October/November 2019 Ala Breve

ala

BallHawks Pep Band

Huntingdon Winds & Jazz

Marching Scarlet & Grey

ala breve

19Choral

21Building

G iving O ur B est E ffort

Hello AMEA!

I hope that this issue of the Ala Breve finds you experiencing well-planned, effective, sequential, and standards-based lessons in which your students are learning a life-long love and appreciation of music and music making. We are all very much aware of the positive effects that the study of music provides our students and the empowerment experienced by students who have professional, caring teachers. I want to encourage all of you to find new ways of engaging your students and providing them with the best possible experiences in your classrooms. Our world is changing rapidly due to the continual expansion and use of technology, and we are going to have to develop methodologies which match the learning styles of our students as we move

further into the future. Our noble profession and art form deserve nothing short of our best efforts, as do our students. When our students get our best, they give us their best!

Southern Division Meeting

The Southern Division of NAfME Board held our meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, September 8-9. Representing you there besides myself were Executive Director/Editor Garry Taylor, Past -President Susan Smith, and President-Elect David Raney. Some of the topics we discussed were Collegiate Voting, Technology, the new NAfME Membership Management System, Societies and Councils, Budget Review, the use of Lobbyists at the State Level, Partnerships with Arts Coalitions, Policies concerning Conference Presenters, Organizational

Development at the State Level, and several other topics. The conversations were lively, informative, and thought provoking.

2020 Election

We have an election coming up in 2020 to determine our next AMEA President-Elect. Currently we are voting online through an email methodology. We have experienced somewhat low voter turnout, and are looking into possible solutions. One idea discussed at the August AMEA Governing Board meeting was to switch the voting event back to voting on site at our Conference. For this election cycle, we will continue the online process. That having been said, may I please challenge all of you to participate in the process and vote? Let us together as an organization achieve the highest voter turnout in AMEA history this spring when we get to choose our next leader. How awesome would that be? It has indeed been my pleasure to serve you as President, and I would like for the next President-Elect to feel as though they have the support and attention of the entire organization.

Making use of NAfME Resources

There is a huge amount of very useful information on the NAfME website. Some of the most valuable information addresses Advocacy, Lesson Planning, and of course the 2014 National Standards. The site also keeps very close watch on Legislative happenings in Washington, DC. I encourage you to search through the website and find out what our National Organization is doing and providing for your use. Your dues are paying for access to the resources, so why not make full use of them? You just might find some answers you are looking for, or a great solution to an issue which is preventing you from providing your students the well rounded education that they are guaranteed by Federal Law. So put aside an hour and check out all the information on the NAfME website. You’ll be glad you did.

Greg Gumina, AMEA President

Representing AMEA at the Southern Division NAfME meeting in Nashville: AMEA Executive Director Garry Taylor, Immediate Past-President Susan Smith, President-elect David Raney, and President Greg Gumina.

2020 Conference Introduction

I am so excited about our upcoming Professional Development Conference, January 16-18, 2020. Congratulations to all who were selected to perform and present at the Conference. And Thank You to all our exhibitors as well. We could not have such a great event without their support. Each Division has planned some fantastic learning activities and performance opportunities. I hope that you have already registered, but if you have not yet done so, make it a priority to get it done soon. Dr. Carl Hancock has done a huge amount of work building our own website and interface with the new NAfME Membership Management System, and I’m looking forward to the registration process being the smoothest it has ever been. As you peruse the schedule you will see that we have moved the Keynote Address to Thursday morning at 10:30, so please make your travel plans accordingly. You will not want to miss this Keynote Session. It will include a combined schools Special Needs Drumming Group, The University of North Alabama Low Brass Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Thomas Lukowicz, and our Keynote Speaker, Mr. David Satterfield. Dave is absolutely one of the most dynamic human beings alive on the planet. He is currently the

Director of Asset Development for the Office of Research and Economic Development at West Virginia University and a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Music. Mr. Satterfield also serves as the Assistant to the Director of the WVU Manufacturing Extension Partnership, as well as the Facility Security Officer for WVU and the WVU Innovation Corporation. Dave has also been a Staff Member and Board of Directors Member for The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps. As you can already see, Dave will bring a very diverse background of experience, a huge amount of knowledge, and a fresh perspective to the Keynote Address. He is also one of the most endearing, genuine, and entertaining speakers you will ever hear. Dave will also speak at the Leadership Breakfast and spend some time with our FAME students. I would also like to highlight a couple more opportunities for you at the Conference. The first is Thursday, January 16th, 4:30-5:30 when the Jacksonville State University Steel Band, under the direction of Dr. Thomas McCutchen, will perform at the Exhibit Reception. Please also attend the President’s Reception on Friday, January 17th, 9:30-11:00 where the Gadsden State Show Band will be performing under the direction of Dr. Matt Leder.

Leadership

I have been blessed to meet a great many leaders in our profession throughout the country over the past four years, and I look forward to learning from them and sharing information with them for the next two years after I have “passed the gavel” to PresidentElect David Raney. The one similarity that I have seen in all the truly great leaders is the mentality that Leadership is not about at title, but rather it is about responsibility and actions. Search out ways to be a leader in your community, your state, your Division, and in the AMEA itself. When you see an opportunity to serve our profession, go for it. When you see something that needs done or changed, do it. When you have discovered some information that would be useful to our profession, share it. Be a leader in our profession and enjoy enriching Music Education in the process!

I look forward to seeing all of you at our Conference, Greg Music Education is AWESOME in Alabama!

From the Registrar

Registration for the January AMEA conference in Montgomery has just begun and I am sure many of you have already been doing your online registrations. Being pro-active is very important and your attention to getting registered for the conference is one of the ways you can speed up the process of getting your badges, etc. I encourage you to remind your colleagues to get their registration completed as soon as possible. Invite new music teachers and ask

the inactive music teachers to join NAfME/AMEA and attend the conference. Our young teachers need your encouragement so tell them how important the conference is to you and ask them to be present!

Remember that a pre-requisite to registering for the conference is to join/renew NAfME at www.nafme.org. Joining NAfME secures your membership in AMEA and your division.

You can pre-register now for the 2020 in-service conference at www.myamea.org. You may also pre-register by mail using the form in the Ala Breve. Do it now and you will save time and money! Join me and your colleagues from all over the state in January at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center for our wonderful Alabama Music Educators Association Conference!

Pat Stegall, Registrar

Alabama Music Educators Association

AMEA Governing Board 2019-2020

President Greg Gumina Shades Valley High School 6100 Old Leeds Road Irondale, AL 35210 (205) 956-4638

ggumina85@gmail.com

Immediate Past President

Susan Smith 104 Smith Hall Troy, AL 36082 (334) 670-3322

ssmith26024@troy.edu

President, AOA

Guy Harrison 218 Goodwin Music Building Auburn University, AL 36849 (334) 844-8192 gfh0002@auburn.edu

President, AMEA Collegiate DeLee Benton dbenton@forum.montevallo.edu

Industry Representative

Becky Lightfoot Arts Music Shop

3030 East Blvd Montgomery, AL 36116 334/271-2787

beckyl@artsmusicshop com

Executive Director

Editor, Ala Breve Garry Taylor 1600 Manor Dr NE Cullman, AL 35055 (256) 636-2754

amea@bellsouth.net

President-Elect

David Raney Sparkman High School 2616 Jeff Road Harvest, AL 35749 256-837-0331 draney@madison.k12.al.us

Recording Secretary

Carla Gallahan

113 Long Hall Troy University Troy, AL 36082 (334) 670-3502 recording_secretary@myamea.org

President, AVA

Megan Jones Decatur High School 1011 Prospect Drive Decatur, AL 35601 (256) 552- 3011 presidentofava@gmail.com

AMEA Collegiate Advisor

Edward (Ted) Hoffman University of Montevallo Station 6670 Davis Music Building 308 Montevallo, AL 35115 (205) 665-6668 ehoffman@montevallo.edu

Assistant Executive Director

Rusty Logan 2020 Janabrooke Lane Auburn, AL 36830 (334) 663-1702

rlogan9853@gmail.com

Treasurer/Registrar

Pat Stegall

AMEA Registration PO Box 3385 Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

treasurer_registrar@myamea.org

President, ABA

Terry Ownby

Florence High School 1201 Bradshaw Drive Florence, AL 35630 (256) 768-2200

tsownby@florencek12.org

President, ELEM/GEN

Betty Wilson Deer Valley Elementary 4990 Ross Bridge Parkway Hoover, AL 35226 (205) 296-3311

bettyboop122372@att.net

President, Higher Education Mildred Lanier Jefferson State Community College (205) 983-5309

mlanier@jeffersonstate.edu

Alabama Department of Education Arts Education Specialist

Andy Meadows 50 North Ripley Street Montgomery, Alabama 36104 (334) 353-1191

ameadows@ALSDE.edu

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

ADVERTISING & COPY DEADLINES

Fall - August/September (Back to School) issue: July 15

Winter - October/November (Conference) issue: September 15

Spring - May/June (All-State) issue: January 15

Summer - May/June (Digital Only)

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.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message from your Alabama Orchestra Association. I know how hectic the start to new school year can be, and I for one am already looking forward to some opportunities to rest and rejuvenate!

The start to the school year is always a busy time, and while those of us in the orchestral world might not be out there on the marching field, we are certainly marching towards our upcoming All-State Orchestra auditions. With a great lineup of conductors and some fantastic repertoire, students will have an experience like no other right here in their own state. We are excited to return to the University of Alabama for our 2020 All-State Orchestra Festival being held from February 69, 2020.

Auditions for our All-State Festival have changed this year with a new emphasis on scales and etudes, the combining of audition material for our two full orchestras, and additional audition dates in early-November for our wind, brass, and percussion students. The hope is that this will help alleviate any conflicts students might have with their marching band obligations. Wind, brass, and percussion students will need to register for an audition time by October 18, 2019 I would once again like to thank my colleagues in the Alabama Bandmasters Association for sharing their All-State Band materials

Highlighting Orchestral Activity in Our State

with us. We hope that by combining our audition materials, more band students will audition for All-State Orchestra if for no other reason that they get a practice run for their AllState Band audition. And who knows, maybe they will make All-State Orchestra as well! Students that have a successful audition and are selected for the All-State Orchestra Festival will need to accept their spot by early December. Exact dates can be found on our website. Financial Aid forms will also be due at that time.

An exciting part of the All-State Orchestra Festival is the premiere performance of the winning composition from our annual Composition Contest. I am pleased to announce that the winner of this year’s competition is Alabama’s very own Dr. Mark Lackey. Mark currently serves as Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Samford University. We look forward to having him in residency at the festival and know that our students will enjoy preparing and performing his work, Reef.

The AMEA conference in January 2020 is the perfect pick-me-up as we transition into our spring semester. Richard Meyer, will be our headline clinician this year, and will be supported by a wonderful line up of clinicians who will present a wide variety of sessions that we hope will appeal to both our membership and the general membership at large. If

you have not yet done so, this would be a great time to renew your membership and register for the conference.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge all the wonderful work being done by the Alabama Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. They are doing our state a great service with their support of, and advocacy for, string and orchestra programs. Their annual Honor Strings Festival will take place at the Wallace Hall Fine Arts Center in Gadsden, AL from November 15-17. For more information about the festival and the other work being done by the Alabama chapter of ASTA, please visit their website at: http://astabama.org

Finally, your AOA wants to hear from you. We would love to feature you, your program, your upcoming events, and anything else you feel should be shared on our social media platforms. We want to continue to highlight all the orchestral activity occurring in our state. Please help us make this happen.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you, and hope to see you at an upcoming event.

Regards,

Guy Harrison

Guy Harrison - President, Alabama Orchestra Association

FAME

Future Alabama Music Educators

Open to High School Juniors and Seniors

Thursday, January 16, 2020 9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Convention Center

Application and $30 registration fee are due postmarked no later than January 9, 2020

Student_____________________________________________________________ Grade ____________________

Nominating Teacher ____________________________________________ NAfME # _________________________

School Name ____________________________________________________________________________________

School Address __________________________________________________________________________________

Teacher Phone ________________________________ Teacher Email ______________________________________

This student participates in (circle all that apply):

Band Chorus Orchestra Other ____________________

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.

Enclose $30 Registration Fee Make checks payable to AMEA

Signature of StudentSignature 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

Mail this application, along with the $30 registration fee, to:

Susan Smith

AMEA Past President

303 Old Cabin Road

Troy Alabama 36081

Postmark Deadline: January 9, 2020

AVA Updates And Upcoming Events

It was great to see many of you at this year’s Fall Workshop. We greatly appreciate Huntingdon College and Dr. Damion Womack for hosting us again this year. Thank you also to everyone who responded to our membership survey. We received wonderfully positive feedback from those in attendance about all of the sessions. Please continue to send us any feedback or ideas for our future workshops. For those who were unable to attend, please see the AVA website for handouts and presentations.

CHANGES FOR 2019-2020

Here are the changes that were shared during our Fall Workshop General Membership Meeting: All-State Festival student fees • were increased to $35 in anticipation of increased costs due to being at the BirminghamJefferson Convention Complex this year.

The State Choral Performance • Assessment adjudication form now includes an auxiliary information form. We hope this form will be useful to the adjudicators in providing relevant feedback. The score spreads on the adjudication form were also adjusted slightly. The minimum point total to receive a superior rating is now 74 points.

The SCPA sight-reading rubric • was revised to add the dotted quarter note to the Advanced MS/Intermediate HS level.

ALL-STATE AUDITIONS

All-State auditions are fast approaching. Prior to the auditions, please make sure that your students have all of the required

pieces, including “Alabama;” that all of their measures have been numbered; and that their adjudicator forms have been signed by a parent. Also, be certain to follow the instruction pages included in the music packets to ensure that your students are learning the correct notes for your district.

We are continuing to evaluate our AllState audition process in order to make it easier on our judges while also maintaining the integrity, rigor, and low cost of our current format. I shared with the membership at Fall Workshop that we will vote during AMEA to revise our bylaws in order to broaden who is allowed to judge our auditions. A motion will be made to change Article VII, Section 7.1 to read “The Executive Board will determine who serves as All-State audition adjudicators. Adjudicators will not judge their own students.” The handbook currently states that the Executive Board and Past-Presidents will serve as adjudicators. We believe we have qualified, capable, and willing retired directors who could serve as adjudicators in the future, if needed. This change will allow us to utilize those directors.

