinician

8:00­9:00 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Riverview 3 Baroque and Beyond: An Approach to Teaching Early Music ­ Jacob Bitinas, Clinician

8:00­9:00 AM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites Music Makers ­ Ready Readers ­ Suzanne Burgess, Clinician

9:15­10:00 AM

AVA Concert Session ­ MPAC All­State Show Choir ­ Brett Carroll and Randy Sage, Clinicians

9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom A Practical and Truly Applicable Ways of Integrating Technology in an Instrumental Music Classroom Robert Grogan, Clinician

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Saturday, January 21, 2017 9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom B The Shortcut to Success ­ Sue Samuels, Clinician

9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD 0­5: The Developmental Years of a Band Director ­ What I Needed to Know but Didn't Russ Thompson, Clinician

9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom E EdTPA and the Music Education Internship (Student Teaching) Experience ­ Nancy Barry, Clinician

9:15­10:15 AM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue: Springboards for Creative Thinking in Music Rob Lyda, Clinician

10:30­11:30 AM

Interest Session ­ Renaissance, Ballroom CD Lightening Round

10:30­11:30 AM

Interest Session ­ Embassy Suites The Rhythm of the Rhyme ­ Roger Sams, Clinician

10:30 AM­12:30 PM

ABA Concert Session ­ MPAC All­State Jazz Bands

1:00­3:00 PM

AMEA Governing Board Meeting ­ Renaissance, Riverview 2

AMEA 2017 Featured Speakers For over a decade Scott Lang has been educating and entertaining audiences of all ages. As a nationally known leadership trainer, Scott conducts over 120 workshops annually and works with some of our countries best educational groups. As a highly decorated veteran teacher of sixteen years Scott’s bands have had many notable performances including the Pasadena Tournament of Rose Parade, the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championship, the Music Educators National Biennial Conference and for the President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton.

Scott is a well know author with over ten publications to his credit including; Seriously?!, Leader of the Band, Leadership Success, Leadership Travel Guide, Leadership Survival Guide and the highly successful Be Part of the Band series. Mr. Lang currently resides in Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife Leah and their sons, Brayden, Evan and their highly irrational Golden Retriever Rexie. He has breathed in and out approximately 264 million times and plans to keep on doing so until he doubles that number.

Lynn Tuttle was Director of Arts Education at the Arizona Department of Education. Her duties included acting as a liaison to the state’s arts educators; providing professional development in Arizona’s Academic Arts Standards, arts assessment and arts integration; and promoting quality arts education programs in Arizona’s schools. She co-chaired the Arizona Arts Education Census Committee, which published the 2010 Arizona Arts Education Census, documenting access and availability of arts education in Arizona’s district and charter schools.

She has keynoted for The Kennedy Center’s 2013 Partners in Education conference and the 2013 Biannual Maine Arts Education Conference, and has presented for Americans for the Arts, Arts Education Partnership, the Educational Theatre Association, the Kennedy Center Alliances for Arts Education Network, the National Art Education Association, the National Dance Education Organization, the National Association for Music Education, and the State Arts Advocacy Network. Lynn serves as Past-President for the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education and is one of the leaders of the revision of the National Voluntary Arts Education Standards. Lynn holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music (valedictorian), the Johns Hopkins University (Phi Beta Kappa) and the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

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October/November 2016

2016 - 2017 EVENTS

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JOIN THE 2017 MARCHING BLAZERS FOR #THERETURN OF UAB FOOTBALL

AMEA Industry/Institutional Membership AMEA would like to express appreciation to the following partners who have joined AMEA in our efforts to promote music education in Alabama. Please support these industry/institutional members who support you as music educators!

Arts Music Shop Inc., 3030 E. Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36116 Custom Fundraising Solutions, 225 Distribution Drive, Homewood, AL 35209 Eastman Music Company, 2158 Pomona Blvd., Pomona, CA 91768 Faulkner University Department of Music, 5345 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery, AL 36109 Gadsden Music Company Inc., 607 Broad Street, Gadsden, AL 35902 Group Travel Network, Inc., 7485 Conroy Windermere Rd. Suite D, Orlando, FL 32835 John M. Long School of Music, School of Music, Troy, AL 36082 JW Pepper, 9053 Riverside Pkwy, Lithia Springs, GA 30122 Landmark Tour and Travel, 704 37th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35222 Marchmaster Inc., P.O. Box 73379, Newnan, GA 30271 Musical Destinations, P.O. Box 771060, Winter Garden, FL 34777 OrlandoFest, 7081 Grand National Drive, Suite 111, Orlando, FL 32819 QuaverMusic.com, 1706 Grand Ave., Nashville, TN 37212 Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35216 Simply Sheets Fundraising, LLC, 3760 Sixes Road Suite 126-325, Canton, GA 30114 Southeastern Performance Apparel, 142 S. Woodburn Drive, Dothan, AL 36305 Southern Performances Inc., 6037 Andhurst Dr., Gulf Shores, AL 36547 Sunburst Indian River Citrus, 4960 Meadowbrook Rd., Birmingham, AL 35242 Superior Travel and Tour, 1270 Coronado Terrace, Deltona, ,FL 32725 Thomas Tours, Inc., 2405 12th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37204 University of Alabama Bands, 211 Moody Music Building, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 University of North Alabama Dept. of Music, UNA Box 5040, Florence, AL 35632 University of South Alabama, LPAC 1072, 5751 USA Drive South, Mobile, AL 36688

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AMEA 2017 Clinicians Nancy H. Barry is Professor of Music Education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Auburn University. She earned the Master’s degree and Ph.D. in music education, and certificates in Electronic Music and Computers in Music from Florida State University. Barry is an international scholar in music education with publications in such journals as Arts and Learning, Psychology of Music, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Contributions to Music Education, UPDATE, and Bulletin of Research in Music Education, among others. She served as editor of the Journal of Technology in Music Learning, and is a reviewer for Psychology of Music. Professor Barry is a frequent presenter at national and international professional conferences. Recent international activities include being selected by the Confucious Institute to visit China as a member of a delegation of educators, and establishing a community-based partnership for AU students and faculty to work in Malawi, Africa. Barry is an active member of professional organizations such as NAfME and the College Music Society and currently serves as National College Music Society Secretary.

Deanna Bell is the music teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary East in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Deanna has worked in three states: Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia. She has taught elementary music, choir, and band in all grade levels from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Deanna earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from The University of Alabama and a Master of Music Education from Samford University. Deanna received Orff Level I, II, and III Certifications from Samford University and Kodaly Level I Certification from The University of Montevallo. Deanna serves on the Alabama Kodaly Educators Board and the Board of Directors for the Alabama Chapter of the American Orff Schulwerk Association. She earned National Board Certification in 2010 and is the current Teacher of the Year at her school.

Mr. Jacob Bitinas is serving his third year as assistant orchestra director at Dickerson Middle School in Marietta, GA. Along with Tricia Laux, Mr. Bitinas has taken orchestras to perform at the GMEA annual conference in January 2016 as well as ASTA's National Orchestra Festival in March 2016. Dickerson Middle School boasts over 500 students in orchestra grades 6-8, and over 95% of incoming 6th grade students elect to participate in band, chorus, or orchestra.

Tiffany Bostic-Brown currently serves on the faculty at the University of North Alabama as Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera Theater Stage Director. She was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees with emphasis in Vocal Performance and Music History from Louisiana State University.

She also serves at Vice President for the non-profit Walk with Me Foundation, Inc., and maintains an active career as a soprano soloist throughout the region and nationally.

Frank Buck taught junior and middle school band in Alabama for a dozen years. Bandribbons, Inc. named the programs at both Goodwyn Jr. High and Pizitz Middle School as “Band of the Month” in the United States. Both programs were consistently awarded “Superior” ratings at state and regional festivals. The Pizitz Band was featured at the AMEA State Convention and University of Southern Mississippi Instrumental Conductor’s Conference. The Pizitz Band was commended for its work in a Resolution from the Alabama State House of Representatives. Dr. Buck is a past Alabama state winner of the ASBDA-Stanbury Award, and is a recipient of the National Band Association “Citation of Excellence.” He served on the committee which authored the current Alabama Arts Education Course of Study. Dr. Buck serves as AMEA Historian. As a principal, he secured grant funding, bringing music, art, dance, and drama instruction to his students. Now retired from public education, Dr. Buck conducts seminars on organization and time management throughout the United States and Canada, writes a weekly newspaper column, and has authored three books.

Susanne Burgess serves students at Samford University as Associate Professor of Music Education. Her professional preparation includes a doctorate focused on curriculum design in the arts, a M.M. in Orff Schulwerk, and B.A. in music education – vocal/choral emphasis. As a former elementary school music teacher, she is an active Orff-Schulwerk practitioner and workshop presenter. Her current research interests include music education for children birth to age 8, professional development in music education for teachers and administrators, and interdisciplinary instruction aligning literacy and music for students of all ages.

All-State Show Choir Clinician Brett Carroll has served as a conductor, musical director, and arranger for live entertainment productions in professional venues across the U.S. and overseas. He has produced and recorded industrial and commercial music for such well-known companies as Ford, Buick, General Foods, Dow Chemical, and Unocal 76 . His music for live productions has been heard in shows from Asia to Europe as well as at the White House Easter Egg Roll in Washington, D.C. As the Director of the Vocal Music Association at Burbank High School in Burbank, CA., Mr. Carroll conducts 6 vocal ensembles including 4 concert/show choirs who have been awarded top honors at various national festivals from New York to Los Angeles. “In Sync”, Burbank High’s advanced mixed group, was hired to perform in the pilot episode of “GLEE” and subsequently was seen in the show’s “Disco” episode. The BHS choral program continues to strive for artistic innovation and integrity each year through performances of newly commissioned pieces and choreography. Mr. Carroll is an active member of SAG, ACDA, MENC, Chorus America, and the Southern California Vocal Association.

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October/November 2016

AMEA 2017 Clinicians Andrea Coleman is a graduate of Delta State University where she earned her Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Music Education with a vocal emphasis. She is the Artistic Director and Founder of Grace Notes, a Jackson based choir for girls in grades 3-12. She has completed Level I - III Orff Certification with a Master Class Certificate and Level 1 Kodaly training. Mrs. Coleman is the 1999 recipient of the Outstanding Young Music Educator and the 2015 Outstanding Music Educator given by the Mississippi Music Educators Association. She is currently serving as the Executive Director of the MS Music Educators Association.

Joseph Coleman is a graduate of Delta State University where he earned his Bachelor of Music Education with a vocal emphasis. Mr. Coleman has been teaching general music for the elementary classroom and or choral music for 25 years. His expertise is in working with elementary children teaching singing, recorder, dancing, and playing of barred instruments. He is the music specialist at St. Anthony Catholic School in Madison, MS. Mr. Coleman has completed Level I - III Orff Certification with a Master Class Certificate and has Level I of Kodaly. He serves as the principal accompanist for Cantabile Youth Chorale, and has also served as the accompanist for the Elementary All-State Honor Choir. He is currently the president of the MS Orff Chapter and immediate past president of the Jackson Choral Society. Recently, the MS Music Educators Association honored Mr. Coleman for his outstanding service to the state of MS by awarding him with the “2013 Music Educator of the Year”, during their annual in-service conference.

Ginny Coleman is the choral director at Tuscaloosa County High School. Previously, Ginny taught elementary music and middle school choral music in the Tuscaloosa area. Ginny earned both her bachelors and masters degrees in Music Education from the University of Alabama, and was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student in Music Education Award. An advocate for giving every child the opportunity to be involved with music making, she has recently partnered with the Music Therapy department at the University of Alabama to create an adaptive ensemble for students with disabilities. She also serves as the President of the Alabama Vocal Association.

Dr. Patricia Corbin has been the JSU Director of Choral Activities since 1999. Prior to her joining the JSU music faculty Dr. Corbin worked as a music teacher in the Irvington Public School System, in Irvington, New Jersey for 19 years. As the Director of Choral Activities at Jacksonville State University, Dr. Corbin directs the A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers, Calhoun County Civic Chorale and teaches applied voice, conducting, choral literature and Recorder Techniques. She is also the Organist/ Choirmaster of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Anniston, Alabama.

Andrew H. Dabczynski is Emeritus Professor of Music Education at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he founded the BYU “New Horizons Orchestra,” a beginning string orchestra for adults and a laboratory for string teacher training. In recognition of that work, he was awarded BYU’s Joseph E. White Fellowship for Teaching and Learning. Dr. Dabczynski has held teaching and administrative positions at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and in the public schools of Penfield and Mamaroneck, New York. In addition, he was the Supervisor of Fine Arts Education in the Waterford, Michigan, School District. Dr. Dabczynski received a B.M. degree in applied viola performance from the Eastman School, and a M.A. from the University of Connecticut. He also holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Michigan. Dr. Dabczynski has held a variety of national committee positions with the American String Teachers Association, and is past-president of the Utah chapter of that organization. Utah ASTA named Dr. Dabczynski their “Higher Education Teacher of the Year” in 2005, and in 2014 awarded him for his “Outstanding Contributions to Music Education.”

Donald Dowdy has taught both in Georgia and Alabama and has directed the Monrovia Middle School Bands since the school’s inception in 1998. He holds music education degrees from Berry College, VanderCook College of Music, and Troy University and earned National Board Teacher Certification in 2005. He has served as clinician in both Georgia and Alabama and is a member of NAfME, AMEA, and Phi Beta Mu.

Ellary Draper is Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at The University of Alabama. Dr. Draper has worked as a music therapist with a variety of ages and populations and as an elementary general music teacher. Currently she serves as the Chair of Multicultural and Special Education Committee for the Alabama Music Educators Association. Her research is published in the Journal of Music Therapy, Journal of Research in Music Education, General Music Today, and Ala Breve. She holds degrees in music education and music therapy from Westminster Choir College, Florida State University, and The University of Texas at Austin.

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AMEA 2017 Clinicians Joel Dunlap serves as the choral director for the Jones County Junior College Concert Choir and was formerly the Director of Choral Activities at Long Beach High School in Long Beach, MS. Mr. Dunlap is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts with an emphasis in Choral Conducting at the University of Southern Mississippi. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree in Vocal and Piano Music Education and a Master of Music degree from the University of Mississippi. Mr. Dunlap’s choirs have performed solo performances in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy; St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy; Notré Dame Cathedral in Paris, France; Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent; Salzburg Dom in Salzburg, Austria; St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria; Basilica St. Michael in Mondsee, Austria; and the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria. In 2013 Mr. Dunlap was awarded the “Outstanding Music Educator Award” by the Mississippi High School Activities Association, and in 2009 Mr. Dunlap was awarded the “Outstanding Young Music Educator” by the Mississippi Music Educators Association. Mr. Dunlap is an active clinician, adjudicator and presenter.

Kip Franklin is the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of South Alabama. A native of Michigan, Dr. Franklin has performed in concerts with the Saginaw, Midland, Jackson, Dearborn, and Toledo symphonies, as well as in festivals throughout the United States and in Europe. He has presented and performed at the International Clarinet Association Conventions in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Columbus, Ohio; and Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Franklin served as a woodwind adjudicator for the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. As a guest clinician he has presented master classes at numerous high schools and universities across the country.

Dr. David Frego is a Dalcroze specialist and on the Music Education faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio He presents workshops globally and focuses on movement in teacher training. Frego has published articles on purposeful movement and is co-author of Dalcroze Eurhythmics: Meaningful Movement.

J.D. Frizzell, a composer, conductor, and baritone, is the Director of Fine Arts and Director of Vocal Music at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, TN. He earned the double Master's in Music Theory/Composition and Conducting from The University of Southern Mississippi, where he also earned the bachelor's degree in Music History and Literature. Frizzell is ABD as a candidate for the DMA in Choral Conducting degree at The University of Kentucky. Frizzell is active as a presenter, adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor. As an active member of TNMEA, NATS, ACDA, and WTVMEA, he has served in multiple volunteer capacities, including two-time Chairperson of All-West Honor Choir Auditions and Performances and Choral Festival. He is also the Southern Division ACDA R & S Chair for Men’s Choirs. The board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation named him one of “Memphis’ Finest” for his philanthropic efforts. He lives in Memphis, TN with his wife, Emily, son, Henry, and dogs, Sally and Ari. Georgia native Lisa Gillespie, currently works as a band director, choir director and general music teacher at Kitty Stone Elementary in Jacksonville, AL. She has performed as a percussionist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the touring ensemble Chix with Stix. After studying percussion performance at Georgia State University, Mrs. Gillespie moved to Alabama to join her husband, Clint Gillespie, Assistant Director of Bands at Jacksonville State University. She completed her Bachelor of Art and Master of Art in music education at Jacksonville State. Ms. Gillespie received her Orff-Schulwerk certification from Samford University and was named Teacher of the Year in the Jacksonville City School System in 2011. She has hosted over 40 student teachers and countless practicum and educational psychology students from JSU in her elementary classroom. Mrs. Gillespie served as a presenter at the AMEA state convention in 2015. She endorses Innovative Percussion Inc. as a Performing Percussionist. Mrs. Gillespie treasures her time with her husband, Clint Gillespie and her four-year-old son William.

Robert Grogan is the Director of Bands at Barber MS in Cobb County, Georgia. During his current tenure, the band program has grown from initially 280 students to approximately 400. In 2016, the Barber Symphonic Band was invited to perform at the Music for All Southeastern Band Festival in Atlanta, GA. Bands under his direction have consistently received superior ratings at GMEA and festival events with students actively participating in various honor ensembles. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of Bands at Willowcreek MS and the Assistant Director at Lehi HS in Lehi, Utah. While at Willowcreek, the Wind Symphony was repeatedly invited to perform at the Utah Junior High State Band Festival, which selects only the highest achieving junior high bands from around the state. He received his Master of Music Education from the University of Georgia and his Bachelor’s from Columbus State University.

Before teaching and college, Mr. Grogan spent four years active duty in the U.S. Marines, performing with the Albany Marine Band.

He currently lives with his family in Acworth, GA.

Otto Gross is a cum laude graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Education. He has taught General Music, Band, Chorus, Jazz Band, Percussion and private lessons in Massachusetts, Maryland and Tennessee. He has performed with artists including Bobby McFerrin & The Marsalis Brothers. Otto has toured internationally with EMI artists as a music director, pianist, bassist and drummer. Otto is currently a Training Representative and songwriter for QuaverMusic.com and has a passion to see children excited to learn about music!

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AMEA 2017 Clinicians Becky Halliday is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Montevallo, where she teaches music education courses.

Prior to this appointment, she spent 15 years teaching elementary general music in Georgia and Mississippi, and has led workshops and clinics throughout the Southeast. In addition, she has presented research findings at regional, national, and international conferences. Halliday earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi, and her BMUS and MMEd from The University of Georgia. She directs the Kodály training program at the University of Montevallo, and serves on the Editorial Committee of the Music Educators Journal.

Lea Hoppe, director of the Huntsville Community Children’s Chorale, is the elementary music specialist at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama where she has taught since 1995. At Randolph she is the director of the Randolph Young Voices. Lea sings in the Huntsville Community Chorus Symphonic Chorus and the select Chamber Chorale. She also sings in the Sanctuary Choir at First Baptist Church where she directs children’s choir. She was the guest conductor for the 2011 Decatur All-City Elementary Choir and the 2015 Madison All-County Treble Choir. Lea is a graduate of Samford University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Alabama and Orff and Kodaly certifications from St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2010 Lea Hoppe was presented the Harold J. Wilson Music Educator of the Year award by the Huntsville Youth Orchestra. She was also named the 2015 Outstanding Music Educator for the state of Alabama by the Alabama Music Educators Association. She and her husband, David, are the parents of two daughters, Katie and Emily, both of whom are music educators.

Kristi Howze has been teaching for the past twenty-two years. Mrs. Howze earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Samford University and her Masters in Education at Auburn University. During Mrs. Howze’s twenty-two years of teaching she has not only taught elementary music, but has also had experience teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades as well as high school chorus. She is currently the Lower School Music teacher at UMS-Wright Preparatory School in Mobile, Alabama.

Jane M. Kuehne, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Music Education in her 12th year at Auburn University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education, music technology, and multimedia development, and supervises undergraduate field and intern experiences as well as graduate research. Dr. Kuehne’s research areas include educator perceptions of at-risk students and effective approaches to teaching sight-singing. She currently serves as the AMEA Research Chair, the Secretary of the Association of Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI), and is a Technology in Music Education (TI:ME) certified instructor.

Dr. Mark Laughlin is a 2-time GRAMMY® nominated music educator, and currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at Georgia Southwestern State University where he was the recipient of the 2012-2013 President’s Excellence in University Service Award. His research and teaching strategies on improvisation, and video game music have been featured at over 40 blind peer reviewed conferences including the national conferences of the National Association of Schools of Music, the College Music Society, the National Association for Music Education, Humanities Education and Research Association, Music Teachers National Association, National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3), and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Dr. Laughlin has also presented at the International Conference of the College Music Society in Bangkok and Ayuthaya, Thailand, the International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research in Music Pedagogy at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, and the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Association’s National Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

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 throughout North Georgia. He is an active performer throughout Georgia and currently performs with cumminty groups Sounds of Sawnee, American Patriot Winds, and Tara Winds. Dave is currently the band director at Cherokee Christian School in Woodstock, GA. In addition to teaching, Dave has been repairing instrument for the past 12 years. He continues to repair on a regular basis and now repairs his own professional instruments.

Dr. Matt Leder is an avid educator and has performed as a guest artist / clinician throughout the US. He has served as Music Director/Instructor at Gadsden State since August 2014. Prior to this appointment, he was Chair of the Music Department at NNMC. He has also held faculty positions at Brown University, CCRI, St. George’s School, SPCC, and the University of Colorado at Denver.

Dr. Leder served eight years as an active duty musician in the Navy and served 4 years in the ANG music program. While a member of the Armed Forces, he had the opportunity to perform for five US Presidents.Dr. Leder holds a DA in Music Education / Trumpet Performance & Pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado, a MM in Jazz Performance from the University of New Orleans, and a BM in Jazz Performance from East Carolina University. Dr. Leder has studied with Ellis Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Irvin Mayfield, Clyde Kerr, Jr., and many others. ala breve

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AMEA 2017 Clinicians Greg LeFils, teacher of piano, AP Music Theory, and American Musical Theatre, serves as the director of choral activities at Seabreeze High School. Choirs under Dr. LeFils’ direction have been invited to perform for various special occasions throughout the region and have consistently received praise at district and state performance assessments. Prior to his arrival in the fall of 2014, Greg taught at Pine Ridge High School for five years and then pursued a doctoral education from Florida State University. He completed his degree in the summer of 2014. While at FSU, Greg conducted and taught many ensembles and classes including, Choral Union, Women’s Glee Club, Graduate Chamber Choir, Choral Literature, Choral Conducting, and Music Education. In his final year at FSU, Greg conducted the 250 member Tallahassee Community Chorus with full professional orchestra in multiple performances throughout the year. His dissertation is entitled, The History of the Stetson University Concert Choir. Greg resides with wife Heather and three daughters in Deltona, Florida.