HONOR CHOIR

The Honor Choir Festival will take place during the AMEA conference. You may nominate up to two balanced quartets of your best sight-readers. The clinician for the festival will be Dr. Deana Joseph from Georgia State University. We hope to see great participation from across the state due to the new sight-reading format! There is no screening or preparation required for your students to participate. Register your students, order the music packets, and bring them to the festival to

enjoy learning great music with a great clinician!

AMEA CONFERENCE

The 2019 AMEA Conference will be January 16-18 at the Renaissance Montgomery. Our guest clinician will be Dr. Tim Seelig, Artistic Director and Conductor of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Dr. Seelig, who is said to be known for his enthusiasm and sense of humor, is the author of multiple bestselling books and DVDs on choral technique. I am very excited to be bringing him to Alabama and I hope to see his sessions completely full with AVA members!

Congratulations to all of the choirs who were accepted to perform at the conference. We will have performances from middle school, high school, and collegiate choirs from across the state. It is a great honor to be selected to perform during this state-wide conference, so please be sure to come and support these groups and enjoy the music they are going to share. In addition to these groups, we will also have performances by the Alabama Honor Choir and Alabama AllState Show Choir.

I am looking forward to seeing you all in January. Until then, if I can be of help in any way or if you have any suggestions or ideas, please contact me at meg.jones.ava@gmail.com. See you at AMEA!

Meg

Hello all!

This is DeLee Benton, your cNAfME Alabama president. This has been a very exciting year of new beginnings and growth for our state chapter so far! We are excited to expand our horizons through the National Collegiate Summit, through our Alabama Collegiate Summit, and through our new Collegiate Buddy Chapter System.

Our state AMEA graciously sent two collegiate members to the National Collegiate Summit and Hill Day. Several other collegiate students traveled along with these two sponsored students and many of them shared their individual experiences with our Secretary Isabelle Page. You can read more about their experiences in the previous issue of the AlaBreve.

Our Collegiate Summit will be held on October 27th, 2019 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Samford University. We will have opportunities for professional development, networking, and a New Teacher panel. Dinner for this event is provided by AMEA and is free to all students in attendance. More information will follow soon, so please be checking your emails!

We as the Collegiate NAfME Alabama state board have instituted our Chapter Buddy System this past summer. This new system provides collegiate pre-professional music educators with the tools they need to network with others in their future field. Music Educators often feel ostracized or singled out in their education systems and individual schools, especially in the more rural areas where they may be the only music educator for their school system. We as a Collegiate Board have been working to institute this

An Open Letter to cNAfME Alabama

new system to promote inclusion and to create and foster an environment of community and learning together. As educators we are never truly done learning, we will continue to learn from our peers, students, and mentors. With this Collegiate Chapter Buddy System we now have a facet of our organization specifically designed for collegians to connect with their peers before entering the professional world of music education. Now is the time to reach out and get to know our colleagues, there is a plethora of available knowledge and an opportunity for networking that we have yet to discover.

Here are the pairings for our Buddy Chapter System:

If you are a cNAfME chapter president and have had trouble contacting your buddy chapter, or have not received an email from the cNAfME Alabama State Board regarding your buddy chapter, please send me an email regarding your situation.

Lastly, we encourage you all to ensure you are registered for the AMEA Conference scheduled for January 16-18, 2020! There will be several opportunities for professional development, networking, and the opportunity for a free meal at our Collegiate Luncheon!

I hope to see many of you soon at our Collegiate Summit.

Warm Regards,

DeLee Benton University of Montevallo cNAfME Alabama President dbenton@forum.montevallo.edu

DeLee Benton - President, cNAfME Alabama

Betty Wilson -  President, Elementary/General Division

Developing Successful Habits

A few years ago, my school adopted the Seven Habits of Happy Kids as part of the counseling program. Every teacher in the school received a copy of the book by Sean Covey and was encouraged to incorporate the principles into the classroom. The seven habits are: 1. Be Proactive, 2. Begin with the End in Mind, 3. Put first Things First, 4. Think Win-Win, 5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood, 6. Synergize, 7. Sharpen the Saw. Students and teachers were trained on using these strategies in the classroom. We put them into action through our house system (based on the Ron Clark Academy) and through our Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies plan (P.B.I.S.). Students started taking ownership of their behavior and managing their time and tasks in a more efficient way than ever. Behavior referrals dropped as teachers practiced the win-win techniques in the classroom, showing students how being disruptive was a lose-lose for everyone involved. Of course, for many of us, these techniques started to bleed over into our personal lives as well.

In our last Ala Breve, I talked about dreaming big and setting goals. This would be a part of habits two and three. In this issue, I want to mention Sharpening the Saw, which is habit seven. To sharpen the saw, you set aside time for yourself and you do the things that bring you the greatest enjoyment. Take time to enhance your physical health, your cognitive or mental health, your spirituality

and your social health. Stephen Covey details each of these in his book for adults, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, but let’s focus on mental health and social health. What do you do to expand your mind? Do you like to read books and articles about teaching? Do you like participating in a hands-on training? Do you like to hang out with your music colleagues and enjoy enriching conversations about work and life over a good meal? Your elementary AMEA is offering a great workshop on October 19 and a yearly inservice in January for you to sharpen your saw.

The fall workshop on October 19th will be held at Eastmont Baptist Church in Montgomery and will feature two fabulous clinicians, Dr. Madeline Bridges from Belmont University and Dr. Becky Halliday from The University of Montevallo. Dr. Bridges will present the morning session which is entitled “Developing Core Singing Skills through Multiple Modalities.” Dr. Halliday will present the afternoon session on arts integration “Weaving a Tapestry: Collaborative Teaching Through Arts Integration.” In between, we are offering a catered “meat and 3” lunch that you can purchase when you register. This will allow you the time to sharpen your saw as you socialize with your fellow music educators. Please take the time today to renew your NaFME membership and register for the AMEA Professional development

Conference. Visit www.myamea.org for more conference details. We would love to see you at both of these events.

Thank you again, for your hard work, dedication and continued support of the Elementary/General Division of the AMEA and the children of Alabama.

See you in October, Betty R Wilson, President

Elementary/General Division

AMEA Choir Festival:

Friday, October 18, 2019  Eastmont Baptist Church, Montgomery

Contact Melissa McIntyre, Festival Director Ameafestival@gmail.com

Fall AMEA Workshop: Saturday, October 19, 2019

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Clinicians:  Dr. Madeline Bridges and Dr. Becky Halliday

Location: Eastmont Baptist Church, Montgomery

Contact: elementaryamea@gmail.com

AMEA In-Service Conference

Jan 16-18, 2020

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa

Featured Clinician:  Jim Solomon

Details will be available soon at www.myamea.org

Meaningful Movement

A Music Teacher’s Guide to Dalcroze Eurhythmics

by: Marla Butke and David Frego

A review by Deanna Bell, Music Teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary East.

I found it! I have finally found THE book that doesn’t make me scared to teach a Dalcroze lesson. “Meaningful Movement” is an easy to follow resource guide for any general music classroom. It contains:

• 206 lessons divided into 4 phases -- introduction, beginning, intermediate, and advanced

• 79 pieces of music literature categorized by genre

• Video link access to view 42 lessons presented by children and adults

• Sample lesson plans

• Assessment rubrics

The study of eurhythmics is important to early music education because it teaches concentration, self-control, memory, and social integration. Additionally it teaches the perception of time, space, and energy. The activities and music concepts taught in the lessons include rhythm, expression, melody, harmony, texture, tone color and form. With permission from Music is Elementary, here is a sample lesson from the book:

As the school year has begun with 14 hour days, beginners with their new instruments, Friday night football games and preparing for all the events of the year, don’t forget to register for the AMEA Conference in Montgomery, January 16-18, 2020. The conference is a great way to network with other professionals, attend some outstanding clinics and concerts and re-energize yourself as you begin the second semester of school. We have planned clinics that cover a wide range of topics that we hope will inspire you to “take something back home” to your program.

There were twenty-six applications submitted to be considered to perform for the conference. The

Take Something Back Home

selection committee had some outstanding groups from which to choose, from all around the state and all different sizes and types of band programs. It is exciting to see the quality of the programs in our state continuing to improve. The groups that were selected to perform include: Troy Wind Symphony, Wicksburg High School Band, Albertville Middle School Advanced Band, Pizitiz Middle School Band, Mortimer Jordan High School Band, James Clemens High School Percussion Ensemble, Tuscaloosa County High School Wind Ensemble, and the Grissom High School Symphonic Band 1. Make your plans now to be in attendance for these concerts!!

new ABAfest site before those deadlines hit. Any information about how we will register will come from either me or Doug Farris and will be sent to you through email. Again, its imperative that we have your most up to date information and email to make this happen.

The legislation that was published in the last Ala Breve will be voted on at the AMEA conference. Please make sure that you have read the proposals and are ready to discuss them. Do not hesitate to contact me or any board member if you have any questions about these. We will get a link to these put on the myamea.org site soon also so that you will have access to those there.

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

2020 dates:

April 3

April 17

April 24

2021 dates:

April 9

April 16

April 23

www.SMMFestival.com

or call:1-855-766-3008

We are currently working with Carl Hancock to develop a new version of ABAfest. After talking with him, we feel that the new site will be an improvement over the old one and will be able to offer more to the membership. The current ABA directory and cumulative list are both available on the myamea.org site. Please take a moment and check the information on the directory and make sure that it is correct. If any corrections are needed, please send those to your district chairman so that we can get as complete a directory as possible.

We are currently working on a plan to be able to register for All State and MPA if we aren’t ready to launch the

Finally, I encourage you this Fall to be passionate in your teaching, to be purposeful in your relationships with those around you and to take pride in your profession. We have the awesome task and privilege of being able come to work every day and to teach music to a generation of kids who will be the leaders of tomorrow, so let’s make sure they see our passion for what we do and let’s help them to find their passion along the way.

Terry

Terry Ownby- President, Alabama Bandmasters Association

Choral Music Reviews

An Irish Blessing – SATB voices a cappella

Anonymous, music by

Yani Araujo

Excelcia Music Publishing

SATB1905

This is an exquisite setting of a familiar and well-loved text by young composer Yani Araujo (a 2018 graduate of Rollins College in Orlando). Various other settings of “An Irish Blessing” have served as a “soft” closer to a concert program. Araujo’s composition is a most refreshing option to add to one’s list of concert closers. There are numerous musical benefits for any choir that sings Araujo’s setting of “An Irish Blessing.” First, the rhythms are straightforward and the vocal ranges are accessible for SATB groups of mostly all levels, especially high school and beyond. Secondly, the song is set in a quasi jazz-ballad style, and yet, I believe it can easily fit into a concert choir, show choir, a cappella, or vocal jazz concert program. For choirs (and directors) that struggle with tempo rubato, I found the third benefit to be the natural use of rhythm to the syllabic stresses of the text. The built-in rests, fermatas, breath marks, and sustained pitches make it nearly impossible to convey a strict tempo to the listener. Finally, my initial use of the word “exquisite” is in reference to the harmonies and voice leading. Araujo’s skillful use of suspension and chord clusters are neither gratuitous nor overused, in my opinion. Each vocal line is logical and easy to follow, which makes this setting accessible to even the developing choral ensemble. Choirs of all skill levels will find their own challenges with this setting of “An Irish Blessing.” For the more advanced ensembles, the challenges will be with regard to executing the nuances. For the developing ensembles, the challenges will probably include tuning, blending, balancing, musical independence, among others.

I Will Walk This Way – Solo voice, chorus, and piano (available in two-part treble chorus, three-part male chorus, and SATB chorus)

Words by Ken Berg and Michael Berg; music by Ken Berg

Galaxy Music Corporation

Catalog No. 1.3559

Ken Berg, a prolific and celebrated choral composer, has crafted yet another compelling octavo. “I Will Walk This Way” is intended to be performed “with a true Gospel feeling,” a task which primarily lies with the pianist and the soloist. Pianists who are not comfortable with Gospel music should have no fear. Berg leaves no room for doubt regarding the piano part. The rhythms and harmonies are very clear, and the use of accent is essential to achieve the Gospel feeling. The pianist must be careful not to vary

by William Powell

the tempo (as one would do with a Chopin piece), but commit to the steadiness of the tempo and the natural weight of the meter.

Verse 1 of the solo part can be sung by an individual or a small group. When using a soloist, it is helpful if the singer is one who sings with a passionate and convincing delivery, even if the individual is not skilled in singing Gospel music.

Ken Berg and Michael Berg captivate the listener with such a strong, meaningful text. Their words ignite the listener toward action and not just feelings or platitudes (“So, I will see the need of my neighbor, I will speak the truth in love…; For the weak and the poor, I will stand up! I will protect, I will provide…with the help of God, I will walk this way…). While it is categorically sacred, it is arguably suitable in most any other setting. This commissioned composition, part of the Darren Dailey Choral Series, serves as an excellent concert closer.

You Are the Music – SAB or SATB and piano

Victor C. Johnson; words by Amy Lowell

Choristers Guild

SATB CGE359; SAB CGE360

Edited by Mary Lynn Lightfoot, Victor Johnson provides choral ensembles with his signature lyrical melody and a beautifully flowing piano accompaniment. It is the intent of Lightfoot’s choral editions to be useful for classroom, concert, and festival settings, and this Johnson composition certainly fulfills those expectations. The piano part is accessible to the moderate or advanced player. The choral parts are interesting and enjoyable to sing. Because of the logical and singable nature of Johnson’s writing, the developing choir can probably learn the notes of this song within one or two rehearsal sessions.

Beyond the musical elements, this is a very thought-provoking text for all who make music. While students often take an external approach to music making, Lowell’s poem reminds us that, as music-makers, we are the music. It comes from within us, whether as composer, conductor, singer, player, etc.

William Powell serves as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Auburn University. He conducts the Chamber Choir, Men’s Chorus, Concert Choir, and Gospel Choir.

Mildred Lanier - President, Higher Education Division

Have you reflected lately on what drew you to a career in music? Have you reflected lately on the depth of creativity that has been born out of your love for music? Have you reflected lately on the intellectual exploration of music that has challenged how you engage in critical discourse, teaching, and performing of music? If you have not reflected lately, the sessions to be presented by the Higher Education Division at the 2020 AMEA Professional Development Conference will allow you to do just that and more.

I am excited to come together with all of you, my colleagues, from across the state to reflect, to be creative, and engage in intellectual discourse. The HED is excited to learn from presenters from around the state. We are excited about topics on music curriculum, developing singers, next generation music leaders, self-efficacy, and much, much more. You don’t want to miss any of the sessions that will allow you to reflect, refresh, and redirect to go to the next level

Reflect, Be Creative, and Engage Campus Connections

of your personal music expression.