Alabama Intercollegiate Band Clinician Since 1982, Dr. John R. Locke has served on the UNCG College of Visual and Performing Arts Faculty as Director of Bands, Director of Summer Music Camps, conductor of the Wind Ensemble, and conducting teacher. He holds the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from West Virginia University and the Doctor of Education degree from the University of Illinois. Prior to his arrival in North Carolina, Dr. Locke held teaching positions in music at West Virginia University, Southeast Missouri State University, and the University of Illinois. He has conducted band performances throughout the country including National Conventions of the MENC, CBDNA, ABA, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Strathmore Center in Washington, DC, and Lincoln Center in New York City.

Twice, the UNCG Wind Ensemble earned critical acclaim from The Washington Post newspaper following concert performances in the nation's capital. Under Locke's leadership, the UNCG Wind Ensemble has released 16 commercially available compact discs including fireworks! which was a Grammy Entry List 2011 CD in two categories, "Classical Album of the Year" and "Best Orchestral Performance." In addition, he has guest conducted the U.S. Air Force Band, U.S. Army Field Band, U.S. Navy Band, "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band, the Dallas Wind Symphony, as well as numerous university bands and all-state honor bands.

Ian Loeppky has been Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of North Alabama since the fall of 2003; here, he directs all three choral ensembles and teaches choral conducting, choral techniques, and world music. His compositions have been published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing and UNC Jazz Press. In addition, he is the founder and artistic director of Florence Camerata, Artistic Director of KIConcerts annual Voices United international festival, and is a frequent contributor to the Choral Journal and Anacrusis. Under his direction, the UNA Choirs were pleased to sing at the 2006, 2013, and 2016 Alabama Music Educators Association conferences.

Dr. Rob Lyda is the music teacher at Cary Woods Elementary School in Auburn, Alabama. He earned the BME at Troy University and the MEd and PhD in Music Education from Auburn University. In addition to his academic degrees, he has completed studies in Kodály, World Music Drumming, TI:ME, is an Orff-Schulwerk (Levels I-III & Master Class) certified teacher. Dr. Lyda regularly presents sessions and research on technology integration and general music education throughout the country. He is currently serving as the Southern Division Representative for NAfME’s Council for General Music Education. He holds memberships in AMEA, NAfME, and AOSA.

Barry E. Morgan is a native of Cobb County Georgia, and received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Georgia State University in 1976. In 1987, Barry graduated Summa Cum Laude from the John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. From 1988 until 1992, Barry served as an Assistant District Attorney. Barry was the Chief Assistant Solicitor General for Cobb State Court from 1992 until 1998. On March 4, 1998, Governor Zell Miller appointed Barry as the Solicitor General for Cobb County, and he has been elected to that position five times. Barry was a high school band director for the Cobb County Georgia School District serving Wills, North Cobb and Sprayberry High Schools. Barry presents a Legal Seminar for Teachers for various colleges and music conventions including GMEA, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and Music for All. Most recently Barry has been elected to the Board of Directors for Music for All. Georgia A. Newlin, DMA is an Associate Professor of Music at Adelphi University and Coordinator of Music Education as well as director of the AU Vocal Ensemble. She has taught in early childhood and public school music positions for fifteen years and at the collegiate level for thirteen. She is Past President of OAKE and is a member of The VoiceCare Network. Currently, Dr. Newlin is called upon as a conductor for elementary, middle, and high school choral festivals. She teaches musicianship, conducting, and ensemble in Kodály programs at Indiana University, University of Hawai’i, and James Madison University. The Crooked River Choral Project has published octavos that include her literacy-based lesson plans. Her arrangement of “Es ist ein Ros’ ‘entsprungen” is part of the Ruth Dwyer Choral Series from Colla Voce. Georgia serves on the Music Educators Journal Advisory Committee for the National Association for Music Education.

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AMEA 2017 Clinicians

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Diane Orlofsky is Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Troy University. Orlofsky was named the 2016 Lacey Powell Outstanding Music Educator by AMEA and was the 2014 recipient of the Wallace D. Malone Distinguished Faculty award that recognizes scholarship, teaching, leadership and service. She is also the recipient of the Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching, the Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Scholar award, and the A.A.T.E. Outstanding Teacher Educator Award. Orlofsky writes a quarterly choral review column for the Ala Breve and is the Vocal Jazz Repertoire and Standards chair for Alabama ACDA. Orlofsky is the author of Redefining Teacher Education: The Theories of Jerome Bruner and the Practice of Training Teachers (2002) and her latest multi-media project, The Joyous Exchange: Meditations on the Choral Arts explores the mystery and power of the choral arts. The American Association of University Women named Orlofsky an American Fellow in 1997. The Troy University Vocal Jazz Ensemble, frequency, will serve as the session demonstration musicians.

Travis Perry has been a music teacher for 32 years and he is the inventor of the ChordBuddy. Travis knows that keeping his students excited and interested in playing is key to their success. Today, guided by the motto “you make the music, ChordBuddy makes it easy,” Perry continues his mission to bring the joys and benefits of playing music to millions of potential musicians around the world through his ChordBuddy products.

Dr. William Petersen was appointed to the faculty of the University of South Alabama in 2012. Petersen serves as Director of Bands and is in charge of all facets of the university's band program. He conducts the USA Wind Ensemble, the premiere instrumental ensemble at USA, and the 250-member, nationally recognized Jaguar Marching Band.Petersen received his BME in Instrumental Music (2002), MM in Wind Conducting (2005) and DM in Wind Conducting (2013) from Indiana University. He has taught in the public schools of Texas and remains an active guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator of concert and marching bands in several states. Since 2006, he has served on the faculty of the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic teaching tuba, euphonium and brass pedagogy. He holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), National Band Association (NBA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA), the Alabama Bandmasters Association, the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA), Kappa Kappa Psi, and honorary membership in Tau Beta Sigma and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Dr. William C. Powell, professor and director of choral activities at Auburn University, holds degrees from Alabama State University, Westminster Choir College, and Florida State University. At Auburn, he teaches choral-related courses and conducts the Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, Men's Chorus, and Gospel Choir. His guest-conducting engagements include performances in Italy, Australia, at Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney World, and for various regional and state choral festivals. Powell is a frequent adjudicator, and he has presented sessions for American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Educators, Intercollegiate Male Choruses, College Music Society, etc. His choral arrangements are published by Hal Leonard, Oxford University Press, and Gentry Publications, which will release “The William Powell Choral Series” in 2017.

Dr. Blake Richardson is director of orchestral studies at the University of Alabama and Music Director of the Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra. Dr. Richardson has held positions with the Barcelona Symphony and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and worked extensively with Lorin Maazel as associate conductor of Maazel’s Castleton Festival. As assistant conductor for the 2013 tour of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the USA, he spent three weeks touring Russia and the UK with conductor Valery Gergiev and violinist Joshua Bell. Dr. Richardson holds graduate degrees in conducting from Indiana University and the Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music.

Dr. Megan Rudolph is in her 22nd year of teaching choral music and her teaching experience includes teaching all levels of choir and collegiate method classes. Currently she is the choral director at Vestavia Hills High School where there are eight choirs. Her choirs consistently receive superior ratings at state, regional, and national festivals. Choirs under her direction have performed at the Alabama State Music Educators’ conference, as well as the 2015 Choir Nationals for Top Choirs in Carnegie Hall. Dr. Rudolph is an active presenter, adjudicator, and mentor to young teachers. She is Nationally Board Certified (2003, 2013) and Orff Level I Certified. Currently she serves as the President for Alabama ACDA. Additionally she is a dedicated wife and mother of four children (Alexis-8; Austin-6; Zach-4; and Max-1).

Randy Sage is a freelance choreographer, show designer, and teacher, residing in Los Angeles, CA. Originally from Buffalo Grove, IL, Randy graduated from Millikin University, studying dance and earning his bachelors in Choral Music Education. Since 2002, he has been choreographing for many award-winning high school and junior high show choirs around the Midwest, South, and West Coast.

Some of his schools include Marysville High School in Marysville, OH, Fairfield High School in Fairfield, OH, and Buffalo Grove High School in Buffalo Grove, IL. Throughout the year he is hired as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest choreographer at numerous competitions and workshops. Randy is also a 3 time Visual Vanguard nominee for the Fame Aspire Awards. In addition, he is the assistant choral director at Burbank High School, in Burbank, CA where he co-directs and choreographs the four curricular show choirs and serves as lead coordinator for their regional competition, Burbank Blast. ala breve

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AMEA 2017 Clinicians Roger Sams retired from the music classroom in 2013 after 31 years of teaching music. He has been an active clinician and Orff instructor for over two decades and has taught in China, India, Indonesia, Scotland, Canada, Korea, and throughout the US. Roger is trained in Gestalt therapy and is interested in the power of choice in the artistic process and in life. He is co-author of "Purposeful Pathways: Possibilities for the Elementary Music Room” and the composer of several choral octavos published in the Crooked River Choral Project series and a book of rounds and partner songs titled, "A Round My Heart." He is currently Director of Publications at Music Is Elementary.

Sue Samuels is the Director of Visual and Performing Arts at the Randolph School in Huntsville. Her responsibilities include overseeing the K-12 arts programs at Randolph as well as teaching and administering the Upper School Bands. Prior to her 2016 appointment to Randolph, Dr. Samuels served for 14 years as Director of Bands at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While under her direction, the UAB Bands performed at national and international venues, including the Dublin, Ireland St. Patrick's Day Parade (2013), the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Ceremonies (2014), and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (2015). The UAB Wind Symphony performed twice for the Alabama Music Educators Association State Conference (2007 and 2014), once at the Southern Division Conference of the College Band Directors National Association (2008), and the Percy Grainger Wind Band Festival in Chicago's Orchestra Hall (2012). Dr. Samuels’ teaching experience prior to her arrival in our state includes 12 years at Lassiter High School in Marietta Georgia, 1 year as Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Georgia, and 2 years as Director of Bands at WT Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia. In addition to her work as a band director, Dr. Samuels enjoys being a mom to her beautiful son, Andrew, whom she adopted from Ethiopia in 2010.

The Shelby County Band Directors Association includes high school instrumental music teachers at Oak Mountain, Chelsea, Helena, Calera, Vincent, Montevallo, and Shelby County High Schools. These high schools are all part of the Shelby County School system. In an ongoing effort to increase the rigor of the instrumental music curriculum and further substantiate music as a critical part of a well-rounded high school experience, they collaborated to create an innovative course of study specifically for advanced level instrumental music. The SCBDA also hosts an annual honor band, offering scholarships for middle and high school students who are continuing music study at the next level.

Mr. Russ Thompson is in his second year as Director of Bands at Woodland High School – Henry County, GA. He oversees a 150 + member program consisting of three concert ensembles, three percussion ensembles, the 110-member extra-curricular competitive style Wolfpack Marching Band, two winter guard ensembles, an indoor concert percussion ensemble and teaches AP Music Theory. n 2012, Mr. Thompson completed the Master’s of Music in Wind Band Conducting at Georgia State University. As a student of Dr. Robert Ambrose, he conducted the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, and University Band. From 2008-2010, Mr. Thompson served as the Director of Bands at Duluth High School in Duluth, Georgia. From 2005-2007, Mr. Thompson served as band director at Lauderdale County High School in Florence, Alabama. Mr. Thompson was the primary music teacher for grades K-12, teaching elementary general music, beginning band, and 7-12th grade band. His concert and marching ensembles have received numerous superior ratings at the district, state, and national levels. Mr. Thompson also holds a Master’s in Education degree from Auburn University where he also served as a Graduate Assistant with the Auburn University Bands. He is a 2005 graduate of the University of North Alabama, earning a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education.

Robert Waugh is the Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. He holds his undergraduate degree in Music Education from Capital University, his MM from the University of Oklahoma, and is in-progress toward his DM from Indiana University. Prior to his appointment at Austin Peay, he was the trumpet instructor at Indiana State University. Mr. Waugh is a member of the Gateway Chamber Orchestra, and previous served as Principal Trumpet with orchestras in Terre Haute, IN and Danville, IL. His primary teachers include John Rommel, Dr. Karl Sievers, Dr. James Stokes, James Reed, and William Adam.

Dr. Anne C. Witt teaches Music Education, String Pedagogy and String Literature at the University of Alabama. She founded the Adult Strings program in which she teaches classes for adult beginners, cello lessons and the annual Adult Strings Weekend. Her degrees were earned at the University of Alabama and the University of Texas at Austin. She taught middle school and high school strings/orchestra in Austin for 15 years and played cello in the Austin Symphony; she was also Director of the University of Texas String Project. Dr. Witt has served as President of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, President of the Alabama ASTA chapter, and National President of ASTA. Dr. Witt has presented educational sessions in many states, at all ASTA national conferences and at the Midwest Clinic. She enjoys guest conducting All State and Regional festival orchestras, and a frequent presenter at AMEA. Dr. Witt is author of A Rhythm a Week, used by school band and orchestra classes nationwide. In 2005, she organized a community initiative to fund the start-up of Strings in Schools – a string program in the Tuscaloosa City Schools. After 10 years, there are over 350 students participating in grades 6-12, and groups have won top honors in competitions. Six graduates of the program are now studying Music Education. She further serves the community as President of the String Quartet Society. She continues to play cello professionally in a quartet called “Four Strings Attached.” She was an adjudicator for the ASTA National Orchestra Festival and for the first Alabama Orchestra MPA in 2016.

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AMEA 2017 Clinicians All-State Jazz Gold Band Clinician Antonio J. García is an instrumental and vocal performer, composer/arranger, producer, clinician, educator, and author. The Director of Jazz Studies at VCU, he has performed as trombonist, bass trombonist, or pianist with 70 major artists including Ella Fitzgerald, George Shearing, Mel Tormé, Billy Eckstine, Doc Severinsen, Louie Bellson, Dave Brubeck, and Phil Collins; has performed and taught across Canada, Europe, Australia, and South Africa; is author of Cutting the Changes: Jazz Improvisation via Key Centers (Kjos Music); is Associate Jazz Editor for the International Trombone Association Journal; and is a widely published composer. He is a Bach/Selmer clinician/soloist, Past Editor of the IAJE Jazz Education Journal, Past President of IAJE-IL, Board Secretary of The Midwest Clinic, CoEditor/Contributing Author of Teaching Jazz: A Course of Study, Contributing Author of The Jazzer’s Cookbook, and serves as a Network Expert (Improvisation Materials) for the Jazz Education Network. Visit his web site at www.garciamusic.com.

All-State Jazz Silver Band Clinician Jim Warrick recently took early retirement after thirty-eight years of teaching jazz, concert and marching bands at the high school and college levels. He was most noted as being the Director of Jazz Ensembles at New Trier High School (Winnetka, IL- a public school in the northern suburbs of Chicago) for twenty-seven years directing the school’s four 24-four piece curricular jazz ensembles that rehearsed every school day, and eight combos that rehearsed each week. Jim’s jazz ensembles have performed six times at the Midwest International Band Clinic and he has guest conducted seventeen all-state jazz ensembles. His New Trier students have received thirtynine Downbeat Student Musician Awards, including the “Best High School Jazz Ensemble” award four times. Jim is the only public high school educator selected for Downbeat magazine’s “Jazz Education Hall of Fame.” For the past thirteen years, Jim has selected the Downbeat magazine Student Musician Awards recipients for high school and junior high jazz groups. He now lives in the mountains of Tennessee in the Cherokee National Forest.

All-State Jazz Bronze Band Clinician Theo Vernon attended The University of Alabama 1980-1985, receiving a BM degree in saxophone performance and a BS degree in music education. He received his Masters of Music Education degree in 1991 from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois.

In 2003, he received National Board Certification in Music and renewed his certification for National Board November 2012. Mr. Vernon was appointed Associate Director of Bands at Grissom High School in August 1985. Presently, he works with the marching band, conducts the Symphonic Band II and directs the two Jazz Bands. Under his direction the Symphonic Band II has rarely received less than an overall superior rating in any adjudication. Both jazz bands consistently receive superior and excellent ratings. The “A” Jazz Band was selected as a finalist in the 1999 “Essentially Ellington” Jazz Band Competition. They were also selected as a finalist in the “Swing Central Jazz” Competition in Savannah, Georgia in 2013 and 2015.

All-State Jazz Middle School Band Clinician Joseph Smith was born in the French Quarter of New Orleans, LA. and was influenced by the second line bands and the active music scene of Congo Square and nearby Bourbon Street. His dad, Joe Foxx, Jr., a drummer, was a favorite in the early days of the New Orleans uptown Dew Drop Inn and played long stints on Bourbon Street. Throughout middle and high school, Mr. Smith studied trumpet privately at Loyola University with George Jansen, first trumpeter with the New Orleans Symphony. He continued to develop his New Orleans trumpet sound by studying privately with New Orleans legendary trumpeters. Mr. Smith is currently employed by the Birmingham City Schools as the band director at John Herbert Phillips Academy. He was named the 2016-17 BCS Teacher Of The Year and a top 16 finalists for Alabama Secondary Teacher Of The Year. Mr. Smith still performs professionally and is a sought after studio musician and clinician.

A Note from ABA Jazz Chair, Mark Foster...

Students are invited to submit audition recordings in order to be considered for the allstate jazz band. The all-state jazz band festival is held in conjunction with the Alabama Music Educators Association In-Service Conference at the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center in Montgomery, Alabama on January 19-21, 2017. Selection for the Alabama all -state jazz bands is determined by a recorded audition that students will prepare and send to the Alabama Bandmasters Association (ABA) Jazz Division. A qualified panel of adjudicators will be judging student recordings. Band directors will then be notified of the selected students approximately three weeks after the deadline (Approximately December 1, 2016). Directors must be members of NAfME in order for their students to audition and participate in the all-state jazz bands.

The all-state jazz band audition music is now posted on the AMEA website at: http://www.myamea.org/aba/all-state-jazz-band/

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AMEA 2017 Performing Groups Trebled Soul Vocal Jazz Ensemble is one of the premiere vocal ensembles at Alabama State University in the Department of Music. Admission is by audition only and open to all students on the campus of ASU. Originating in January 2014 under the direction of Professor Tyrone Hayes, the fourteen (14) member ensemble has performed for former President Bill Clinton, the Alabama Music Education Association Higher Ed Recital (2015) and Lobby Performance (2016), a Black History Concert in Anniston, AL, and a host of other events in the Montgomery area. Please take a moment and visit our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ASUTrebledSoul/, to become better acquainted with the ensemble.

The Chamber Choir is the premier choral ensemble at Auburn University. Under the direction of Dr. William C. Powell, the group was formed in 2008. Since then, the choir has participated in a performance tour of Verdi’s Requiem in Italy, and they have sung at such landmarks as Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, and Washington National Cathedral. They have also sung for the 2014 southern division convention of the American Choral Directors Association, and the 2010 Alabama Music Educators Association Conference. The Auburn University choral program consists of seven different choirs: Chamber Choir, Conductors’ Chorus, Concert Choir, Gospel Choir, Men’s Chorus, Women’s Chorus, and University Singers (show choir). Throughout its history, members of the Auburn University Choirs have performed in various parts of the United States, Europe, and Russia. They have produced recordings, and have appeared on national television, radio, and other mass media.

Collectively, the AU Choirs perform approximately fifty concerts each year, reaching thousands of audience members.

The Sixth Grade Choir is the youngest performing ensemble at Berry Middle School. Under the direction of Mrs. Rachel Smith, they received the Distinguished Musicianship Award at the State Choral Performance Assessment for all Superior ratings the past two years. The choir also has a history of receiving Superior and Excellent ratings at festivals in Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana. While in this choir, the students participate in a variety of concerts, including Winter and Spring Concerts, a Veteran’s Day Program, and a Multicultural Day Program. This year, the choir performed for our elementary feeder schools, and visited with future choir students to promote the choral program at Berry. Many of these students were also cast in Berry’s fall production of Dear Edwina, Jr. Later this spring, several members of the Berry Choral Department will be touring Nashville, TN to perform and see the sights of Music City!

Bob Jones High School was founded in 1974 as a part of the Madison County School system. Madison had a population of just over 3,000 at the time. By 1989, its population had grown to 14,000. It was this year that band director Doyle Thornton (now retired) took over the band program with only 17 active members. As the greater Madison area began to blossom, so did the Bob Jones High School Band program. By the time Madison City Schools added a second high school in 2012, the enrollment in the program was well over 200 members. The band has received numerous awards and decorations, including concert and overall grand champion of Fiesta-Val, 3-time Outback Bowl Grand Champion, Field Show USA Grand Champion, and superior ratings at Music Performance Assessment 15 out of the last 16 years. Upon the retirement of director Doyle Thornton in 2015 at 26 years at Bob Jones, assistant director Leigh Thomas assumed the position of Director of Bands. She is in her fifth year of teaching at Bob Jones High School and second year as director of bands. Assistant Director Kevin Smart is in his second year of teaching at Bob Jones. The program consists of two concert ensembles, two jazz bands, a football marching band, competition marching band, percussion ensemble, indoor drumline, winter guard, dance team, and several chamber ensembles. Students in the Bob Jones High School Band Program consistently receive multiple fine art and academic scholarships, and many participate in college marching and concert bands throughout the country. Principal of Bob Jones High School is Mrs. Sylvia Lambert. Superintendent of Madison City Schools is Dr. Dee O. Fowler.

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AMEA 2017 Performing Groups The Gadsden State Community College A Cappella Choir was founded in 1966 and has been performing at venues across the Southeast since. The group, which is open to all Gadsden State students, historically has about 25 to 35 singers per semester. J.T. Harrell has been the third director of the group beginning in 2011. The group sings for a variety of campus events, community events and local churches. They also go on an annual tour in the spring. The broad repertoire of the group makes the group accessible to many different venues throughout the year. The A Cappella Choir sings an average of 45 concerts each year and is in high demand in Northeast Alabama. We are grateful for the support we receive from the College as well as from Dr. Martha Lavender, president of Gadsden State, and Mario Gallardo, division chair.