As we feed our musical mind at the round table session and poster session, we will also feed our body at the HED luncheon, so please make sure to reserve your seat by emailing me. And not to be forgotten, we will feed our musical soul with ensemble performances at the HED recital. These musical gatherings and sessions will provide the opportunity for holistic music reflection for spirit, soul, and body.

Now is a good time for each of us to begin to reflect on our personal “why” about music and make plans to attend the 2020 AMEA Conference in Montgomery. If you have questions or want to reserve your seat at the HED luncheon, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (mlanier@jeffersonstate.edu)

Colleges and universities are encouraged to submit newsworthy material and announcements for publication in Ala Breve

Alabama Intercollegiate Band

The 2019 Alabama Intercollegiate Band performed in January at the Alabama Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference in Birmingham. The Alabama Intercollegiate Band was designed by Alabama college/university band directors to be a collaborative, educational experience. Dr. John R. Locke, recently retired Director of Bands at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, served as the conductor.

The John M. Long School of Music – Troy University

New School of Music Faculty

(More complete biographical information may be found at troy.edu/music)

Dr. Thaddaeus Bourne is Lecturer of Voice. Dr. Bourne received his DMA in Music Performance from the University of Connecticut and a Performance Diploma from Indiana University. His primary teaching responsibilities are in the applied voice area.

Dr. Jillian Camwell is Assistant Professor of Oboe. Dr. Camwell received her DMA in oboe performance from the University of Oregon. Her primary teaching responsibilities include applied oboe and class piano.

Robert Clayson is Lecturer of Percussion. Professor Clayson received his Master of Percussion Performance Degree from Indiana University. His primary teaching responsibilities are in the areas of percussion and marching band.

Dr. Sarah Wee is Assistant Professor of Voice. Dr. Wee received her DMA in Voice Performance and Voice Pedagogy from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Her primary teaching responsibilities include applied voice and Collegiate Singers.

Annual Events:

Southeastern United States Middle School Band Clinic –Dec. 5-7, 2019 - Contact Dr. Mark Walker

Southeastern United States HS Honor Band Clinic –Jan. 30- Feb. 1, 2020 - Contact Dr. Carla Gallahan

Guitar Festival – Feb. 7, 2020 - Contact Dr. Robert Gibson

Vocal Jazz and More Workshop –Feb. 26-27, 2020 - Contact Dr. Diane Orlofsky

Clarinet Day – Mar. 28, 2020 - Contact Dr. Tim Phillips

M.I.C. Check – Apr. 2-3, 2020 - Contact Professor Robert W. Smith

Troy Jazz Festival – April 4, 2020 - Contact Dr. Dave Camwell

Additional information about the John M. Long School of Music may be found at troy.edu/music. We invite you to visit us online or in person soon.

CALL FOR RESEARCH POSTER PARTICIPATION

Conference Dates: January 16-18, 2020

Location: Montgomery, Alabama

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. In addition, research presented at other conferences will be considered. However, previously published work will not be accepted.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL: http://amea-research.org

Conference Days and Location

January 16-18, 2020 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa, Montgomery, Alabama. See https://www.myamea.org/ for more information. The poster session is traditionally on Friday afternoon.

of the research project (up to 1000 words) as a Word or PDF document through our online submission website: http://amearesearch.org.

Please ensure your file name is also anonymized and that the name of your file is 30 characters or less..

Deadline Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. CST on Monday, November 4, 2019 for full consideration.

Process for Review & Notification

All submissions will be peer reviewed and authors will be notified of acceptance by email during the week beginning Monday, December 2, 2019. 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 10 copies of their research abstract to the session.

More Information

Proposal Submission

Interested researchers should submit an anonymized detailed abstract

AMEA Presidents - Past to Present

Contact Dr. Jane Kuehne at Auburn University by phone at (334) 8446852 or by email at kuehnjm@auburn.edu. 1946

1972 Frances P. Moss

1974 George Hammett

1975 Frances P. Moss 1976 S . J. Allen 1978 W. Frank McArthur 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

2018 Greg Gumina

Over the last few years, many musicians have begun to publish their “warm-up routine” or “daily drills.” Some of these books are targeted towards an entire band program, some are geared towards the individual. Often, we get caught up in the execution of their breathing exercises, while spouting out phrases like “breathe deeper,” “don’t get tense,” and “stay relaxed.” All of these phrases are correct, but are often used as a catch-all and become part of the “daily routine” for us as teachers. My aim with this article is to provide some specific information and phrases that can be applied to a variety of instructional books and also remind the students of specific actions that they should be focusing on when performing the exercise.

One of the first topics that I tend to address with students, whether at North Alabama or clinics, is how much you actually have to open your mouth to get a good breath. The trachea (or windpipe) is typically .6 to .8 of an inch wide with an average person. This knowledge become important when selecting devices/exercises for our young musicians. A common tool in many schools and studios (both academic and private) is a breathing tube, a piece of PVC about 2-3 inches in length. I typically see students that come in with 3/4 inch PVC. I prefer to use PVC that is half inch in width. Below is a chart comparing those two sizes.

actually moves slower. If you pour directly down the center of the opening, the liquid flows effortlessly into the new container. By using a breathing tube that is larger than the trachea, it will not allow the student to fill up completely because the air column needs to “merge” before going into the lungs, but by using the smaller tube the air will flow with less friction. Another additional benefit to using the smaller PVC is that the students do not have to create additional space between their lips to achieve the desired results. Remember, if we train them to have their teeth 1 inch apart to inhale (3/4 inch PVC) then they are more than likely going to try to maintain that space when they do breathe. This means there is also more “travel” between their breath and their embouchure for playing the instrument. Ideally, we want the least amount of travel away from the playing embouchure as possible, while still allowing for a full breath.

Buildi Bet Bre

As you can see, the opening of the 1/2 inch PVC is slightly larger than the smallest trachea size, which the 3/4 inch PVC is slightly above the largest trachea size. So what does this mean?

Think of a funnel, either one from your kitchen or used to fill up your oil/gas in the lawn mower. If you pour too much in the top of the funnel, it backs up and

The next step in using these breathing tubes is to relate them to something the students already know how to use: a straw. Our students have been using straws way longer than they have been playing their instrument. I can guarantee that very few students will use a straw with as much tension and extra motion as you see them when they do breathing exercises. I prefer to use smoothie straws, because they are larger than your typical straw that you would get from a fast food restaurant. It is possible to grab a box of 40-50 of these smoothie straw for a dollar at your local store. I typically cut them up to get 3-4 smaller straws out of each longer straw.

Before we get into some of the exercises, I want to throw out the idea that students will, for the most part, tend to do exactly what we tell them to do. If we tell our students to “be more relaxed,” they will most likely try to not

engage any muscles, which is the definition of relaxed. If we tell our students “I shouldn’t hear your air,” then they will move air slow enough to not make a sound. Both of these examples tend to directly contradict why we are doing breathing exercises: to get as much air in, as quickly as possible. I try to make sure my vocabulary during lessons mimics what I actually do while playing. I try to use words/phrases such as “directional,” “engagement,” and “active air stream.” I have found that this allows the students to focus on where the muscles DO need to be working, and then they can focus on if there is any excess engagement in other areas. This allows the students to learn their personal habits and then they can individually and specifically target those areas during the breathing exercises.

ding A tter eath

the straw. Make sure that the same process is still happening as it did with the previous step of the exercise. The only difference is that the expansion in the lower abdominals (from the sternum to the belt-buckle area) is faster and begins to expand 3-dimensionally around to the sides and lower back. As the student increases the air movement there will be some resistance to fight through with the straw, this will help strengthen the inhalation muscles IF proper form is followed. If the form begins to change, back the process up a bit and only go as far a proper form will allow.

Part 2: PVC

Follow the exact same steps as you did with the straw: placement, slow inhalation, gradually speed up. Again focus on form and treat the PVC exactly as you did the straw. It may be helpful to add a few alternating repetitions with the straw into this step to remind the student of the natural actions that the body takes when using a straw.

either Part 1 or Part 2.

Inhale through the straw/PVC for four counts. After a few repetitions, remove the straw/PVC mid-inhalation but maintain the same form and muscle structure as you had with the straw. Repeat this portion a few times to get the sensation of maintaining the facial structure. On the exhale, keep the face engaged and focus attention on blowing air back through the straw, as if you were trying to move the air back-andforth in the straw.

The Breathing Exercise:

Part 1: Straw

Part 2: PVC

Part 3: Lips

Part 1: The Smoothie Straw

Place the cut smoothie straw between the teeth and use the teeth and lips to apply enough pressure to hold the straw so it is coming out of the mouth at a normal angle. This should be somewhere close to parallel to the ground or angling down slightly. Slowly breathe in and out, treating the straw the same way you would a drinking straw, just instead of moving a liquid, you are moving air. For most people there is going to be an ever-soslight engagement of the muscles by where a belt-buckle would be. Gradually increase the speed and volume of the air coming in through

To help add some resistance to the inhalation, the student can gradually block the end of the PVC with their pinky finger. Again, when adding resistance pay close attention to form and that only the correct muscles are being used. Typically, I recommend inhaling for 4 counts, allowing the muscles to get a work-out in during the inhalation. During resistance training I do not worry about the exhalation. After resistance training, go back to the “normal” PVC, and do a 2-count inhalation. Normally, students will take a massive breath at this step and reach their current capacity before the end of the 2 counts.

Part 3: Lips Alone

Use the following process for both the smoothie straw and the PVC. This should give the student the sensation of an inhalation that has direction, speed, and does not overly alter the oral cavity shape.

Pick either the straw or the PVC and follow the same setup as the first step in

Now, start with the lips as close together as possible. Start to inhale as though you were going to be playing and gradually open the lips and jaw as much as possible. You will hear a tense suction sound that changes to almost a yawn. Do this a few times. Repeat the above exercise, but stop opening the lips and jaw when the suction sound goes away. For my students, there is typically a pitch change that accompanies the position where this occurs. Do this a few times and become comfortable with where the lips and jaw stop opening up. Begin with the lip/jaw position that you discovered from the previous step. For most people, this is closer than what they think. Begin taking easy breaths with this setting, again with a focus on form.

By following this simple progression you will see better results, with more natural motion, during the breathing segment of your daily routine. Please feel to reach out if I can help clarify any of the information in this article.

Thomas Lukowicz is the Assistant Professor of Low Brass at the University of North Alabama and TubaArtist Faculty at the Roger Bobo Festival of Brass. He has held the Principal Tuba position of the Canton Symphony Orchestra since 2007.

Dr.

Thomas Lukowicz

AMEA Industry/Institutional Membership 2019-20

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!

All4One Fundraising LLC

1205 Randolph Ave SE, Huntsville, AL 35801

Arts Music Shop

3030 East Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36116

Halftime USA Band Front Camps

P.O. Box 66, Wetumpka, AL 36092

Huntsville Youth Orchestra

116 Shalerock Dr, Madison, AL 35756

JW Pepper

9053 Riverside Pkwy, Lithia Springs, GA 30122

Southeastern Performance Apparel

142 S. Woodburn Drive, Dothan, AL 36305

Troy University

109 Long Hall, University Ave, Troy, AL 36082

Southern Performances

P.O. Box 6852, Gulf Shores, AL 36547

University of Alabama at Birmingham

PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

AMEA In-Service Conference

January 16-18, 2020

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Convention Center

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME _____________________ (for badge)

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Please enclose a copy of your card.

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ABA AVA ELEM AOAHED COLLEGIATE

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ABA AVA ELEM AOA HED COLLEGIATE

Please tell us if you are:

Clinician Conductor of a performing group at the conferenceRetired Current Member, Clinician, Conductor

Pre-Registration $100.00

(On-Site Registration $115.00)

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Registration Complimentary

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Pre-registration $80.00 (On-Site Registration $95.00)

Spouse* or Guest* of AMEA Member Registration $20.00

*may not be a music teacher Name

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TOTAL AMOUNT PAID $MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO AMEA

A fee of $35 will be charged for returned checks No Purchase Orders Accepted. Check or Credit Card Only

To pre-register with a credit card go to www.alabamamea.org through January 8, 2020

Mail form and check by Jan. 8, 2020 to:

AMEA Registration, PO Box 3385, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

Important: Forms and payment received after Jan. 8 will be held at the registration desk for on site registration. Do not send forms or payment to the above address after Jan. 8, 2020!

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

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2020 AMEA Performing Groups

Alabama Special Needs All Star Drum Ensemble

Students repreenting Homewood Middle School, Helena Middle School, Leeds Middle School, Eufaula Admiral Moorer Middle School, Smiths Station, Spain Park High School, and Mountain Brook Junior High School.

Albertville Middle School Advanced Band Albertville Middle School is located in Albertville, Alabama and is part of the Albertville City School System. The city of Albertville continues to be recognized as a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation (2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019). The Albertville “Aggie Band” Program has a rich tradition of excellence that begins at AMS. The “Aggie Band” has on multiple occasions represented the state of Alabama on national stages such as the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, Chicago’s Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade, Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the National Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C. Albertville Middle School has a total population of 850 students in grades seven and eight.

The Albertville Middle School Beginning Band starts in 7th Grade and serves 150 students. The Albertville Middle School Advanced Band is comprised of 120 8th grade students. The Albertville Middle School Band has received nothing less than superior ratings at the Alabama Bandmasters Association Music Performance Assessment since 2002. The AMS Band Program also provides students the opportunity to participate in Jazz Band, Flute Choir, and Percussion Ensemble. The program consistently has numerous students selected for the Alabama AllState Band, Alabama District II Honor Band, and other collegiate level honor band events. The Albertville Middle School Advanced Band is under the direction of Mr. Nathan Haskew and Mrs. Missy Lindley. The ensemble is assisted by Albertville High School Band Directors, Mr. Chris Lindley and Dr. Taylor Cash.

Auburn University Chamber Choir

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. The choir has maintained an active performance schedule, having sung abroad in Ireland and Italy, and in national landmarks such as Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, and Washington National Cathedral. They have also sung for AMEA and ACDA southern division conventions.