Hewitt-Trussville Middle School is located in Trussville, Alabama and is part of the Trussville City School System. The school has more than 1100 students in grades six through eight. The HTMS Band is an integral part of the Fine Arts Department. The Band program serves over 415 students in grades six through eight. Sixth grade students are placed in the Beginning Band program where they receive group and individualized instruction. In the seventh and eighth grades, students are placed into one of three ability-based performing groups. The top ensemble, Honors Band, is under the direction of Brandon Peters and the Symphonic Band and Concert Band are under the direction of assistant director, Corinth Lewis. In addition to the Honors Band, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band, the HTMS Jazz Band is an auditioned group of seventh and eighth grade students. The HTMS Band program has received many awards as well as earned consistent superior ratings at the yearly Alabama Bandmasters Music Performance Assessment. T number of students chosen for the District IV Honor Band and All-State Band has grown each year. The Honors Band is made up of seventh and eighth graders and is under the direction of Brandon Peters. Members of the Honors Band are in their second or third year of study. Many of the students are active participants in All-State and honor bands throughout the state. In 2016, two students were named to the Alabama Middle School All-State Band with two alternates, and twenty-one students placed in the District IV Honor Band. The Honors Band has been selected as a guest ensemble for the 2016 University of Alabama Middle School Honor Band Festival.

The Homewood Middle School Percussion Ensemble is a student-oriented group of 86 young musicians striving to achieve musical excellence through the performance of quality percussion literature. Our overall goal is to teach our students to appreciate and enjoy music so they can become life-long supporters of the arts. There are currently 86 percussionists at HMS in grades 6-8. The Percussion Ensemble is an extension of the regular band class and practices during the band periods throughout the day. The 8th grade ensemble is made up of the top percussionists in the Homewood Middle 8th Grade Symphonic Blue Band. The 7th grade percussion ensemble in divided into two classes. The Band Program at HMS is directed by all four band directors in the Homewood School system and assisted by our part time director, John Bradley, The 8th Grade Percussion Ensemble was honored to perform at the Alabama Bandmasters All State Band Clinic in 2005. The 8th grade Symphonic Band has performed at the Alabama Music Educators Association Convention in 2002 and 2006 and the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic in Troy, AL 2003 and 2006. Synergy has taken Homewood by storm and is being talked about in the Drumming comminuty nation wide. Remo percussion has already done a lengthy story on our new Special Needs Drumming group and we cant think of a better venue than to show them to other educators and get other directors thinking outside the box as to how to include our special needs kids in their own music programs. Two other schools in our state have been inspired by our group and are now in the works to create their own groups just like this. We feel Synergy can bring a whole new performing group aspect to AMEA that is lacking in other performances chosen on a yearly basis.

The Huxford Symphony Orchestra performs six concerts and an opera each year on the campus of UA. A key component of the ensembles program at the University of Alabama School of Music, the orchestra is open to music majors as well as students from other disciplines around the university. The Huxford Symphony rehearses for two hours twice a week and students receive college credit for playing in the ensemble. During the 2016-2017 season, the orchestra will perform Mahler’s Symphony no. 4, Gershwin’s American in Paris, Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamporphosis, and Dvorak’s Symphony no. 8, among other works. The Huxford Symphony will welcome composers Christopher Theofanidis and Clint Needham for on-campus residencies as we present works by each composer. We will collaborate with the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra in a side-by-side performance and will perform as the pit orchestra for the University of Alabama Opera Theater’s spring production. We are the official orchestra of the International Trumpet Guild’s 2016 Ellsworth Smith International Trumpet Competition and will feature faculty soloists and the winners of our student concerto competition on concerts throughout the season. For more information, visit music.ua.edu. ala breve

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AMEA 2017 Performing Groups The focus of the Montgomery Academy's music program is choral singing. Chorus has been the tradition at the school for many years and serves as the core of the department.

However, the department also focuses on the development of music appreciation and theory that will allow any musician -- vocal or instrumental -- to develop skills and pursue excellence in the discipline of music. The choral tradition at Montgomery Academy begins in the Lower School. By the time that students reach 5th grade, they have been given a strong foundation in choral singing. In middle school, the students continue to build upon that foundation in order to prepare them for Upper School Chorus. The 5th and 6th Grade Chorus gives three concerts a year, and they have participated in the AMEA Elementary Honor Choirs and Young Voices Festivals. The 5th and 6th Grade Chorus performed at the 2014 AMEA Conference.

The chorus rehearses for thirty minutes, three times a week. Each grade rehearses separately once a week, and they have two full-group rehearsals.

The Ogletree Singers are a 3rd-5th grade non-auditioned group of approximately 125 students from Ogletree Elementary School in Auburn, Alabama. The singers meet after-school once a week for an hour through-out the school year. Each year the singers are responsible for three main programs at Ogletree; Veterans Day, Black History Month and a Spring Musical. The Ogletree Singers have performed for Auburn University sporting events, PTO meetings and other city and school events.

The Oak Mountain Wind Ensemble is made up of fifty-nine ninth through twelfth grade students at Oak Mountain High School. Membership in the band is determined by individual audition. Since the school’s inception, the ensemble has continued to push the boundaries of high school musicianship by performing literature in the advanced realm of the wind band repertoire.

Students in this ensemble regularly pursue roles in the Alabama All-State Bands and Orchestras.

From 1999 to 2012, the ensemble was under the direction of Jim Duren. Now, under the direction of Kevin Ownby, the OMHS Wind Ensemble has continued a tradition of excellence by never receiving a score less than superior at any adjudicated competition or assessment. Recent accomplishments include, performing at the 2014 CBDNA Southern Division Conference in Jacksonville Florida, 2014 GNAI Honor Band Recipient, and a 2015 performance in New York’s Carnegie Hall.

The Oak Mountain Middle School Advanced Symphonic Band is the premiere ensemble for the Oak Mountain Middle School band program. This is an auditioned group of 7th and 8th graders. The Advanced Symphonic band performs at pep rallies, home football games, assemblies, the Fall Concert, the Holiday Concert, the Pre-MPA concert, MPA, and the Spring Concert. This group consistently receives Superior ratings at the state and national level. Advanced Symphonic Band students are strongly urged to participate in the Solo and Ensemble festival, various honor bands and to audition for the Alabama Middle School All-State Band.

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AMEA 2017 Performing Groups The Pizitz Middle School band program serves 250 students in grades six through eight. Sixth grade students are placed in the beginning band program where they receive group and individualized instruction. In the seventh and eighth grades, students are placed into one of two ability- based performing bands. The top ensemble, Symphonic Band, is under the direction of Kim Bain and the Concert Band is under the direction of assistant director, Leah Seng. The Pizitz Percussion Ensemble is comprised of percussion students from Beginning, Concert and Symphonic Bands. The Pizitz Jazz Band is an auditioned ensemble made up of seventh and eighth grade students. The Pizitz band program has received many awards as well as earned consistent superior ratings at the yearly Alabama Bandmaster’s Music Performance Assessment festivals. In 2014, the Pizitz Band received the National Band Association Blue Ribbon National Middle School Award of Excellence. In 2013, the Pizitz Band was awarded the John Philip Sousa Sudler Silver Cup. Notable performances by the Pizitz Symphonic Band include the 2015 Midwest Clinic Band and Orchestra Conference, 2014 NBA/CBDNA Southern Division Conference, 2013 Music for All National Concert Band Festival, 2011 Alabama Music Educator’s Association Conference as well as performances at the honor band festivals of Auburn University, University of Alabama, UAB and Troy University. The Pizitz Jazz Band recently performed at Loyola University in New Orleans and has received the Gold and Silver Awards at Festival Disney. The Pizitz Percussion Ensemble was featured on the Midwest Clinic performance. Both the Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble also perform on all school concerts and on many school assemblies.

In the past seven years the Pleasant Grove Chorale has grown in quality and accomplishments. Started in the fall of 2009, they began as a choir that met after school just learning to sight read. In the Spring of 2010 they received straight superior ratings in performance and sight reading at AVA District Assessment and attended the AVA state Assessment receiving an overall Superior with a Superior in sight reading. Since its conception that year they have been allowed to meet as a class. The Pleasant Grove High School Chorale now consists of auditioned 10th - 12th graders who have had either band or choir for at least one year. They have constantly received over all superior ratings with a superior in sight reading at AVA State Choral Performance Assessment, are always well represented at Alabama All State, and have received multiple awards from different regional and national festivals including Festivals of Music Atlanta and Music in the Parks in Orlando.

The Ramsay High School Concert Choir has been a mainstay of Ramsay International Baccalaureate High School since its founding in the 1930s. It has always strived for excellence and has adopted as its motto “The Spirit of Excellence.” The Ramsay Concert Choir has had many esteemed choral directors in its tenure. It is important that we recognize Ms. Myrna Ria Ross who was the school’s beloved choral director from 1987 until her untimely passing in October, 2015. Known to her students as “Ross the Boss”, she directed the choir in performances throughout the United States and was certainly one of the brightest lights in the Birmingham City School system. Her physical presence is missed, however; her spirit permeates the choir room and the school. Clarence H. Janes, Jr. has taught at the elementary and secondary levels since 1982. He retired from teaching in August, 2015 after serving twenty years at Birmingham’s Huffman High School. When Ms. Ross died, he was asked to fill in until a new director could be found. He has no intention of leaving. Growing the program and performing with the choir has been an amazing musical experience. This is the Ramsay High School Concert Choir’s first performance at the Alabama Music Educators Association Conference. The choir has enjoyed preparing for this amazing opportunity.

The Smiths Station High School Choir program began in 1999 under the direction of Mrs. Faye K. Haag with a choir of 34 students. SSHS now has 5 choirs with yearly enrollment over 100 students each year. The SSHS Concert Choir consists of students who are in 4 different levels of Vocal Music. There are some students who are in their 2nd semester of Choir and others who may be in their 8th semester.

This Choir does not get to meet together every day, but work on their music during their individual choir period. This Choir was chosen through the process of auditions on their music, checking their grades in all classes to be sure there are no failing grades, and their consistent attendance and hard work.

The SSHS Choirs consistently receive Superior Ratings in Concert performance and Sightreading for Alabama Vocal Association Evaluations. They were selected to perform at the 2008 ACDA Invitational Choral Festival with Dr. Jerry McCoy at UAB. Our 2009 SSHS Chamber Choir was selected to sing for the 2009 AMEA Convention in Tuscaloosa. They sang in the National Youth Festival Choir at Carnegie Hall in 2012 with Randall Stroope. They placed 3rd in the National Choral Competition at Rollins College in Orlando in 2013. They won 1st place in the Masters of Music in Nashville, Tennessee in 2015. They have participated in the Epcot Candlelight Processional at Disney World 5 times. The SSHS Choirs participated in several Choral Competitions at the National Peanut Festival in Dothan and were named Best of Festival 3 times. They have also been in the top 3 choirs for two years at the Alabama State Fair Choral Competition. The SSHS Choirs have had members in Alabama Allstate Choirs 15 of the 17 years that Mrs. Haag has been teaching at Smiths Station. And those two years were scheduling problems, not lack of student ability.

They were the first high school choir to perform at the Bill Heard Theatre at the River Center for the Performing Arts in Columbus in 2003 along with our outstanding SSHS Symphonic Band. We have performed several times with our Band including AMEA in 2007. ala breve

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AMEA 2017 Performing Groups Borrowing it’s name from a line in the County High Alma Mater, the “Velvet Blue Orchestra” is the top Jazz Ensemble at Tuscaloosa County High School. The VBO is comprised of approximately 25 students in grades 9-12. Membership in the organization is by audition. Amongst recent engagements by the VBO are performances for the Tuscaloosa Historical Society, The Tuscaloosa Character Council, The West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, and the Tallassee Jazz Festival. Many students from the VBO have participated in All State Jazz Band and the group has been consistently rated superior at assessment. The VBO is led by TCHS Associate Director of Bands, Michael Guzman.