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,

approximately fifty concerts each year, reaching thousands of audience members.

and other mass media. Collectively, the AU Choirs perform

2020 AMEA Performing Groups

Grissom High School Symphonic Band I

Over the years, the Grissom Band program has consistently produced excellent musicians who are in demand by colleges and universities throughout the Southeast and many parts of the country. The Symphonic Band I contains students from grades 9-12 selected by audition and meet every other day for 90 minutes. They perform at four school concerts each year and participate in the Alabama Band Masters Association’s Music Performance Assessment. Usually each spring the band will participate in a Concert Band Festival for adjudication. Since the school’s inception in 1969, the Symphonic Band 1 has never received less than a superior rating in any adjudication. They have been invited to perform at several music educators' and conductors' conferences over the years including the prestigious MidWest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. It is truly an honor to have been selected to perform for the 2020 AMEA Conference and we hope you enjoy our performance!

The Huntingdon College Concert Choir is the premier choral ensemble at Huntingdon College. This mixed ensemble performs diverse literature from all genres, and is currently under the direction of Dr. Damion Womack, Director of Choral Activities. The Concert Choir performs regularly on campus for convocations, concerts, and The Huntingdon College Annual Christmas Lessons and Carols Service. In addition, the ensemble tours annually in the Southeast.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, the Concert Choir boast invited performances to The Alabama Music Educators State Convention in January of 2020, and Spivey Hall at Clayton State as part of the Young People’s Concert in March 2020. The Concert Choir is open to all undergraduate students. Although no audition is required, students are expected to have choral music experience.

In Harmony, the choir at Hillcrest Elementary was formed in 2012. It consists of fifth and sixth graders who meet once a week after school. The choir performs regularly around the city at PTO meetings, the nursing home and various local arts festivals. They have also performed in Montgomery, Orlando, and Washington DC. The choir maintains a yearly membership of 80-100 students and enjoys performing more traditional choral literature as well as musical pop charts.

In the spring of 2013, the James Clemens High School Percussion Ensemble began as an integral part of the JCHS Band program. All percussion students are featured while performing a variety of percussion ensemble literature ranging from classical transcriptions, movie score adaptations, jazz fusion, and contemporary percussion styles. Students are challenged through opportunities to develop skills in all areas of percussion, and performance responsibilities range from small chamber groups of 3 to 4 players, to large ensemble settings featuring upwards of 20 musicians. The JCHS Percussion Ensemble has performed and received critique from professional music educators including Mr. Thom Hannum (University of North Alabama, DCI Hall of Fame), Dr. Iain Moyer (Widener University, Boston Crusaders Front Ensemble Caption Head), Dr. Tracy Wiggins (University of North Alabama), Dr. Douglas Rosener (Auburn University), Mr. Neal Flum (University of North Alabama), and others. Without exception, the Percussion Ensemble is consistently praised for the level of musicianship displayed and its dedication to performing a variety of musical styles, while challenging all players to develop performance and listening skills essential to high quality musical education. The ensemble strives to be an example of percussion education and performance, and enjoys the wide range of opportunities a concert percussion ensemble provides for its members.

2020 AMEA Performing Groups

In the past two years the McAdory Chorale has grown in quantity & accomplishments, officially formed in the fall of 2017 under the direction of Nichole Hill. They began as a small choir that met once a day with a wonderful choral director, Dr. Ben Cook that was only allowed to be at the high school for a small part of the day. Even then they were making overall superior ratings and in 2016 made Superior with Distinction at the AVA State Choral Performance Assessment. Since then they have made straight superiors every year at AVA State Choral Performance Assessment. With this success we have been allowed the opportunity to start two a cappella choirs, Take 16 (classical) and McAppella (POP). Take 16 was our first group to ever go to AVA Solo/ Ensemble and made superior ratings.

The McAdory High School Chorale now consists of auditioned 9-12th graders who have had either band or choir for at least one year. This choir is made up of athletes, scholars, instrumentalist, color guard, dancers, and many different ethnic groups. They have consistently represented McAdory High School at Alabama All State Choir and All State Show Choir. This year we were blessed to have one of our choir members as the District OCS.

Mortimer Jordan High School Symphonic Band

Mortimer Jordan High School is located in Jefferson County, Alabama. The ninety members of the Concert Band come from grades nine through twelve. Under the direction of Craig Cagle, the bands at Mortimer Jordan have had a history of success in central Alabama and throughout the Southeast. The Symphonic Band was created in 2017 to accommodate the growth of the program’s size. Mortimer Jordan’s concert bands have enjoyed Superiors at Music Performance Assessment, as well as superior performances at a variety of national festivals such as Music in the Parks. In 2007, the band was awarded Grand Champion at Festival Disney. The “Blue Machine” is the marching band at Mortimer Jordan. They perform at Blue Devil football games, local parades, community events, and regional marching festivals. The “Blue Machine” has received consistent Superiors at contests and strives to balance competitive halftime shows with entertaining stands tunes. Band students at Mortimer Jordan also participate in Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, and various other small ensembles. They can be heard performing at university and state honor bands.

The Pizitz Middle School Girl’s Choir was founded in 1999. Its founding purpose was to offer a more challenging musical atmosphere for girls at Pizitz who wanted more opportunities to learn and perform choral music. This 75-member choir consists of both seventh and eighth grade girls who are selected through an audition process based on vocal skills, sight-reading, ear training, and musicianship. Rehearsals are 52 minutes in length and are held during the school day.

Over the tenure of the group’s existence, the Girls’ Choir has given concerts for several Alabama Senators, Congressman and Governors, in St. John’s Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral in New York City, and The National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D. C. In addition, the choir has performed in the Vestavia Hills Baptist Church Christmas Cantatas, festivals in Nashville, Gatlinburg, Orlando, and Atlanta and for various events in our community. We have been invited to perform for the Alabama Vocal Association’s Workshops and the Alabama Music Educators Association Winter In-Service Conference in 2001 and 2005. The Pizitz Girls’ Choir has performed at the Southern Regional ACDA conference in 2006 in Charleston, West Virginia and in 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky.

2020 AMEA Performing Groups

The Louis Pizitz Middle School band program serves 240 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. In addition to 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. Also in 2014, the Symphonic Band performed at the NBA/CBDNA Southern Division Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. The Pizitz Symphonic Band was one of four bands from across the nation invited to perform at the 2013 Music for All National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. In that same year, the Pizitz Band was awarded the John Philip Sousa Sudler Silver Cup. In 2012, the Symphonic Band competed at OrlandoFest in Florida, where they received the Grand Champion Award. In 2011, the Symphonic Band performed for the Alabama Music Educator’s Conference, and both Symphonic and Jazz Band received the Gold Award at Festival Disney that year. In 2010, the Symphonic Band received the Adjudicator’s Award at The Heritage Music Festival in St. Louis, Missouri. Additionally, the Symphonic Band has performed as a guest ensemble for honor band festivals at all the major universities in the state of Alabama.

The Troy University Symphony Band, conducted by Dr. Mark J. Walker, is comprised of the top wind and percussion students in the John M. Long School of Music. The Symphony Band is dedicated to the performance of the finest of wind literature and to the promotion of new music for winds and percussion. This premier group completed its first international tour, performing for enthusiastic audiences in Vancouver and at the Con Brio Music Festival in Whistler, Canada, in 2011. Since 2001, the Symphony Band has performed under the baton of every living member and inductee of the National Band Association’s Hall of Fame of Distinguished Conductors. Over the years, the band has performed at the national conventions of the American Bandmaster’s Association, the College Band Directors National Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the Women Band Directors International Association, the Alabama Bandmasters Association, and most recently the Alabama Music Educator’s Association Convention. On March 5, 2014, the Symphony Band gave the opening concert of the 80th American Bandmaster’s Association Convention in the Montgomery Performing Arts Center. In April 2017, the Symphony Band performed for the Alabama Bandmaster’s Association All State Festival, and in February 2018, the band performed at the Southern Division Conference of CBDNA in Tampa, Florida. The Symphony Band tours throughout Alabama and the Southeast each spring semester and its regular performance series includes the TroyMontgomery campus, as well as the sites in conjunction with the Troy campuses in Dothan and Phenix City. The Troy University Symphony Band is open to all university students by audition at the beginning of each semester, regardless of major.

The Tuscaloosa County High School Wind Ensemble is in its eighth year of existence as exponential growth within the Band program has allowed for the creation of multiple performing concert ensembles. Membership in the ensemble is based on a yearly audition. Approximately fifty-percent of the ensemble studies privately in some capacity. Founded in 1926, The Tuscaloosa County High School Band program is one of the oldest high school bands in Alabama in continuous existence. The strong support from the alumni, community, parents, and administration ensure that the future of the County High Band is bright for generations to come. Tuscaloosa County High School Marching Band has appeared in parade performances in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and London. Other performing groups at Tuscaloosa County High School include the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Studio Jazz Band, and the Velvet Blue Jazz Orchestra. For more information on our ensembles, please visit us on the web at Countyhigh.com

2020 AMEA Performing Groups

The UAB Concert Choir is the select choral ensemble at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The choir maintains a rigorous performance schedule, and has performed invitational concerts for the 2018 Gotham Sings Performance Series in Carnegie Hall, and the 2017 Cante Rode and London Sangerstevne Choral Festivals in The Netherlands and England.; at the 2016 and 2012 Alabama State Music Educators Association In-Service Conferences; and competed in the 2014 Interkultur 8th World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia, winning a gold and two silver medals in three categories (Youth Mixed, Musica sacra with accompaniment, and Spiritual). The choir’s first CD project, “Unceasing Love,” is available at digital outlets including iTunes and Amazon, and via the department’s online store. Additional activities include world premiere performances by prominent choral composers including works by Glenn McClure, Michael Trotta, Richard Burchard, K. Lee Scott, and Stacey V. Gibbs. The choir has built a strong reputation of choral excellence, and has performed at past conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and in international choral competitions, including the Fleischman International Trophy Competition in Cork, Ireland and the 34th annual Florilege Vocal de Tours in Tours, France. Most recently, the choir was invited to perform at the 2020 ACDA Southern Region Conference in Mobile, AL. Annual tours have included invitational concerts throughout the United States and Europe, regular performances of masterworks with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, including performances of Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Faure’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Mozart’s Requiem. The choir is selected by audition, and is comprised of students from across the university, including music majors and non-music majors.

The UAH Chamber Choir is a mixed voice, highly selective ensemble. This ensemble also performs with the Huntsville Symphony and Community Chorus. The UAH Chamber Choir performs multiple concerts each semester and for special events related to the University. This ensemble is open to upper classmen (music majors and non-majors alike) who are outstanding sight-readers and vocalists. The Chamber Choir focuses on outreach to the secondary schools in the region by performing, serving, and collaborating whenever possible.

The UNA Low Brass Ensemble is conducted by Dr. Thomas Lukowicz, Assistant Professor of Low Brass at the University of North Alabama.This past May, the ensemble was accepted to perform at the 2019 International Tuba Euphonium Conference, with the distinction of being selected out of more than 540 applicants. Over the past academic year, the UNA Low Brass Ensemble also participated in a lobby performance at AMEA, and performed at several schools and in the community.

Wicksburg High School Symphonic Band

Nestled amongst cotton and peanut fields, Wicksburg enjoys an almost picturesque setting in rural, southeast Alabama. As part of the Houston County Alabama School System, Wicksburg High School is a small K-12 school and home to The Wicksburg High School Symphonic Band. The band is a non-auditioned instrumental ensemble comprised of students in grades 8-12. The Wicksburg Symphonic Band has traditionally been regarded, and adjudicated, as one of the premier small, rural ensembles in the state. Members of the ensemble have enjoyed placements within regional honor bands, Alabama All State Bands, and continue their instrumental studies at universities throughout the South. The band was invited as the feature high school ensemble for the 2019 Troy University “Legacy” Concert. Strong parental and community support are regarded as paramount to the success the ensemble enjoys.

Capitol Tunes Performance Opportunity Capitol Tunes Performance Opportunity

A collaborative project of the Alabama State Department of Education, the Alabama Music Educators Association, and the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts

Information

This performance opportunity is for public schools only.

Performances will be in the Alabama State Capitol Rotunda. Space is limited. Ensembles should be no larger than 20-25 students. Recommended performance groups include small brass, woodwind, string, vocal, or guitar groups, such as trios, quartets, quintets, or small choirs.

Each ensemble should plan for a 20 minute performance, with at least one selection related to the state of Alabama.

Electricity or amplification may not be used. Chairs or music stands will not be provided. Groups may bring their own stands and chairs if necessary. A piano will not be provided.

Performances will take place on Thursdays of February and March during the 2020 Legislative Session. Groups will arrive by 11:00 AM at the Gordon Persons Building, warm-up, then proceed one block to the Capitol and perform at 12:00 PM.

Performing schools will be reimbursed for a substitute teacher, bus driver, and mileage. The deadline to apply is November 1, 2019. Notification of acceptance/rejection will go out November 15, 2019.

Name of Ensemble __________________________________________________________________________

Number of Musicians ____________ Type of Ensemble ____________________________________________

Name of School (public schools only) ___________________________________________________________

School Address______________________________ City ____________________State ____Zip ___________

Director/Faculty Member Name _______________________________________________________________

Director/Faculty Member Phone (Cell preferred) __________________________________________________

Director/Faculty Member Email________________________________________________________________

State School Board District or State School Board Member: __________________________

Preferred Performance Dates (check your top 3 choices)

_____ February 6_____ February 13_____ February 20_____ February 27

_____ March 5_____ March 12 _____ March 19

Perform in the Rotunda of the Alabama State Capitol Building during the 2019 Legislative Session Mail

_____ March 26

2020 Conference Featured Speakers & Clinicians

Keynote Speaker: David C. Satterfield

David Satterfield is currently the Director of Asset Development for the Office of Research and Economic Development at West Virginia University and a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Music. Within this current assignment Mr. Satterfield also serves as the Assistant to the Director of the West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership as well as the FSO for the West Virginia University Innovation Corporation. In addition to his administrative duties Mr. Satterfield had occasionally taught courses in the Entrepreneurship Studies Program in the College of Business and Economics and frequently works with individual students on a host of academic and career issues. Prior to joining the Development Office Mr. Satterfield served as the chief of staff and vice president for Institutional Advancement at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. In this capacity he functioned as chief advisor to the University president, David Hardesty, as West Virginia University’s primary government relations executive, coordinated the internal administration strategies of the institution and spearheaded special initiatives. When Governor Bob Wise was elected, in November 2000, Satterfield served as director of the transition team. He continued this service until the inauguration in January 2001, at which time he became the chief of staff to the Governor until May 2001 when he returned to his post at the University. Satterfield has been active in education reform since 1992, when he was appointed by then Governor Gaston Caperton to study post-secondary education in West Virginia as part of the Higher Education Advocacy Team (HEAT). Satterfield is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned two music degrees (BM and MM) from WVU and joined the College of Creative Arts at WVU in 1983. Satterfield and his wife, Beth, a child development specialist, have two children, Keith and Allie.

Alabama Honor Choir Clinician: Deanna Joseph

Dr. Deanna Joseph is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the Georgia State University School of Music where she conducts the University Singers and leads the master’s program in choral conducting. In 2018, she was the recipient of GSU’s Alumni Distinguished Professorship Award and in 2015, the College of Arts and Sciences’ Outstanding Teacher Award, where she was selected out of a pool of over 800 faculty.   A recent review of her work states, “[t]he choir sings with great musicality, excellent intonation, clear diction, and a healthy and beautiful pallet of tone colors…” (The Choral Scholar). Dr. Joseph holds conducting degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where she was awarded the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize.  She is the founder and, alongside her husband Daniel Bara, co-artistic director of the Atlanta Summer Conducting Institute (ASCI), a weeklong, summer conducting master class that draws conductors from across the country.

All-State Show Choir Vocal Clinician:

John Burlace is a 2002 graduate of Millikin University, where he earned his Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Music Education and a 2009 graduate of Northern Illinois University, where he earned Masters Degree in Educational Administration. An active arranger, adjudicator, guest conductor, and accompanist having worked with ensembles across the country, Mr. Burlace is currently based outside of Chicago where he resides with his wife Ana and three dogs. Prior to his freelance career, John spent 15 years in public education. Most recently, he served the performing arts department of Carmel High School (IN) from 2014-2017 where he directed “The Ambassadors” and assisted with “The Accents” along with producing/directing the school musical and teaching other vocal music courses. For the 12 years prior to his tenure in Carmel, he was on faculty at both Wheaton Warrenville South High School and Edison Middle School (Wheaton, IL), where he was director of “The Classics”, “Esprit”, and “Electric Youth” show choirs among other performing ensembles. His competitive ensembles were consistently recognized for excellence in vocal production, choreography, instrumental performance, and show design. John also proudly serves on staff for Showchoir Camps of America.

Ellie Jordan is a freelance choreographer based in Chicago, Illinois. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Her technical training is in Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Tap, and Hip-Hop. Ellie was a member and part of the creative team for the Hip-Hop ConneXion-Michigan Dance Company. She has been busy this year as an adjudicator and clinician at various show choir competitions and has enjoyed choreographing for many award winning high school and middle school show choirs across the country. Ellie is a past FAME Aspire award winner. Her choreography has also been featured at Six Flags Great America, as well as in the musicals, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Bring It On, Phantom of the Opera, Godspell, West Side Story and Singin’ In the Rain. Ellie also spends her summers as a choreographer for Showchoir Camps of America.

All-State Show Choir Choreographer: Ellie Jordan

2020 All-State Jazz Band Clinicians

Jim Ketch - Gold Band

James Ketch is currently Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Professor Ketch serves as trumpet instructor and Director of Jazz Studies. He is a Summit Record recording artist, (Next Set, 2009; A Distant View, 2012; and Distracted Society, 2015), artist-clinician for the Conn-Selmer Corporation, a faculty member of the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops and the Associate Director for the Savannah Music Festival’s Swing Central program. He has served as Chair of the Department of Music and has been honored by his students and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with four teaching awards including the Tanner, Bowman and Gordon Gray, Chapman Family, and University Students awards. Mr. Ketch is Music Director of the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra, President of the 501c3 Jazz Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. and on the Board of Directors of the Durham Jazz Workshop. He has led the annual Carolina Jazz Festival for 40 years. Mr. Ketch’s students hold playing in positions in Symphony Orchestras and military ensembles. They have attended graduate school in the trumpet and jazz programs at the New England Conservatory, Curtis Institute, Indiana University, University of North Texas, Manhattan School of Music, University of Miami-Coral Gables, DePaul University, and University of Maryland-College Park. Students have appeared in Conferences of the International Trumpet Guild as finalists in the Mock Orchestra and Jazz Improvisation Competitions.

Tom Luer - Silver Band

Tom Luer is a freelance saxophonist who resides in Los Angeles, CA, and is a Rico Reeds Performing Artist. His album "Project Popular" was released in 2011 to critical acclaim. Most recently, Tom appeared on Dave Slonaker’s Grammy nominated album “Intrada”. Additional recording credits include Grammy winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling's "The Brill Building Project", the Mike Barone Big Band "Birdland", Cooper Phillip’s “Walk A Mile”, and Paul Tynan and Aaron Lington’s “Bicoastal Collective”. Recently, NPR used music from Tom's CD in a nationally broadcast promo. Tom recently performed on the NBC broadcast of “Sports Illustrated 50 Years of Beautiful” and on the “X-Factor” on Fox. Previous television appearances include the American Music Awards, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the Ellen Degeneres Show. Additional performance credits and tours include the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band, Poncho Sanchez, Queen Latifah, Patrizio Buanne, and Engelbert Humperdinck .

Tom has a Master’s Degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Bachelor’s Degree in Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and additional graduate studies in jazz at the University of North Texas. As a music educator, Tom is currently an adjunct faculty member at Cal Poly Pomona. Previous positions have included the University of North Texas, Texas Christian University, Bethel College, North Lake Community College and Butler County Community College.

Sallie Vines White - Bronze Band

Sallie Vines White teaches full-time at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama. Mrs. White has been teaching in the Hoover City School System since 1990. Prior to that time she taught for 5 years in the Bessemer City School System. She teaches the award-winning Hoover High School First Edition Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, and AP Music Theory. She is also an associate director with the marching band. The groups she conducts have consistently received Superior ratings at contests including District, State, and Jazz Contests. The First Edition Jazz Band has received national recognition through its selection as a finalist in the Savannah Music Festival Swing Central Contest for the past 4 years. Prior to that they were selected into the North Texas Jazz Festival and also received Superior ratings for 6 years in a row at the Loyola Jazz Festival in New Orleans. Many of her students through the years have been selected into All State Jazz groups. Sallie is an active performer on all the woodwind instruments. In addition to her performing and her full-time teaching position, Mrs. White has also taught Saxophone and/or Jazz Ensemble part time at several local universities including Samford University, Birmingham Southern, UAB, and Montevallo. Currently she is the saxophone instructor at Samford University. Sallie is a former member of IAJE, and a current member of NAfME, ABA, AEA, JEN, AJE and AFM Local 256-733. Mrs. White is a past president for the Alabama Chapter of IAJE. Sallie is married to Noah and has three grown children, and four grandchildren.

Art Ruangtip - Middle School Band

Art Ruangtip is the Director of Bands at Rowlett High School in Rowlett, Texas. Previously he was the Director of Bands at Creekview High School in Carrollton, Texas for three years where he directed the Marching Band, Wind Symphony and Jazz Band. In addition he served as an Associate Band Director for eight years at Sachse High School and held a similar position at Plano West Senior High School for four years from 2001 - 2004. Marching and Concert Bands under his direction have consistently received First Divisions at UIL. His jazz bands have gained high acclaim in numerous jazz festivals in Texas and has been an active jazz clinician throughout DFW. While at Sachse High School, Art also served as the Region 3 Jazz Chair for four years. Originally from Tennessee, Art is a graduate of Austin Peay State University with a Bachelor of Science in Instrumental Music Education and a Master of Music in Trombone Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. His marching band experience includes being a member of Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps and on the Brass Staff with the Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps. He currently free lances as a professional trombonist throughout the metroplex.

AMEA 2020 Clinicians

Lori Ardovino is an Artist/Clinician with Conn-Selmer Company, D’Addario Woodwinds and is a Fulbright Specialist. An active composer, she is currently Professor Music at the University of Montevallo where she teaches clarinet, saxophone and woodwind methods and ensembles. She performs with the LeBaron Trio, the Meàllo Trio and the Cahaba Saxophone Quartet.

Dr. Julie Bannerman is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, where she teaches courses in general music education and coordinates the PreK Music Partnership with Tuscaloosa City Schools. She taught general music in diverse early childhood, elementary, and middle school settings, and served in the United States Peace Corps as an education volunteer in Nicaragua (03'-05'). Bannerman holds degrees from Northwestern University (Ph.D.), the University of Washington (M.A.), and Lawrence University (B.M., B.A.). She has presented at state and national conferences including the Mountain Lake Colloquium for Teachers of General Music Methods, the NAfME National Conference, the Symposium on Music Teacher Education, and the Alabama Music Educators Association Conference.

Nancy H. Barry is Professor and Program Coordinator 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 has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals such as Arts and Learning, Psychology of Music, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Contributions to Music Education, UPDATE, and Bulletin of Research in Music Education, and is a frequent presenter at national and international professional conferences. Barry is an active member of professional organizations such as NAfME and the College Music Society (CMS). Professional service includes past President of the CMS Southern Chapter, National CMS Secretary from 2016 – 2018, and currently chairing the CMS Committee on Academic Careers.

Betty Bates is the former director of the Scottsboro High School Band. She retired in 2005 after spending her entire teaching career of 25 years in Scottsboro. Ms. Bates received her music degrees from Troy University and Jacksonville State University. During her tenure, the Scottsboro Band performed all across the United States including performances in the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Scottsboro Symphonic Band performed at the district and state levels for 25 consecutive years where they consistently earned superior ratings. Ms. Bates is an active clinician and adjudicator. She plays trombone in the Alabama Winds and is a member of Phi Beta Mu. She resides in Guntersville where she enjoys playing ukulele, dulcimer, and pickleball.

Deanna Bell is the music teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary East, conductor of the Birmingham Wind Ensemble, and an adjunct music professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has worked in Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia teaching elementary music, choir, and band in all grade levels from kindergarten to college. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Music Education from The University of Alabama and her Master of Music Education from Samford University. In 2010, Deanna was awarded National Board Certification in Early and Middle Childhood Music. Deanna received Orff Levels I, II, and III Certification from Samford University and Kodály Levels I, II, and III Certification from The University of Montevallo. She serves on the Alabama Kodály Educators Board, the Executive Board for the Alabama Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, and is a District 3 Chair for the Alabama Music Educators Association. Deanna is the 2016-2017 Elementary Teacher of the Year for Vestavia Hills City Schools, a 2019 SemiFinalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award, and the 2020 Lacey Powell Outstanding Music Educator.

Jon Bubbett retired from Thompson High School in Alabaster, AL after 38 years of service as a high school and middle school band director. He attended Troy State University, graduating with a BMEd. in 1981 and received the MMEd. from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL in 1989. Mr. Bubbett has served as guest clinician / adjudicator in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi as well as having served as clinician / panelist participant for the Alabama Music Educators Association In-Service Conference and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. He also conducts the Celebration Winds Community band in Birmingham.

Frank Buck is a speaker, writer, and productivity coach. Global Gurus Top 30 ranked him #1 in the “Time Management” category for 2019. Dr. Buck helps busy professionals achieve their goals through organization and time management. He started his career as a junior high band director and served as a principal and central office administrator. Currently, Dr. Buck serves as Historian for AMEA.

AMEA 2020 Clinicians

Laura Butler has been teaching music in Mountain Brook for 14 years. She also taught high school choral music and drama in Memphis, Tennessee. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Mississippi College and attained Orff-Schulwerk Level I and II certifications at Samford University. In 2007, she achieved National Board Certification for Early and Middle Childhood Music, and she renewed her certification in 2017. She was selected as Crestline's 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year. Her love of teaching music and using technology led her to start a music education blog with ideas for elementary music teachers.

Dr. Taylor Cash is the Associate Director of Bands at Albertville High School in Albertville, Alabama. At Albertville, Taylor teaches nearly 80 percussion students grades 7-12 in addition to directing 3 percussion ensembles, conducting the Symphonic Band, conducting the Concert Band, and Assisting with the award winning “Aggie” Marching Band. Under Taylor’s direction, the High School Percussion Ensemble has grown from 8 members to 35 and was chosen to perform at the 2014 Alabama Music Educator’s Conference. As Conductor of the Symphonic Band and Concert Band, his bands have received consistent ratings of Superior and Superior with Distinction. In 2014, Taylor was awarded the National Band Association Citation of Excellence and in 2016, he was awarded the Edward H. Cleino Outstanding Young Music Educator Award. Taylor has also served on the Executive Board for the Alabama Bandmasters Association as Chairman of District II. Taylor received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Wind Conducting from the University of Alabama, his BA in Music Education from Jacksonville State University, and a MM from Boston University in Music Education. He lives in Albertville with his wife, Ansley, their son, Fischer, and dog, Laney.

Randall Coleman is currently the Associate Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at The University of Alabama, where he serves as the conductor of the Alabama Symphonic Band, the Associate Conductor of the Alabama Wind Ensemble, and the Associate Director of the Million Dollar Band. He also teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting and wind band literature classes. In addition, Professor Coleman is the Coordinator of the Crimson Music Camps and the Alabama Honor Band Festivals. Additionally, Professor Coleman serves as Conductor and Artistic Director of the Alabama Winds, an all-adult community wind band based in Birmingham, Alabama. Prior to his appointment to the faculty at the University of Alabama in 2007, Mr. Coleman enjoyed a successful 25-year career as a high school band director and supervisor in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Professor Coleman is an elected member in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and is currently serving the National Band Association as 2nd Vice-President and the College Band Directors’ National Association as the Alabama State Chair. Professor Coleman also holds membership in the National Association for Music Education, Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters’ Fraternity, the Alabama Music Educators’ Association and the Alabama Bandmasters’ Association.

Veronica Crawford is the band director and elementary music specialist at The Alberta School of Performing Arts in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She received her bachelors of music education degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and earned her masters from the University of Alabama. She holds Orff Levels 1 and 2 from Samford University, and is a National Board Certified Teacher in Instrumental Music. She taught three years of middle school band in Manteno, Illinois, before moving to Tuscaloosa, where she taught band at Holt High School and Davis-Emerson Middle School before landing her position at TASPA.

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 Special Education Chair 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 Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. She holds degrees in music education and music therapy from Westminster Choir College, Florida State University, and The University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Chuck Eady is a graduate of Florida State University, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Instrumental Music Education. He also holds a Masters Degree from Memphis State University. Mr. Eady has several years of professional performing experience including three years with the Albany Symphony. He recently retired after 42 years as a high school band director. His bands have consistently received Superior ratings in both the concert and marching arenas with many ‘Best in Class’, a Grand Champion Award and a Wind Ensemble performance at the Alabama Music Educators Conference. Mr. Eady is a sought after clinician and adjudicator throughout the southeast. He is Past President of the Alabama Bandmasters Association and also served eight years as Recording Secretary for that organization. Mr. Eady was selected as the State of Alabama recipient for the School Band and Orchestra Magazine Class of 2018 “50 Directors Who Make a Difference”.  His professional affiliations include the Alabama Music Educators Association, NAfME, the National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, and the Alabama Bandmasters Association.

DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

MUSIC THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR WORLD

Dr. Benjamin Fraley is a percussionist, educator, and composer who lives in Eau Claire, WI. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree in Percussion Performance and Music Management from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, a Masters of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Music degree from The Florida State University. A veteran of many musical genres and percussion disciplines, Dr. Fraley has performed and taught throughout the United States and abroad, as well studying throughout Europe and Ghana. He has performed and presented at acclaimed conferences and festivals including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Midwest Band and Orchestra clinic, the Percussion Festival at the Escola Superior de Musica de Lisboa, Make Music New York, the College Music Society Conference, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Conference, the National Flute Association Conference, the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, and Bang on a Can Summer Festival. Dr. Fraley performs and presents clinics frequently with Dr. Jennifer Fraley as a member of the Sources Duo, a new music ensemble that brings new or rarely performed works to students and audiences. He proudly endorses Pearl/Adams Musical Instruments, Remo Drumheads and Percussion, Innovative Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion, and his compositions are available at Tapspace publications.

Denise Gainey is Professor of Clarinet at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Associate Chair of the Department of Music. She is President-Elect of the International Clarinet Association after serving two terms as Secretary of the ICA, and is the ICA State Chair for Alabama. Her book on Kalmen Opperman, Kalmen Opperman: A Legacy of Excellence, was released in January 2017. Gainey is an artist/clinician for Backun, D’Addario, and Silverstein.

Becky Halliday is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Montevallo, where she teaches teacher preparation and music education courses. Prior to this appointment, she taught elementary general music in Georgia and Mississippi for 17 years, and has led workshops and clinics throughout the Southeast. Currently, Dr. Halliday teaches Pre-K – 6th grade elementary general music in Randolph, AL, as well as a free musicianship class for K-5 students through the UM Community School of Music. She recently served on the committee to revise the 2006 Alabama Course of Studies, and has since conducted presentations across the state to assist teachers in understanding and unpacking the state standards. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she has presented research findings at regional, national, and international conferences in the areas of teacher preparation, sociology, arts integration, and music with special learners. Dr. Halliday is the founding Director of the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute (UMKI) and a co-Director of the University of Montevallo Young Musicians’ Camp. In addition, she is President of the Sweet Home Alabama Kodály Educators (SHAKE) chapter of the Organization of American Kodály Educators and PastPresident of the Higher Education Division of the Alabama Music Educators Association. She earned her Ph.D. in Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi and both her MMed and BMUS from The University of Georgia. She holds certifications in the Kodály Concept through the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute and in the Orff-Schulwerk Approach through the University of Kentucky.

Elizabeth Haynes is a native of Wedowee, Alabama, and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Music Education at Auburn University where she serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant with both the Music and Music Education Departments. Ms. Haynes earned her undergraduate degree in Music Education from Auburn University in 2010, and completed her Master of Music degree in Music Education from Louisiana State University in 2013. At LSU, Ms. Haynes served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Music Education department, and earned membership into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. rior to returning to Auburn, Ms. Haynes was Director of Bands at Whitewater Middle School in Fayetteville, Georgia. While at Whitewater, her students earned superior ratings at Large Group Performance Evaluations, and the Symphonic Band was selected and performed at the 2019 Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival at Georgia State University. Before teaching at Whitewater Middle School, Ms. Haynes served as the Band Director at Phenix City Intermediate School in Phenix City, Al. In 2014, Ms. Haynes earned the WRBL Golden Apple Teaching Award. Ms. Haynes has served as an honor band clinician in both Alabama and Georgia. Ms. Haynes currently plays in the Alabama Winds, and performed with the group at the 2017 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Ms. Haynes holds memberships in the National Association for Music Education and Alabama Music Educators Association.

Dr. Edward “Ted” C. Hoffman, III, is Associate Professor and Director of Music Education at the University of Montevallo where he coordinates the undergraduate music education programs, directs tuba/euphonium studies, administers the summer Young Musicians’ Camp, and is faculty advisor to the nationally-recognized collegiate chapter of NAfME. Hoffman currently serves on the Executive Governing Board of the Alabama Music Educators Association, is State Advisor for AL-NAfME Collegiate, and Chair of the Alabama Music Teacher Education Committee.

AMEA 2020 Clinicians

Emily Hopkins graduated from Belmont University in 2006 with a BM in Vocal Performance. She completed her MEd in Instructional Practice at Lipscomb University in 2014. She went on to teach music to Pre-K through 4th grade students for 11 years. In addition to teaching Music, Emily also taught 4th grade Social Studies. She is a regular clinician at music and general education conferences across the country. Emily currently serves as the Training Program Administrator at QuaverMusic, where she is able to fulfill her passion for connecting students and teachers with engaging music resources. She’s also a mem ber of the Nashville Opera Association, where she can be heard singing in chorus and comprimario roles.

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. Lea has been involved in numerous musical theater and opera productions and has experience acting, singing, directing, and playing in the pit. She and her husband, David, are the parents of two daughters, Katie and Emily, both of whom are music educators.

Gene Inglis, a graduate from Jacksonville State University is currently Director of Bands at Saks High School in Anniston, Alabama. He retired as Director of Bands for Rome, Georgia City Schools in 2003 Prior to that, he taught at West Rome High School and West Rome Junior High School. His first position was at Scottsboro Junior High School in Scottsboro, Alabama. He the National Association for Music Education; Alabama Music Educators Association; National Band Association; Phi Mu Alpha Professional Music Fraternity, and currently serves as President of the Alabama Chapter of Phi Beta Mu Professional Bandmasters Fraternity.

Dr. Carly Johnson serves as Chair of the Department of Music at Alabama State University. During her tenure at ASU, she has been nominated twice for the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trumpet Performance from The Ohio State University, the Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Florida, and the Bachelor degree in Music Education from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University. She is a versatile musician, having appeared as a clinician, soloist, and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Brittny Kempfer is in her final year as a Ph.D. candidate at Auburn University. She holds a master’s degree in Choral Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Bachelor’s in Choral/Instrumental/General Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Brittny has been a choral educator for over 10 years in Wisconsin and Georgia. She has worked with various styles of music, including gospel, rock, country, pop, jazz, musical theater, classical, and other traditional genres of choral music. During Brittny’s Master’s program, she concentrated on CCM vocal pedagogy, completing her master’s Thesis titled “Contemporary Commercial Music Pedagogy: Selective Exercises for Developing Healthy Technique in Adolescent Singers”. Her current research and writing continue to focus on diverse musical styles and genres within the secondary music curriculum.

Carlton Kilpatrick is pursuing a PhD at the Florida State University in Music Education and Choral Conducting. He previously served as a high school choral director for fifteen years in Altamonte Springs, FL and Lake City, FL. Choirs under his direction have consistently received superior ratings at district and state assessments and performed at the Florida ACDA conference in 2010. In 2018, he was named the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) Secondary Music Educator of the Year. He has served as President of the Florida Vocal Association and as Honor Choir Chair for Southern Region ACDA in 2012 and 2014.

AMEA 2020 Clinicians

Dr. Daniel Kirk is a member of the conducting faculty at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia, serving as the Director of Instrumental Activities. In this position, he conducts the Wind Ensemble, teaches courses in Conducting and Music Education, as well as oversees all ensembles, teaching, curriculum, and operational aspects of the instrumental program. Since arriving in Georgia in 2017, Dr. Kirk has served as a guest conductor for numerous GMEA district and county honor bands. Dr. Kirk holds degrees from Missouri Western State University (Music Education and Piano Performance, 2007), Northwestern University (Wind Conducting, 2015), and Michigan State University (Wind Conducting, 2017). He credits his teachers and mentors Avian Bear, David Bennett, Jane Wheat, Mallory Thompson, and Kevin Sedatole. His professional affiliations include CBDNA, NAfME, NBA, GMEA, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Dr. Kirk is honored to lead the instrumental ensembles and faculty at Reinhardt University. The Reinhardt University bands maintain a proud legacy of excellence in music performance, music teacher training, and community engagement.

Rob Lyda is the music teacher at Cary Woods Elementary in Auburn, AL and an Instructor of Music at Auburn University. Throughout his career he has taught a variety of music courses for students in grades K-undergraduate.  Dr. Lyda is the recipient of several awards including school and district Teacher of the Year, the Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Award, and was named the 2019 Lacey Powell Outstanding Music Educator by the Alabama Music Educators Association.  In addition to his academic degrees Dr. Lyda has completed certification studies in Kodály, World Music Drumming, TI:ME, is an Orff-Schulwerk (Levels I-III) certified teacher and holds Master Level Certification in Orff-Schulwerk.  Dr. Lyda regularly presents sessions and research on technology integration, creativity, and general music education at state, regional, and national conferences.  He holds memberships in the Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), American Orff Schulwerk Association, College Music Society, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and the National Band Association.  Currently, Dr. Lyda serves as the Chair of NAfME’s Council for General Music Education, Secretary of the Elementary Division of AMEA, the Advisory Committee for Teaching Music magazine, and the Advocacy Chair of AMEA.

Brady McNeil is currently in his second year of studies as a candidate for the PhD in instrumental music education at Auburn University. Mr. McNeil also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the AU Music Department where he primarily serves as an instructor of music theory and aural skills courses. Prior to his appointment at Auburn, Mr. McNeil served as a music teacher for Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama for two years where he was responsible for starting the choral program. Heassisted with the Central High School Red Devil Regiment, Symphonic Band and co-taught/directed shows with the musical theatre program. Mr. McNeil holds a Master of Music degree in Music Theory from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Auburn University. Mr. McNeil’s professional affiliations include the Alabama Bandmasters Association, the National Association for Music Educators, the American Choral Directors Association, Phi Kappa Phi, and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. Mr. McNeil is also an alumnus of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity.

Richard Meyer is a highly sought after music educator and maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and clinician. For 35 years he taught string students at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels in the public schools. For 22 of those years, he directed the orchestras at Oak Avenue Intermediate School in Temple City, California, growing the program from 29 string students to 200 and was in charge of the city’s elementary string program. In 2009, Mr. Meyer implemented the “Giving Bach” program at his school which has garnered national attention for its innovative ways of using interactive concerts to bring music into the lives of special needs and inner-city school students throughout Southern California. He was the music director of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra for 16 years, conducting them in performances in New York, Washington D.C., Vienna, Australia, and Canada. He has been a featured clinician at the A.S.T.A. National Conference, Texas Orchestra Directors’ Association Conference and String Teachers’ Workshops at Ohio State University and Birch Bay, Washington. He has also guestconducted All-State and Honor Orchestras in several states. In addition to his teaching and conducting assignments, Mr. Meyer is a nationally-recognized, best-selling composer with over 190 compositions and arrangements in print, and for 16 years served as string editor for Alfred Publishing Company. He is the co-author of several string method books, including the popular String Explorer Series and Sight-read It for Strings. He and his wife, Rose, live in Sierra Madre, California and have three daughters and two grandsons.

Janet Nelson has taught K-6 music at Crestline Elementary in Mountain Brook since 2006. She earned Bachelor and Master of Music Education degrees from Samford University. She also completed Orff-Schulwerk Level I at the University of Memphis. Janet achieved National Board Certification in 2009, completed requirements for renewal in 2019, and received a Mountain Brook Schools Performance award in 2014. Prior teaching experience includes high school choral music in Knoxville, elementary music in Homewood, choirs and handbells in church settings, and private piano. She has also just completed her 11th year as organist/choirmaster at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham.

Diane Orlofsky is Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Troy University. Orlofsky is an active clinician, conductor, adjudicator, and researcher and is the recipient of numerous national and state awards, fellowships, and grants, including the 2016 AMEA Lacey Powell Outstanding Music Educator, the 2014 recipient of the Wallace D. Malone Distinguished Faculty, 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, to name a few. The American Association of University Women named Orlofsky an American Fellow in 1997. She is the author of Redefining Teacher Education: The Theories of Jerome Bruner and the Practice of Training Teachers (2002) and the co-author of The Joyous Exchange: The Art of Collaboration. She is currently involved archival research at Harvard University centered around the papers of learning theorist Jerome S. Bruner.

Dr. Amalia (Maya) Osuga enjoys a wide range of opportunities as soloist, ensemble singer, clinician, and voice teacher. Solo appearances include: Mozart’s Requiem , Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass , Fauré’s Requiem , Mackey’s Songs for the End of the World , and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall. Osuga is Assistant Professor at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) where she teaches applied voice and lyric diction. A black belt in the martial art of Aikido and an active yoga practitioner, Maya remains interested in exploring the connection between kinesthetic intelligence and the building of vocal technique.

Dr. Brittney Patterson is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Montevallo where she teaches Musicology and Flute. She earned her Doctorate from the University of Alabama, her Master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, and her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Tennessee. Her research interests are flute pedagogy, the music of Germaine Tailleferre, and music at the court of Frederick the Great.

Dr. William H. Petersen serves as Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at the University of South Alabama in Mobile where he conducts the USA Wind Ensemble and directs the nationally recognized 250-member Jaguar Marching Band. He is active as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States. His ensembles have consistently been recognized for their excellence in performance in numerous venues throughout the Southeast. In addition, Dr. Petersen teaches tuba and euphonium at USA where many of his students have secured positions in top graduate school music programs, as well as professional performance organizations. He is a member of CBDNA, NBA, NAfME, AMEA, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, and holds honorary memberships in Tau Beta Sigma, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

William C. Powell, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities, holds degrees from Alabama State University (B.M.E.), Westminster Choir College (M.M.E.), and Florida State University (Ph.D.). He conducts the Chamber Choir, Men’s Chorus, Concert Choir, and Gospel Choir, and he teaches choral-related courses. Powell is in demand as a guest conductor throughout the United States and abroad. He has conducted choirs and orchestras in Italy, Ireland, Australia, Eastern Europe. He is a frequent guest conductor for DCINY (Distinguished Concerts International New York). A regular choral adjudicator for Festival Disney, Powell has also judged choral festivals at the district, regional, state, and national levels. Powell has given presentations for organizations such as affiliates of the National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, College Music Society, Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, and the National Society of Music in Technology. As an arranger of choral music, he and his wife, Rosephanye Powell co-edited the Oxford University Press collection, Spirituals for Upper Voices.  Most of his choral arrangements are published by Hal Leonard Corporation and  Gentry Publications through which he also has a choral series in his name: The William Powell Choral Series. Powell holds memberships with National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, and the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP). He and his wife, Rosephanye, have two daughters: Camille and Kaitlyn.