Troy University Collegiate Singers is a non-auditioned choral ensemble designed to provide a quality performing experience for students of all majors utilizing excellent repertoire from a wide variety of historical and cultural styles. The ensemble performs mature choral literature learning skills in vocal technique, music reading, and ensemble performance techniques. Recently, Collegiate Singers have been ambassadors for new music, performing a number of world premieres. Collegiate Singers continues to showcase excellence through their performances on and off campus.

In 2016-17, the Department of Music at UAH will celebrate its Golden Jubilee – 50 years of training musicians for the state of Alabama. The Wind Ensemble was among the university’s first musical ensembles and, as such, has enjoyed a storied near 50-year history with early appearances under the batons of James Cavanaugh and William D. Revelli. For many years, the UAH Wind Ensemble personnel also comprised the early talent of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, a strong partnership still enjoyed today in annual combined programs of the two organizations in what has become Huntsville’s signature holiday event, “Peace on Earth.” In recent years, the UAH Wind Ensemble has led or participated in consortiums to commission over a dozen new works for wind band by composers Paul Dooley, Steve Danyew, Roy Magnuson, Kevin Krumenauer, and three works and several associated residencies by David Maslanka. Additionally, the UAH Wind Ensemble features frequent guest conductors of international acclaim, including recent appearances by: John Lynch (Sydney Conservatory), Gary Green (University of Miami), Col. Timothy Holtan (U.S. Army Band), and Catherine Rand (University of Southern Mississippi), to name a few. The UAH Wind Ensemble has twice hosted the Alabama All-State Solo Competition and, in 2014, gave the feature performance for the Alabama All-State Festival. The UAH Wind Ensemble is an audition-only ensemble, open to all students at UAH, regardless of major – making it, uniquely, a true campus ensemble while maintaining high performance standards required by the modern wind band repertoire.

The Concert Choir is the premier choral ensemble at the University of Montevallo and is among the most highly regarded choirs in the southeast. Under the direction of Dr. Melinda Doyle, this auditioned ensemble comprised of both music major and non-music major students performs a diverse repertoire ranging from choral masterworks to spirituals. The choir tours annually and has made appearances throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Tennessee, and has performed featured concerts for the Southern Division of the American Choral Directors Association and the Alabama Music Educators Association In-Service Conference. Most recently, the choir performed in some of the world’s best-known musical venues on their inaugural invitational 2015 European Performance Tour of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. The choir has also performed several major works with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, including performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Brahms in Deutsches Requiem, Fauré Requiem, Vivaldi Gloria, Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai and Mozart’s Missa in C Major, K 317. In addition to concerts on campus each semester, the Concert Choir is frequently featured in concerts throughout the Birmingham area and presents the annual "A Montevallo Choral Christmas" at the beautiful Lucille Ryals Thompson Colonial Chapel at the American Village in December. The choir has recently received an invitation to record new manuscripts for Hinshaw Music, an international choral music publishing company.

Just Singin’ is one of eight choirs at Vestavia Hills High School. Students chosen for Just Singin’ sing in at least one other choir during the school day. This Acapella Pop group began in 2007 as an experiment to gather the best of the Vestavia Hills High School Choral Department. They perform throughout the State and enjoy writing their own arrangements as well as performing others’ arrangements.

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October/November 2016

where the stars land in alabama

Bachelor of Music Performance Jazz Studies Composition Theory Music Theraapy

Bachelor of Science Music Education/Instrumental Music Education/Choral

Bachelor elor of Ar rts

The University of Alabama

School of Music music.ua.edu http s : / / v i m e o. c om / 1 1 2 2 9 5 2 5 5

General Music Music Administration

Master of Music Performance Wind Conducting Choral Conducting Church Music Composition Theory Arranging Music History

Master ter of Ar rts Music Education

Doctor of Musical Arts Composition Performance

Education Specialist PhD Music Education Performing Ensembles

A world-renowned faculty, state of the art facility and a name synonymous with champions. Become a star at the University of Alabama School of Music.

Welcome to The University of Alabama School of Music. Please scan here with your tablet or smart phone.

Huxfford Symphony Orchestra Alabama Wind Ensem mble Alabama Symphonic Band Alabama Concert Band Alabama Jazz Ensem mble Contemporary Ensemble Un niiversity Singers Uni niv n versity Chorus UA Opera Theatre The Million Dollar Band

For audition infformation and our upcoming calendar of events please visit our website.

music.ua.edu

College College of Fine Fine A Arts rts D Department epartment of M Music usic

Music Scholarship

Auditions A uditions

Auditions ditions for o music degree degr program and scholarship opportunities:

November 12, 2016 January 28, 2017 March 11, 2017 For o more inffoormation i n, visit www.montevallo.edu/music

Campus Connections...

News and Happenings from Alabama’s Colleges and Universities Colleges and universities are encouraged to submit newsworthy material and announcements for publication in Ala Breve

Samford University Samford University’s School of the Arts is pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Overturf as the new Arts Recruiter. Katie received her Bachelors of Arts in Music from Oklahoma Baptist University and Masters in Music from University of Central Arkansas with additional studies at Oklahoma City University.

Gleaning from her personal experience in the fine and performing arts along with her four years of professional experience in Admission and Enrollment Management at Oklahoma Baptist University and Oklahoma City University, she is excited to guide artists to Samford who are pursuing excellence and impacting the world through their inspiring artistry.

United States, frequently appearing as a clinician, soloist, orchestral musician, and a member of the clarinet/percussion ensemble Sources Duo.

Ms. Lauren Teel, percussion Mr. Will Yager, bass Mr. Benjamin Maclay, bassoon

Special Conference Performances

Band at Nationals The UNA marching band has been invited once again to perform at the Bands of America Grand National Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 11. The band was featured at BOA Grand Nationals in 2014. The band and the department appreciate the support provided by UNA administration to make this exhibition happen.

The Troy University Collegiate Singers and their conductor, Dr. James Brown, were selected to present a concert at AMEA on Thursday evening January 19th. Dr. Diane Orlofsky and her jazz vocal ensemble frequency were selected to present a clinic session at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, January 20th at this same conference. The Troy University Symphony Band and their conductor, Dr. Mark Walker, will be the featured university ensemble in April at the All-State Festival in Montgomery, Alabama.

Upcoming Events UNA Department of Music events—visit una.edu/music

Annual Events: Alabama Intercollegiate Band The 2017 Alabama Intercollegiate Band will perform in January at the Alabama Music Educators Association In-service Conference in Montgomery. The Alabama Intercollegiate Band was designed by Alabama college/university band directors to be a collaborative, educational experience. Dr. John Locke, Director of Bands at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, will be the conductor.

Southeastern United States Middle School Band Clinic – Dec. 1-3, 2016.

Contact Dr. Mark Walker Southeastern United States Choral Clinic – Jan. 1314, 2017.

Contact Dr. Diane Orlofsky

Southeastern United States HS Honor Band/Conductors Clinic – Feb. 2-4, 2017.

Contact Dr. Carla Gallahan

The John M. Long School of Music – Troy University

Guitar Festival – Feb. 19, 2017.

Contact Dr. Robert Gibson

We are grateful to AMEA for providing this opportunity to share information with our music colleagues and music students across the state.

Vocal Jazz Festival – Mar. 22-23, 2017.

Contact Dr. Diane Orlofsky

New School of Music Faculty Dr. Jennifer Fraley is a Lecturer of Music at Troy University, where she teaches the class piano sequence and assists with applied clarinet. Dr. Fraley received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, a Master’s in Clarinet Performance from Michigan State University, and a Doctorate in Clarinet Performance from Florida State University. Dr. Fraley has previously taught courses in theory and woodwind methods, and currently maintains a private studio of woodwind and piano students. She serves as an accompanist for local solo and ensemble festivals and undergraduate performance juries.

Fraley is an active clarinetist throughout the ala breve

Clarinet Day – Mar. 25, 2017.

Contact Dr. Tim Phillips Additional information about the John M. Long School of Music may be found at music.troy.edu.

We invite you to visit us online or in person soon.

University of North Alabama New Faculty The University of North Alabama Department of Music is pleased to welcome Dr. Terrance Brown as interim chair for the 2016-2017 academic year. The department is also pleased to welcome the following new faculty: Dr. Gretchen Windt, voice Mr. Jason Sulliman, low brass

Shoals Symphony at UNA 2016-2017 season—visit shoalssymphony.una.edu UNA Honor Choir, Oct. 25, 2016—contact Dr. Ian Loeppky, irloeppky@una.edu UNA Honor Orchestra, January 13-14, 2017— contact Dr. Daniel Stevens, dstevens1@una.edu UNA Honor Band, April 27-29, 2017— contact Dr. Lloyd Jones, lejones@una.edu

University of Alabama The University of Alabama School of Music is sincerely enjoying the new 26,000 ft.² addition to the Frank Moody music building complex which opened in August 2016. This expands the school’s comprehensive physical plant in a significant way adding two new large rehearsal spaces, faculty and staff offices and significant new appointments for the world-famous “Million Dollar Marching Band”.

The new wing of the Moody music building brings online a moderate sized rehearsal space designed for an ensemble of 80-100 and a very large rehearsal space suitable for a group of 350 to 400 students. For the very first time in the history of the institution, the University of Alabama “Million Dollar Band” has an official home. Along with rehearsal spaces, office spaces, appropriate storage facilities, and student congregation “hang out” space, the facility includes full locker rooms with uniform storage 51

and facilities to serve the students in the marching band on a daily basis.

This new addition to the School of Music has been warmly welcomed by students and faculty alike as it is allowing the school to grow and spread out a bit more and affording greater opportunity to serve our comprehensive music program and growing student body.

Our faculty and students have remained consistently active over the summer and have very exciting plans for this coming academic year with performances and presentations throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. We are pleased to have welcomed new faculty members this year including Dr. Mary Lindsay Bailey as instructor of oboe, Dr. Julie Bannerman in music education, and Dr. Andrew Minear as our new Director of Choral Activities. They are making wonderful additions to an already “world-class” faculty.

If you have the opportunity, please visit us in Tuscaloosa to meet and hear our faculty and students, and tour the new addition to our music facility. Over the next two years, there are plans to bring the existing music building up to the same architectural codes and construction standards as seen in the new wing. It is an exciting time in Tuscaloosa!

Auburn University Auburn University’s Department of Music opens the 2016-17 concert season with the Eighth Annual Faculty Showcase on September 15, 2016 featuring some of our finest faculty performers. One highlight this fall is the AU Opera Workshop production of the Alabama premiere of SPEED DATING TONIGHT! ,a one act comic opera created for opera apprentice programs; opera and musical theater programs at universities; choral groups; and fundraising events by Michael Ching. It portrays an imaginary speed dating night at a bar and will be presented on November 10 and 11, 2016 at 7:30 pm in Goodwin Recital Hall. Laurelie Gheesling and Anne Duraski lead our students in their preparation of this exciting premiere. A wide variety of other events can be found on our website: .

Thursday, February 9, 2017 for wind, brass, and percussion students participating in the 2017 Symphonic Honor Band Saturday, February 11, 2017 for voice and piano students Saturday, February 18, 2017 for wind, brass, percussion, string, and piano students All music curricula require an audition for admission and/or placement into private lesson study. Check out our website for the application to the Department of Music and audition requirements: .

Don’t miss our All-State Workshop on Saturday, December 10, 2016 for students auditioning for 2017 all-state ensembles on wind, brass, or percussion instruments. The Auburn University All-State Workshop is designed to help students enhance their audition and performance skills.

The workshop will include a variety of topics that target each element of the Alabama all-state audition: scales, technique, phrasing, and sightreading. Students will be coached on specifics related to each required etude, and suggestions for improvement and sight-reading practice techniques will be provided. Faculty performers will discuss the audition process from both the performer and adjudicator perspectives.