Kristin M. Pugliese has been an educator for more than 15 years. She began her career in early childhood education and soon moved into the music classroom. She has worked almost exclusively in Title 1 Schools in various states including Rhode Island, Georgia and Massachusetts. As part of the Music Department Leadership Committee, she helped create music standards for the Cambridge Public Schools System. In 2009, Kristin founded Note Knacks Music, LLC. Following the 2009-2010 school year with Fulton County Schools (GA), she decided to focus full-time on the company. Kristin is passionate about how knowledge is acquired and believes it impacts how children will view learning later in their lives. Following her beliefs, Note Knacks is dedicated to providing music educators with the tools needed to make music more accessible for young children.

James Rogers is the associate band director for Mountain Brook City Schools. Before coming to Mountain Brook Mr. Rogers was the Director of Bands at Montevallo High School. At Montevallo, Mr. Rogers lead the Montevallo Marching Troubadours, Concert Band, Middle School Band, and the newly created Basketball Pep-Band and Jazz Combo. Prior to his appointment at Montevallo, James was the Director of Bands at Childersburg High School for four years. While at Childersburg, Mr. Rogers reestablished the program. Under his leadership, the program size more than doubled, and the concert band received its first superior score at state contest in over a decade. James is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School, and received his undergraduate degree from Auburn University. While at Auburn, Mr. Rogers was a member of the Auburn University MarchingBand, Symphonic Winds, Jazz Band, Pep Band, Trombone Choir, Concert Choir, and AUCappella. An all male acapella group he founded. In December of 2017 Mr. Rogers performed with the Alabama Winds at the Midwest International Band Conference in Chicago, IL. Also that year Mr. Rogers was a guest conductor at the University of Montevallo Middle School Honor Band and a clinician at the 2017 Alabama Music Educators Association State Conference. He is a member of of the Alabama Bandmasters Association, National Association for Music Educators, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Alabama Winds. Mr. Rogers lives in Irondale, AL with his wife Becca who is also a music educator, his two dogs Tucker and Indiana, and two cats Diana and Charlotte.

Tim Seelig is conductor, singer, teacher and motivational speaker. In addition to Artistic Director and Conductor of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, he continues an extremely busy guest-conducting and teaching schedule throughout the U.S. and across the globe. He is Conductor Emeritus of the Turtle Creek Chorale, which he conducted for 20 years and served on the faculty at Southern Methodist University for 14 years. Dr. Seelig holds four degrees, including the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas and the Diploma from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He has authored numerous books and DVDs on choral technique including best-sellers The Perfect Blend, and The Perfect Rehearsal as well as The Perfect Choral Workbook, Quick Choral Fixes and The Music Within. Known for his enthusiasm and sense of humor, Grammy Magazine says, “Dr. Seelig takes eclecticism to new heights.” Fanfare Magazine says he raises singers from “the ranks of amateur choir to one receiving wide recognition for excellent performances of appealing, fresh repertoire.” The New York Times calls Seelig an “expressive performer,” and the Fort Worth Star Telegram quips, “Seelig slices a thick cut of ham.” He is the proud grandfather of the amazing Clara Skye and Eden Mae.

A native of Opelika, Alabama, Alex Shive is currently in his second year as Director of Bands of Cartersville City Schools in Cartersville Georgia. Graduating from Auburn University in 2015, Mr. Shive has continued to push his standard of excellence as an educator and has taught K-12 music in both Alabama and Georgia at Dalton Public Schools, Phenix City Schools, and now Cartersville City Schools. In addition to his Director of Bands responsibilities, Mr. Shive is also the Ensemble Coordinator for Atlanta Quest’s Independent Indoor Drumline “Q2”, the Battery Instructor for the Macy’s Great American Marching Band in New York City, and percussion consultant/clinician for multiple schools and universities including Auburn University, Georgia Tech, andPoint University. Mr. Shive holds professional affiliations with the National Association for Music Education (NAFME), Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA), Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA), Percussive Arts Society (PAS), National Band Association (NBA), and is an Innovative Percussion endorsed educational artist.

Brenda Shuford is the Choral Accompanist for the Golden Voices Concert Choir, and Assistant Professor at Tuskegee University in the department of Fine and Performing Arts. She is a certified music educator, choral conductor, vocalist and pianist. Her degrees include a Master of Education in Music Education from Alabama State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in piano performance from Huntington College. She is currently completing the Ed. S in Music Education at Auburn University and is scheduled to graduate in the Summer of 2019. For more than 20 years, Mrs. Shuford has provided music education to students in the Montgomery Public School System. She spent 14 ½ years as the choral director of the ChoraLees, Women’s Chorus, and General’s Men Glee Club of the Robert E. Lee High School. Her extensive work at Robert E. Lee High School brought regional visibility and acclaim for her innovative musical creation “The Saturday Night Fish Fry,” among other notable productions throughout the Montgomery area.

Susan L. Smith, B.M.Ed, M.A.Ed., has taught general, choral, and instrumental music at the elementary through collegiate level in Florida, Virginia and Alabama and has served as an author, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the United States. She is currently Lecturer in Music and Horn at Troy University. She is the Immediate Past President of the Alabama Music Educators Association. Her previous appointment was as Director of Bands at the Saint James School in Montgomery AL. Mrs. Smith was responsible for teaching the Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Bands as well as Guitar, Jazz Band, and Music Technology. The Saint James Band consistently received Superior ratings in Concert, Jazz and Marching Band events including the Alabama Music Performance Assessment, Smoky Mountain Music Festival and Bands of America Super Regionals and Grand National Championships. She served as the Alabama Bandmasters Association District VI Vice Chairman for 1 year and Chairman for 2 years. She currently resides in Troy with her husband, Robert. They have 2 daughters - Savannah, a band director in her second year, and Madison, who is in her first year as a music educator.

AMEA 2020 Clinicians

Jim Solomon is the author of eight books of music for children, a national workshop clinician, and public elementary school music teacher in St. Augustine, Florida for over 30 years. He teaches Rhythmic Training/Percussion Ensemble at various locations including Anderson University in the summers. He taught Orff Levels Courses at the Eastman School of Music for 28 years, 1992-2019 and has presented sessions at twenty AOSA National Conferences. He was National Board Certified in 2002 and honored as St. Johns County, Florida, Teacher of the Year.

Caylen Stewart is the Choral Director at Oxford Middle School in Oxford, Alabama. Caylen is in her sixth year with Oxford City Schools where she has served one year as an elementary/general music educator and the past five years as a middle school choral director. Caylen earned her undergraduate degree in music education from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama, and she recently graduated with her master’s degree in music education from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

Dr. Jason Sulliman is Assistant Professor of Trombone at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He has performed all over the world as a low brass specialist covering a wide range of professional ensembles and styles. Jason earned his DM in Brass Pedagogy from Indiana University and is completing a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology. Dr. Sulliman holds degrees from the University of New Mexico and the University of Massachusetts. He has given several national, regional, and state presentations as well as residencies at various universities focusing his development of on 21st-century practice techniques.  For more information, visit www.jasonsulliman.com.

Dr. Mark J. Walker serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Troy University where he conducts the Troy University Symphony Band, the nationally renowned “Sound of the South” Marching Band, and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting, marching band techniques, measurement and evaluation, and wind literature. Dr. Walker serves as Chairman of the Southeastern United States Clinic and Honor Bands (SEUS) and Associate Editor of the Journal of Band Research. Under his direction the Troy University Symphony Band has performed at the 2018 CBDNA Southern Division Conference and the opening concert of the 2014 American Bandmasters Association Convention. He is active nationally and internationally as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. Dr. Walker is a member of the American Bandmasters Association, CBDNA, National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, NAfME, AMEA, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, Sigma Alpha Iota, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Delta Kappa, and WASBE.

Dr. Anne C. Witt teaches Music Education classes, string academic classes and private cello lessons at the University of Alabama. She taught middle school and high school strings in Austin, Texas for 15 years and played cello in the Austin Symphony for 22 years. Anne served as President of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, President of the Alabama ASTA chapter, and National President of ASTA. Her degrees were earned at the University of Alabama and the University of Texas at Austin. For two years, she served as Director of the University of Texas String Project, the first director to follow Phyllis Young. She founded the Adult Strings program in the Community Music School at UA, and started an annual Adult Strings Weekend for amateur adults. Dr. Witt has presented educational sessions at many teacher conferences; she has presented an educational session at every ASTA conference. She enjoys guest conducting orchestras, and has a published book called A Rhythm a Week. After returning to her hometown of Tuscaloosa, AL in 2004, she organized a community initiative to fund the start-up of a school string program, named Strings in Schools. After 15 years, over 1300 students have participated, and several students have earned music education degrees. Five string teachers teach daily classes in all middle schools and high schools of the Tuscaloosa City Schools. She is a long-time board member and Past President of the String Quartet Society of Tuscaloosa. She continues to play cello professionally in a string quartet called “Four Strings Attached.”

Michael S. Zelenak, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Music Education and Coordinator of the Music Education Program at Alabama State University where he teaches graduate and undergraduate methods courses and supervises students as they matriculate through the music education program. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, and completed the masters and doctoral programs in music education at the University of South Florida. He earned National Board Certification while teaching chorus, strings, keyboard, guitar, and general music in Pinellas County, FL. He is a member of the advisory committee for NAfME’s Music Educators Journal, secretary for the Higher Education Division of the Alabama Music Educators Association, and a member of the editorial board for the Florida Music Educators Association’s Research Perspectives in Music Education.

Ginger Zingara is presently assisting at Birmingham area schools, maintaining a flute studio and is Adjunct Professor of graduate music education at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Previously, she was Director of Bands at Birmingham Southern College, Professor of Instrumental Music and Director of Bands and Orchestra at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas, Music Education Instructor at Troy University in Troy, Alabama, as well as Conductor for the Music South Orchestra, Tri-State Community Orchestra in Dothan, Alabama. She has published articles in state, national and international professional periodicals, such as The Instrumentalist, The School Musician, Band World, Ala Breve, and The Woman Conductor. Ginger will conduct the SCMEA High School Honor Band in California where she will be collaborating with Los Angeles composer, Dale Trumbore.

The University of Alabama Bands

2019-2020 HONOR BAND FESTIVALS

Middle School Honor Band Festival

December 12-13, 2019

Registration Opens Online

September 3, 2019 bands.ua.edu/programs/mshb

High School Honor Band Festival

January 30 - February 2, 2020

Registration Opens Online

September 3, 2019 bands.ua.edu/programs/hshb

2020 Conference Schedule

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

5:00‐7:00 PM

5:00‐7:00 PM

7:15‐9:30 PM

7:15‐9:30 PM

7:15‐9:30 PM

AMEA Governing Board Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 2

AVA Scholarship Auditions ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 4

ABA Governing Board Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 1

AOA Governing Board Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 3

AVA Governing Board Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 4

7:15‐9:30 PM Collegiate Division Governing Board Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 5

7:45‐8:45 AM AMEA Leadership Breakfast ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

8:00 AM‐5:00 PM Conference Registration Open ‐ Renaissance, Registration Desk

8:30 AM‐5:30 PM Exhibits Open ‐ Exhibit Hall C

9:00 AM‐4:00 PM FAME ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 3

9:15‐10:15 AM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Brady McNeil: Harmony through Collaboration ‐ Cultivating Co‐Curricular Culture in an Extracurricular Environment

9:15‐10:15 AM Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Navigating Pitfalls & Minefields of Band Directing ‐ Gene Inglis, Moderator

Panel ‐ Betty Bates, Jon Bubbett, and Randall Coleman

9:15‐10:15 AM

9:15‐10:15 AM

9:15‐10:15 AM

10:30 AM‐12:00 PM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Brittny Kempfer: Including the Other 80% ‐ Tips for Developing a Diverse Music Curriculum

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Montgomery 5

Richard Meyer:

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Jim Solomon: Singing Games for Primary . . . Sing, Move, and Play Fabulous Traditional Games

AMEA General Session ‐ MPAC

Alabama Special Needs All‐Star Drum Ensemble

UNA Low Brass Studio

Keynote Address: David Satterfield

12:00‐1:00 PM

12:00‐1:00 PM

12:00‐1:00 PM

1:00 ‐ 1:50 PM

1:00‐2:00 PM

HED Luncheon ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 4

Past President’s Luncheon ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 2

FAME Luncheon ‐ Renaissance, Starlight Foyer

ABA Concert Session ‐ MPAC

Mortimer Jordan High School Symphonic Band

AVA Concert Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Huntingdon College Choir

UAH Chamber Choir

1:00‐2:00 PM

1:00‐2:00 PM

1:00‐2:00 PM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Michael Zelenak: Developing Self‐Efficacy to Improve Music Achievement

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Rob Lyda & Becky Halliday: Creating Musical Communities ‐ Extending Music Education Beyond K‐12

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Julie Bannerman ‐ PreK?, OK! Practical Ideas for Bringing Pre K General Music to Life

Thursday,

1:00‐2:00 PM

2:15‐3:15 PM

2:15‐3:15 PM

2:15‐3:15 PM

2:15‐3:15 PM

2:15‐3:15 PM

2:15‐3:15 PM

3:30 ‐ 4:20 PM

3:30 ‐ 4:30 PM

3:30 ‐ 4:30 PM

3:30 ‐ 4:30 PM

3:30 ‐ 4:30 PM

3:30 ‐ 4:30 PM

3:30‐4:30 PM

4:30‐5:30 PM

5:30‐6:30 PM

7:00‐8:00 PM

7:00‐9:00 PM

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites II

Emily Hopkins: Brain Breaks and Musical Motivators

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Amalia Osuga: Mindfulness Exercises for the Developing Singer

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Chuck Eady: Boosters 101

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Richard Meyer

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Montgomery 5

Benjamin Fraley: Drum Set Pedagogy ‐ Guiding Young Drummers through the GrooveRichard Meyer:

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Deanna Bell: Sing A Round With Me

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites II

Kristin Pugliese: How to Teach Music Basics and Beat the Clock

ABA Concert Session ‐ MPAC

Pizitz Middle School Symphonic Band

HED Recital ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Frank Buck: Get Organized!: Time Management for Music Educators

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Carlton Kilpatrick: Engaging Non‐Rehearsal Activities for the Choral Classroom