Registration information is available on our website.

The Auburn University Bands is will hold two annual symphonic band festivals, one for Junior High and Middle School students (February 2-4, 2017) and another for High School students (February 9-11, 2017). Both festivals include three separate honor bands, along with special guest conductors and clinicians, and end with a final performance by all bands for parents and the community. More information can be found on the Auburn University Band website: .

Contact the Department of Music at 334-8444165 or if you have questions about our degree programs or offerings.

proper playing/singing technique, note-reading, rhythm-reading, and other fundamental skills that will reinforce what students are learning in their local school music programs. The fall session will end with a chamber recital featuring program participants on November 29th in Tullibody Recital Hall on the campus of ASU. Additional information and registration instructions for the ASU Young Musicians Program can be found online at www.alasu.edu/music In addition to the Young Musicians Program, the Department of Music will also be sponsoring it’s hugely successful Piano for Children program which is available for children ages 612. In the fifth year of operation, this program allows children from the Montgomery area community to learn fundamental piano skills and basic music theory musicianship. The program has expanded to offer two beginner level classes and an intermediate level class. Classes are taught by Dr. Adonis Gonzalez-Matos, Professor of Piano at Alabama State University, and Dr. Michael Zelenak, Coordinator of the music education program at ASU and who holds the distinction of being a nationally board certified teacher. Additional information on the Piano for Children Program and other community outreach programs sponsored by the Department of Music can be found online at www.alasu.edu/music In faculty news, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Cordelia Anderson as Assistant Professor of Voice. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and will be teaching applied voice, diction classes, and collaborating on Opera Workshop projects.

We are thrilled with her recent addition to the voice area at Alabama State University.

Additional information about the Department of Music at ASU may be found online at www.alasu.edu/music or by contacting the Music Office at (334) 229-4341.

War Eagle! Sara Lynn Baird Professor and Chair

Alabama State University The 2017 audition dates for all students for admission into music curricula, our All-State Workshop for instrumental students, and our annual Honor Band Festivals are announced below.

2017 Audition Dates are:

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The Department of Music at Alabama State University is pleased to announce our newest community outreach initiative to launch this fall, the ASU Young Musicians Program. YMP will offer group lesson instruction led by ASU music faculty for vocal and instrumental students in grades 6-12. The group lessons will focus on October/November 2016

larship o h c s a eceives r d n a B itions hing b i c r h x a e M d r mes an e Jagua a h t g f y o a r w e a mb ities to n u Each Me t r o ments p u p r t o s l n e i v a d eason r s n t i h d w c n d a a e e B Fully-provid Themes t i e s r m i e T v i f l g un hree Ha T d Matchin n region a d w n o a h e S t e a -Gam in the st y t i s One Pre r e ing univ w o r g t s Faste raising d n u f o and N No fees

FOR MORE E INFORMA INFORMATION AT TIO ION For more Information about TES DATES AUDITION DA AT TE visit www .jaguarmarchingband.org www.jaguarmarchingband.org or call 251-460-6136

UNIVERSITY NIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUAR MARCHING BAND Laidlaw Performing Arts Center 5751 USA Drive South, Room 1072 Mobile, AL 36688 251-460-6136 • usajmb@southalabama.edu

www.jaguarmarchingband.org facebook.com/jaguarmarchingband

twitter.com/usajmb

MARCHING HONOR BAND SEPTEMBER 17, 2016 ––––––––––––– SYMPHONIC HONOR BAND APRIL 21-22, 2017

ALABAMA MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

CALL FOR RESEARCH POSTER PARTICIPATION Conference Dates: January 19-21, 2017 The Alabama Music Educators Association, Higher Education Division invites research poster submissions from all levels of music scholars and practitioners. Submissions may include completed and in-progress research studies involving any aspect of music (education, therapy, history, psychology, performance, music in higher education, alternative music, etc.). Research based on issues facing music educators, musicians, and music students in the Southeastern United States are especially welcome, though this is not a requirement.

All submissions should meet the Code of Ethics found in the Journal of Research in Music Education.

Research presented at other conferences will be considered. However, previously published work will not be accepted.

SUBMIT YOUR PROSOSAL: http://amea-research.org Conference Days and Location The 2017 AMEA conference will be Thursday, January 19, 2017 – Saturday, January 21, 2017 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Convention Center in Montgomery, Alabama. See http://www.myamea.org for more information.

Poster Session Day and Time The poster session will be held Friday afternoon of the conference from 1:15 - 3:15 p.m.

Proposal Submission Interested researchers should submit a detailed abstract of the research project (up to 1000 words) as a Word or PDF document through our online submission website: http://amea-research.org.

Deadline Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. CST on Monday, November 7, 2016 for full consideration.

Process for Review & Notification All abstracts will be peer-revised and authors will be notified of acceptance by email by Monday, December 5, 2016. If accepted, authors must register and attend the AMEA Conference to present the poster. In the case of multiple-author works, at least one author must register and attend the AMEA Conference to present the poster.

Poster Dimensions Posters should be professional in appearance and have poster dimensions of dimensions no larger than 36 inches by 48 inches. Presenters are expected to bring 15-20 copies of their research abstract to the session.

More Information Contact Dr. Jane Kuehne at Auburn University by phone at (334) 844-6852 or by email at kuehnjm@auburn.edu.

Need information about your NAfME membership?

Contact NAfME Memberr Services at 1-800-336-3768 or MemberServices@ nafme2.org

www www.nafme.org .nafme.org M Music usic EEducation ducation Or Orchestrating chestrating Suc Success cess

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AMEADivision Events

2016 - 2017

Alabama Bandmasters Association DISTRICT # District I

District II

District III

District IV

District V

District VI

District VII

District VIII

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All­State Solo Festival All­State Band Festival Summer In­Service Conference EVENT District Fall Meeting All­State Band Auditions All­State Band Unassigned Auditions District Honor Band State MPA I State MPA II Solo and Ensemble Festival Solo and Ensemble Festival District Spring Meeting District Fall Meeting All­State Band Auditions State MPA District Honor Band Solo and Ensemble Festival Solo and Ensemble Festival District Fall Meeting All­State Band Auditions All­State Band Unassigned Auditions District Honor Band State MPA Solo and Ensemble Festival District Fall Meeting All­State Band Auditions State MPA (High School) State MPA (Middle School) District Honor Band Solo and Ensemble Festival Solo and Ensemble Festival District Spring Meeting District Fall Meeting All­State Band Auditions All­State Band Unassigned Auditions District Honor Band District Spring Meeting State MPA Solo and Ensemble Festival Solo and Ensemble Festival District Fall Meeting All­State Band Auditions District Honor Band State MPA State MPA Solo and Ensemble Festival Solo and Ensemble Festival District Spring Meeting District Fall Meeting All­State Band Auditions All­State Band Unassigned Auditions State MPA Solo and Ensemble Festival Solo and Ensemble Festival District Spring Meeting District Fall Meeting All­State Band Auditions State MPA District Honor Band District Spring Meeting Solo and Ensemble Festival Solo and Ensemble Festival

April 2017 April 5­8, 2017 June 20­22, 2017 DATE August 29, 2016 January 27 (HS)­28 (MS), 2017 January 27, 2017 February 17­18, 2017 March 1­2, 2017 March 8­9, 2017 April 1, 2017 April 29, 2017 May 15, 2017 August 23, 2017 January 14, 2017 February 21­24, 2017 March 10­11, 2017 April 17, 2017 May 1, 2017 August 13, 2017 January 28, 2017 January 28, 2017 February 17­18, 2017 February 28, March 1­2, 2017 May 6, 2017 September 19, 2016 January 28, 2017 February 28­March 2, 2017 March 6­9, 2017 March 17­18, 2017 April 18, 2017 April 29, 2017 May 15, 2017 August 23, 2016 January 28, 2017 January 28, 2017 February 17­18, 2017 February 18, 2017 March 2­3, 2017 March 30, 2017 April 18, 2017 August 20, 2016 January 28, 2017 February 17­18, 2017 March 7, 2017 March 8­9, 2017 April 27, 2017 May 6, 2017 May 15, 2017 August 22, 2016 January 28, 2017 January 28, 2017 March 15­17, 2017 April 29, 2017 May 6, 2017 May 15, 2017 August 22, 2016 January 14, 2017 March 13­16, 2017 March 17­18, 2017 March 17, 2017 April 29, 2017 May 6, 2017

Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL Renassiance Hotel, Montgomery, AL Hampton Inn and Suites, Orange Beach LOCATION James Clemens HS Sparkman HS Sparkman HS Huntsville HS James Clemens HS Austin HS Meridianville MS Priceville HS James Clemens HS Gadsden City HS Albertville HS Gadsden City HS Albertville HS Southside HS Oxford HS Smith Lake Muscle Shoals HS Muscle Shoals HS Russellville High School University of North Alabama Muscle Shoals HS Pelham High School Hoover High School Homewood High School Hewitt Trussville High School Homewood High School Homewood Middle School Bumpus Middle School Contact District Chair for location Contact District Chair for location Prattville HS Prattville HS University of West Alabama University of West Alabama University of Alabama School of Music Prattville JHS Tuscaloosa County HS Contact District Chair for location Opelika HS Auburn HS First Baptist Church Montgomery Opelika HS Auburn JHS Trinity Presbyterian School Contact District Chair for location Daphne HS Davidson HS Davidson HS Baker HS Fairhope HS Mary G. Montgomery HS Daphne HS Contact District Chair for location Troy Elementary Enterprise HS Enterprise HS Enterprise Dothan Greenville

October/November 2016

Alabama Vocal Association Event

Date

Location

Fall Workshop Board Meeting Fall Workshop

Thursday, September 8th Friday, September 9th

First United Methodist Church, Montgomery First United Methodist Church, Montgomery

ASSC Auditions

Friday, September 30th­Saturday, October 1st

Gardendale Mt. Vernon Methodist, Gardendale

All­State Auditions

Wednesday, November 2nd­Thursday, November 10th

Various. See below.

Wednesday, November 2nd Thursday, November 3rd­Friday, November 4th Saturday, November 5th Sunday, November 6th Monday, November 7th­ Tuesday, November 8th Wednesday, November 9th­Thursday, November 10th

Mobile Montgomery Gadsden Florence Cullman Tuscaloosa

AMEA Board Meeting AMEA

Wednesday, January 18th Thursday, January 19th­Saturday, January 21st

Renaissance Hotel, Montgomery Renaissance Hotel, Montgomery

OCS/OA/ME District I District II District III District IV District V District VI District VII

Thursday, November 17th Monday, December 5th Tuesday, November 29th Tuesday, November 15th Thursday, November 17th Wednesday, October 26th Tuesday, November 15th

Decatur High School, Decatur Calera Middle School, Montevallo Cahaba Heights United Methodist Church, Birmingham Alexandria high School, Alexandria Bob Jones High School, Huntsville Tallassee High School, Tallassee University of Mobile, Mobile

District I District I District II District III District IV District V District VI District VII

Tuesday, March 21st Wednesday, March 22nd Thursday, March 23rd­Friday, March 24th Monday, March 20th­Wednesday, March 22nd Friday, April 7th Monday, April 3rd­Tuesday, April 4th Thursday, March 16th Thursday, March 16th

First Baptist Church, Decatur University of North Alabama, Florence University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Gardendale Mt. Vernon Methodist, Gardendale Gadsden City High School, Gadsden Columbia High School, Huntsville First Baptist Church, Tallassee Springhill Baptist Church, Mobile

Solo & Ensemble District I District II District III District IV District V District VI District VII (Fall) District VII (Spring)

Thursday, April 6th Thursday, March 23rd­Friday, March 24th Friday, February 24th Thursday, February 23rd Monday, February 13th­Tuesday, February 14th Thursday, March 16th Thursday, October 20th Thursday, March 16th

University of North Alabama, Florence University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Cahaba Heights United Methodist Church, Birmingham Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville TBA First Baptist Church, Tallassee University of Mobile, Mobile Springhill Baptist Church, Mobile

SCPA

Elementary/General Division October 21, 2016 October 22, 2016 January 19­21, 2017

Elementary Music Festival AMEA/AOSA Teacher Workshop AMEA Professional Development Conference

Samford University TBA (Birmingham Area Elementary School) Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Convention Center

Alabama Orchestra Association August 8, 2016

Audition Excerpts Posted

December 2, 2016

Begin Notifying Alternates

September 27, 2016 September 30 ­ October 11, 2016 November 16, 2016 December 1, 2016

Audition Registration Deadline District Auditions Results Posted Festival Registration Deadline

December 15, 2016 January 19­21, 2017 February 9­12, 2017

Music Mailed AMEA Conference All­State Festival

AMEA Collegiate Division October 9, 2016 January 19­21, 2017

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Collegiate Summit AMEA Professional Development Conference

Tuscaloosa Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Convention Center

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Music and Senior Citizens: Research Findings and Considerations for Music Education

By Lisa J. Lehmberg, Ph.D., UMass Amherst This article is reprinted from the Massachusetts Music Educators Journal. Permission to reprint was granted by the author.

For many in the United States, the term music participation brings to mind music making during the K­12 schooling years in a variety of settings inside and outside of schools. However, most people spend more years out of school than in school. What can the music participation of adults – particularly older adults – tell us about scaffolding musical involvement throughout life?

Research shows that as life expectancy increases, accompanied by an increased capability to maintain robust health well into older adulthood, many individuals choose to continue music participation through adulthood or even become involved in music for the first time as senior citizens (Fung & Lehmberg, 2016). The relatively new and growing body of research on the music participation of healthy independent older adults (most of which has been conducted in the last 20 years) has already uncovered much about the role of music participation throughout life. Some findings are what might be expected, but others are a bit surprising!

One major group of research findings from the field of music education concerns how senior citizens participate in music. As might be expected, research illuminates a strong relationship between music participation in earlier years and music participation later in life. A large majority of senior citizens who participate in music also did so in younger years. It also may not be surprising to learn that most participate in the same types of ensembles as in their earlier years:

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primarily church and community choirs and bands (now via New Horizons ensembles for many), with choral groups being by far the most popular with the greatest ease of entry.

Additionally, research shows that individuals who begin music participation for the first time as senior citizens tend to choose musical activities that have fluid entry points (welcome to join at any time; formal musical training not required), with choral ensembles again being the most popular. A perhaps more unexpected finding is that today’s senior citizens are also choosing to participate in alternative types of musicmaking opportunities that revolve around popular music, such as bluegrass or rock groups and karaoke, as well as participatory music-making opportunities such as circle singing or drum circles, in which everyone present participates and there are no performer/audience distinctions.

In addition, seniors enjoy engaged music listening activities, dancing to music, and/or serving as support personnel for musical groups, and consider these to be active forms of music participation even though they do not involve music making per se. Most importantly, research shows that senior citizens desire the opportunity to take music into their own hands by having many different choices available for music participation (Fung & Lehmberg, 2016).

A second, even larger group of findings (also from the field of music education) relates to why senior citizens choose to participate in music.

It is logical that music plays a positive role in the quality of life of senior citizens who participate in it, and research clearly points out the enormous breadth and depth of its impact. Seniors who choose to involve themselves in music reap multiple physical, psychological, and social benefits on many levels, ranging from superficial (enjoyment of making music) to profound (music serving as a lifeline in times of adversity) (Fung & Lehmberg, 2016). Positive physical/ psychological impacts of music participation that frequently surface in research include (but are not limited to) the following:

l

feelings of empowerment (Fung & Lehmberg, 2016)

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brighter moods (Hays & Michiello, 2005)

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enhanced cognitive functioning (Coffman & Adamek, 1999)

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enjoyment of making music (Roulston, Jutras & Kim, 2015)

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improved overall health (Gembris, 2008)

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improvement of musical skills (Coffman & Adamek, 1999)

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increased energy (Gembris, 2008)

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increased self-esteem (Clift & Hancox, 2010)

October/November 2016

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increased sense of wellbeing (Coffman, 1996)

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more meaningful life (Fung & Lehmberg, 2016)

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reduced stress (Lehmberg & Fung, 2010)

Likewise, positive social impacts mentioned frequently in research include (but are not limited to) the following: l

decreased feelings of isolation (Hays & Minchiello, 2005)

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feeling needed as a part of a group (Clift & Hancox, 2010)

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having the social support of the group in times of adversity (Gembris, 2008)

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opportunity to make friends and bond with others (Coffman, 1996)

Note: Although these findings are supported in multiple research studies, only one citation is provided for each in the interest of brevity) The few reported negative impacts of music participation tend to be on a more superficial level, such as having negative feelings about carrying instruments, the capabilities of conductors, the cost of band membership, or individuals’ own personal progress (Coffman, 1996).

For more in-depth information on research on these areas and senior citizens’ music participation in general, please see the References and Suggested Reading list at the end of this article.

So what do these findings mean for the profession of music education?

Looking at how people access music in older adulthood can provide food for thought about the role of music throughout life and how the profession of music education might provide scaffolding for lifelong music participation. Taking into account what research tells us about how senior citizens choose to participate in music, music educators might consider expanding school music curricula to include more learning experiences based on popular music across different levels of schooling, so that music can be picked up at any time and carried through a lifetime. Considering what research shows about why senior citizens choose to participate in music, it is easy to see that music can and does have a profound effect on the quality of life of those who participate. Offering a broader palette of school music experiences that have fluid entry points (including both performance-based and non-performance-based musical opportunities) could encourage more individuals to participate in a variety of musical experiences earlier in life and perhaps continue independently for a lifetime; thus accessing the multiple benefits that come from taking music into one’s own hands.

Fung, C. V., & Lehmberg, L. J. (2016). Music for life: Music participation and quality of life of senior citizens. New York: Oxford University Press.

Gembris, H. (2008). Musical activities in the third age: An empirical study with amateur musicians. In A. Daubney, E. Longhi, A. Lamont, & D. Hargreaves (Eds.) Musical development and learning (pp.

103-108). Hull, Germany: GK Publishing.

Hays, T., & Minchiello, V. (2005). The meaning of music in the lives of older people: A qualitative study. Aging & Society, 25, 261-278.

Lehmberg, L. J., & Fung, C. V. (2010). Benefits of music participation for senior citizens: A review of the literature. Music Education Research International, 4, 19-30.

Roulston, K., Jutras, P., & Kim, S. (2015). Adult perspectives of learning musical instruments. International Journal of Music Education, 33(3), 325-335.

REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READING Clift, S., & Hancox, G. (2010). The significance of choral singing for sustaining psychological wellbeing. Music and Health, 3(1), 79-96.

Coffman, D. D. (1996). Musical backgrounds and interests of active older band members. Dialogue in Instrumental Music Education, 20(1), 25-34.

Coffman, D. D., & Adamek, M. S. (1999). Perceived social support of New Horizons band members. Contributions to Music Education, 28(1), 27-40. ala breve

Lisa J. Lehmberg is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research interests include urban music education and senior citizens’ participation in music. She is a frequent presenter at state, national, and international conferences and recently coauthored the book Music for Life: Music Participation and Quality of Life of Senior Citizens (2016, Oxford University Press).

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What Makes a Great Music Teacher?

By Tony Mazzocchi This article is reprinted from the North Carolina Music Educator. Permission to reprint was granted by the author.

G

reatness in teaching is just as rare as greatness in any other profession.

Although it’s impossible to offer a prescription of qualities in order to cultivate great music teachers, understanding these qualities can give all would-be teachers a standard of excellence to strive for and can guide schools and parents toward what they should look for in current and prospective teachers.

Here are just a few characteristic traits that I believe all great music teachers have: Great teachers connect to their students on an emotional level.

We all remember how teachers we really respected made us feel. We remember the teachers who saw something special in us and identified with us on some level. Before we teach we must show that we care — and there are many ways to do this. The best way is the one that comes natural, and for me that is humor — but it can be anything from eye contact, a strong sense of empathy, or something else that indicates that the teacher truly “sees” the needs of each individual student.

Great teachers don’t look to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy all the time.

There are a lot of school music teachers who strive to have all of their students “like” them. They look to ensure that all of their students are happy and comfortable at all times, making sure that there is not too much effort involved with rehearsing and learning. These teachers usually run entire pieces of music and cover a lot of material in a short period of time –they tend to not “dig in” to small sections and have a laissezfaire approach to developing young musicians.

Great teachers, however, command respect and are not afraid to stretch their students’ comfort zone in order to teach them how to strive toward achieving greatness.

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Effective teachers are great communicators of knowledge.

You will rarely walk into a great teacher’s rehearsal and see them giving long speeches. Highly effective music teachers keep the concepts at the highest level but the explanations short and incredibly clear. A great teacher has a target they are aiming their students toward and do everything in their power to guide them toward it in the most efficient manner. Often times, the most useful information is delivered in a few seconds between the action (in our case, making sounds) that should be occurring throughout the majority of class time.

Great music teachers love fundamentals (and know how to “sell” them to their students).

Wise music teachers understand that technique is essential, and that proper technique can be taught during a school day, no matter how many students are in the class. These teachers are not afraid to go back to the beginning of a method book and honor the foundations of playing a musical instrument. Not only will a great teacher understand that building blocks such as posture, breathing, and hand position are critical to beginners, they also understand that these fundamentals must be constantly reinforced throughout their student’s schooling. Great teachers do not abandon fundamentals in order to “teach to a concert” — they ensure that their concert repertoire is an extension of strong musical foundations.

Being “scared” of your teacher once in a while is not the worst thing in the world.

should feel true respect for a great music teacher; they will also tend to admire them very much; and yes — they will be a little scared of them from time to time.

Even though it may often seem this way, students do not win when teachers seek to be their buddy, or even a parent figure. They do need someone who they trust (and trust a lot) and someone who they will dedicate their time to being with for a long haul, but there needs to be a little distance present. Students should be a little timid to show up unprepared to create music. The words “that’s okay” should not come out of a great teacher’s mouth when students aren’t holding themselves to a high standard. Great teachers are honest and tell students “how it is,” even if it is sometimes a little blunt. Hearing the truth is rough, but when true constructive feedback is delivered with clear language that is not personalized, students will be thankful and see that they can use that information to get better.

A GRAMMY® nominated music educator, Anthony Mazzocchi has performed as a trombonist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, Riverside Symphony, Key West Symphony, in various Broadway shows and numerous recordings and movie soundtracks.

Mazzocchi has served as faculty or as a frequent guest lecturer at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New York University, and Mannes College of Music. He blogs about how to be a successful music parent at The Music Parent’s Guide, and the book by the same name.

He has written a method book for music teachers called The Band Director’s Method Book Companion.

Of course I do not mean that students should fear their teacher, or that teachers should ever scare their students intentionally. But great teachers often evoke feelings that may be unfamiliar to our younger generation — students October/November 2016

To arrange a visit, email music@uab.edu or call 205 934-7376

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