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Montgomery 5

Anne Witt: Working with Administrators: Textbook Ideas Updated for 2020

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I, Jim Solomon: Conga /Percussion Ensemble for Elementary School

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites II

Emily Hopkins: Assessment in the Music Classroom

Exhibit Hall Reception ‐ Exhibit Hall C

Jacksonville State University Steel Drum Band

Collegiate/HED Mixer ‐ Embassy Suites II

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

ELEM Evening Session: Jim Solomon ‐ Drum Jam

ABA Concert Session ‐ MPAC

Wicksburg High School Symphonic Band

Grissom High School Symphonic Band I

7:00‐9:00 PM

AVA Concert Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Pizitz Middle School Girl’s Choir

McAdory Chorale

UAB Concert Choir

Auburn University Chamber Choir

Friday, January 17, 2020

7:30 AM‐1:00 PM Conference Registration Open ‐ Renaissance, Registration Booth

8:00‐9:00 AM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Brenda Shuford: The It Factor: Qualities and Practices Which Produce

8:00‐9:00 AM

8:00‐9:00 AM

8:00‐9:00 AM

8:00‐9:00 AM

8:30 AM‐5:30 PM

9:15‐9:45 AM

9:15‐10:15 AM

9:15‐10:15 AM

ABA Business Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Daniel Kirk: Program with a Purpose ‐ Creating Meaningful Connections in Your Concert Repertoire

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Jason Sulliman: It's About Time: A 21st‐Century Cognitive Perspective on the Pedagogy of Timing

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Jim Solomon: Improvisation with Orff Instruments

Exhibits Open ‐ Exhibit Hall C

ELEM Concert Session ‐ MPAC

Hillcrest Elementary: In Harmony

AVA Business Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Lori Ardovino, Denise Gainey, and Brittney Patterson

Everything you Wanted to Know About Woodwinds but Were Afraid to Ask ‐ A Guide for the Beginning Band Director

9:15‐10:15 AM

9:15‐10:15 AM

9:15‐10:15 AM

10:30‐11:30 AM

10:30‐11:30 AM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Taylor Cash: Achieving Characteristic Sounds with Your Wind Band Percussion Section

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Edward “Ted” Hoffman: Music Teacher Educator Roundtable

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Montgomery 5

Richard Meyer:

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Tim Seelig: Vocal Nutrition for Your Students ‐ Feeding the Voice and the Soul

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Jason Sulliman: Do You Grad School? The Stats on NASM Accredited Graduate Music Programs Like You've Never Seen Them

10:30‐11:30 AM

10:30‐11:30 AM

10:45‐11:35 AM

12:00‐1:00 PM

12:00‐1:30 PM

1:00‐3:00 PM

1:00‐2:00 PM

1:00‐2:00 PM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Daniel Kirk: Playing 'Past the Page': Strategies to Maximize Ensemble Performance

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Laura Butler and Janet Nelson: Let's Play (Games and Activities That Enhance Music Literacy)

ABA Concert Session ‐ MPAC

James Clemens High School Percussion Ensemble

Phi Beta Mu Luncheon ‐ Renaissance, Montgomery 5

Collegiate Luncheon ‐ Embassy Suites II

HED Research Poster Session ‐ Exhibit Hall C Lobby

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Tim Seelig ‐ Things They Forgot to Teach or Were Afraid You Would Find Out!

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Backwoods Band Directing ‐ Ginger Zingara, Moderator

Panel: Lori Hart, Will Peirce, Bradley Sargent, and Demetrius Scott

1:00‐2:00 PM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Will Petersen: Yes! There is Band after High School! Encouraging Music Making After High School and Beyond!

1:00‐2:00 PM

1:00‐3:00 PM

2:15‐3:15 PM

2:15‐3:15 PM

2:30‐3:15 PM

3:30‐4:15 PM

3:30‐4:30 PM

3:30‐4:30 PM

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Lea Hoppe: Elementary Choral Reading Session

AOA Reading Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Sponsored by JW Pepper

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

William Powell: Interpreting Concert Spirituals, Stylistically and Textually

ELEM Meeting ‐ Embassy Suites I

ABA Concert Session ‐ MPAC

Albertville Middle School Advanced Band

ABA Concert Session ‐ MPAC

Tuscaloosa County High School Wind Ensemble

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Tim Seelig: The Music Within ‐ Discovering the Joy – Again. One Man’s story – Everyone’s Journey

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Susan Smith: Good Things Come in Small Packages‐ Successful Design and Implementation for the Small or Younger Marching Band

3:30‐4:30 PM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Ellary Draper: Bringing out the I in IEP ‐ How to Navigate IEPs to Increase Student Success in Music Classrooms

3:30‐4:30 PM

3:30‐4:30 PM

4:30‐5:30 PM

5:30‐6:30 PM

7:00‐9:30 PM

AOA Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Rob Lyda & Becky Halliday: Creating Musical Communities ‐ Extending Music Education Beyond K‐12

Exclusive Exhibit Hour ‐ Exhibit Hall C

University of Alabama Reception for Alumni, Faculty and Students ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

AMEA General Session ‐ MPAC

AMEA Awards

Alabama Honor Choir

Troy University Symphony Band

9:30‐11:00 PM

President’s Reception ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Saturday, January 18, 2020

8:00‐9:00 AM

8:00‐9:00 AM

8:00‐9:00 AM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Caylen Stewart: Exploring Adolescent Vocal Change

ABA Business Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Diane Orlofsky & Mark Walker: Stepping Off the Podium ‐ Equipping Leaders for the Next Generation

8:00‐9:00 AM Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

James Rogers: The Next Step: Finding That First Teaching Position and How to Stand Out in Your Interview

8:00‐9:00 AM

Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Rob Lyda: An Ounce of Planning is Worth a Pound of Advocacy

9:15‐10:00 AM AVA Concert Session ‐ MPAC

All‐State Show Choir

9:15‐10:15 AM

9:15‐10:15 AM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom A

Randall Coleman: Finding Neverland...Making Lyrical Wind Band Music Sing

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom B

Jason Sulliman: Playing the Long Game ‐ Planning Beyond Beginning Band with Your Beginning Brass Students

9:15‐10:15 AM

9:15‐10:15 AM

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

Nancy Barry: Motivating the Reluctant Student

Interest Session ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom E

Carly Johnson: Supporting and Building Alabama Public School Band Programs

9:15‐10:15 AM Interest Session ‐ Embassy Suites I

Veronica Crawford: National Board Certification: What, Why and How? Helpful Hints and Suggestions for Becoming an NBCT in Music

10:30‐11:30 AM

Lightening Round ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

10:30 AM‐12:30 PM ABA Concert Session ‐ MPAC

All‐State Jazz Bands

1:00‐3:00 PM

1:00‐3:00 PM

ABA Adjudicators Clinic ‐ Renaissance, Ballroom CD

AMEA Governing Board Meeting ‐ Renaissance, Riverview 2

The Best is Yet to Come

For many young people, history seems irrelevant to their modern-day lives. They’re looking forward and are bored with learning about the past. That was the dilemma that faced professor Harry Rose on the first day a new semester. He began that class, filled with senior education majors, by turning to the person on his right. He asked a question which sounded quite innocent.

“Tell us about yourself,” he said. One after another, we took our turns. After the last person sat down, Dr. Rose sprung the trap.

“With the exception of Frank, everything every one of you said was history.” He pointed out that we had all told our names, something given us 20 years before. The towns where we grew up and the high schools from which we graduated were also part of history. I had described myself as “a future music education,” the sole statement that related to something other than history.

Do good things...and remember you did them

Seven years ago, Sara Womack asked me to take on the role of AMEA Historian. Our organization had not had anyone in that position for quite a while, and our history was getting away from us.

Sometimes we get so busy building the future we forget to chronical the path that’s taking us there. Days turn into years; years turn into decades. If we’re not careful, we give our best for 30

years only to find that soon, nobody remembers the work we did or the music we made.

As an organization, we had a list of the people who served as its Presidents, but we knew little about many of them. We were giving awards, but there was no comprehensive list of who won them over the years.

“Increasing your self-esteem is easy,” said author and speaker Roger Hinkins. “Simply do good things and remember that you did them.” Doing good things has always been our strength. Over the last seven years, we’ve taken some steps to make sure future generations remember what we did.

View MyAMEA.org, but do more than view

Explore the “Honors” menu. If you haven’t been there lately, you’re in for a treat.

Read about the three people who have served as Executive Director and the 35 who have served as President. Read the AMEA Hall of Fame bios. Note the winners of the various awards. But while you’re there, ask yourself who’s not there...but should be. When the opportunity presents itself to nominate a giant in our field, seize that opportunity and start the process.

The most significant historical addition is the section for “All-State Ensembles Programs.” Enjoy printed programs dating back to 1947. Think of mentors who helped shape your career. You just

may find some of those names listed as students from decades gone by.

In the “Divisions” menu, explore the “Phi Beta Mu Legacy Project” in the ABA section. This section is still in its infancy. Check back often as this section grows. Jim Knight and Chester Bean have been conducting interviews. Carl Hancock plans to include music education graduates to conduct some future ones.

Also in the ABA division, the library of State Contest programs continues to expand. We now a copy of the program from the very first year—1947. See if any of the names look familiar. On the other end of the timeline, a single spreadsheet houses all ABA MPA for from 2014 through 2019. Download a copy. The ways in which you can filter the bands, selections, and ratings are limited only by your imagination.

Want to learn how ABA got its start and how bands in this state developed? Read Bodie Hinton’s dissertation, published in its entirety on our site.

Thank Truman Welch

Researching past AMEA Presidents and gathering photos of each took a year. Gathering State Contest programs took far longer. As those two projects wound to a close, I asked myself a question. Would I want to undertake something similar with All-State programs?

The answer was a resounding “no.”

Sure, I had saved some programs from my years as a band director and the other years I attended the concerts. But

what about the decades of missing programs? Where could I even begin to look?

When Truman Welch’s very long and fruitful life came to a close, he had yet another gift to Alabama music education. Among his personal collection was a file folder. Inside the folder were All-State programs, in order, for each year through the decades of the 1950s and most of the 1960s. I figured if Truman Welch could give us that sort of head start, it was worth a try to collect the rest. As you enjoy the collection of programs, remember that Truman Welch is the one to thank.

And thank some others

Collecting ABA State Contest programs dating back to 1947 is a project that took many years. ABA never kept archival copies. But when the call went out, some of our finest answered. Lacey Powell, Rush Gavin, Orland Thomas, Jerry Countryman, Ron Sellers, and Bill Springer each had a few programs. Their combined efforts, along with the programs I saved starting as a 9th grader in 1974, allowed us to put together the parts of the puzzle.

In the Phi Beta Mu Legacy Project collection, Carleton K. Butler’s talk is one that will send chills up your spine. It was an address to alumni band members at a reunion. D.D. Black took the initiative to record Col. Butler’s words. Because D.D. took the time to record history while it happened, you and I can enjoy these inspiring words for years to come.

A decade ago, Ken Bodiford took time out of a busy day to sit down with Dave Walters, John Finley, and a video camera. Dr. Walters and Dr. Finley are no longer with us. This interview allows new generations of musicians to hear the Jacksonville story, and hear

it from the legends who built it.

Givers, takers, and a call to action

Good writing includes a call to action for the reader. What is it we want the reader to do as a result of the words on the page? This article gives you three:

1. Explore MyAMEA.org. Learn about the people and programs who demonstrated greatness and left tracks for others to follow. Encourage your students to do the same. But if you stop there, welcome to the world of being a taker.

2. As you look at what’s on the website, look for what’s missing. Where are the holes? Who needs to be nominated for an award? Make that nomination. What All-State programs are missing? Look for a copy in desk drawers or in a garage. Scan what you find and send it to me (Frank@FrankBuck.org).

Lacey Powell noticed we were missing the State Contest program for 1953. So, he got busy looking through what he had collected and didn’t stop until he found a copy of the missing program. This is what it means to be a giver.

Once you receive the print copy of this issue, I will be posting to the AMEA Facebook page about remaining needs. You’ll read about new additions as well as the people who were able to help fill holes. If you asked me about the chances of finding an AMEA All-State program from 1947, I would

have said, “Zero.” But we have that one. If we can find that, anything’s possible.

3. Assemble your own history. In one west Alabama town, alumni of a storied band program are collecting recordings from decades past. Proceeds from sales will fund a scholarship program in memory of their long-time maestro.

In one east Alabama town, a pioneer of drum & bugle corps-style bands is assembling a video collection of the shows that brought crowds to their feet.

In north Alabama, a choral director retired. He left behind a website housing all the printed programs and concert recordings through his career.

In central Alabama, a band director continues to construct a memory box for each year of his teaching career.

What about your program? The best time to start chronicling its history is 50 years ago. The second-best time is today. Welcome to the world of being a giver to music education...present and future.

Our days are filled with “doing good things.” History is about remembering and honoring them. Planning is about bringing the future into today where you can do something about it.

Tradition appreciates the past and whispers, “The best is yet to come.”

Getting Beyond the Notes on the Page

For many of us the academic year is in full swing and we are preparing for our upcoming concert season. Take a moment to reflect… It has been a long road to get to where we are today and an even longer road ahead. I remember my early college days where the music theory professor stated to a room of around thirty students, “Look around the room. Only a quarter of you will finish a music degree and only half of those students will have a career in music”. While I thought this was a rather harsh statement, he was absolutely right. We have all worked hard and we continue to work hard day after day. Sean Jones once told me, “If you are comfortable, you are not growing”. With the challenges of administration, advocacy, and long hours of teaching it is easy to stay on a comfortable yearly schedule of normal expectations.

I, like many of us, decided a long time ago to make an impact on the world through music and I have never looked back. I share my passion for music with my students every day and I’m always looking for different and innovative ways to push the music forward. For many music educators, jazz ensemble is an afterthought. The focus in the fall is marching band and perhaps a fall concert. In the spring, many public school directors are busy focusing on

MPA’s. A jazz ensemble or even a popular music ensemble is an afterthought many times. Rehearsing any group and putting on a local school concert is certainly educational and can be rewarding. This is the expectation and model we have followed for years. Educators are charged with the responsibility of providing opportunities for enrichment and growth in our students. Have you considered providing opportunities for your students to “hear” music outside of the regular school concert environment? Even if your school doesn’t have a jazz ensemble, there could be benefit in attending a jazz festival or any live concert for that matter. Consider taking your students to a symphony concert, jazz festival, rock concert, etc. Go beyond the normal expectations. Dare to try something different to reach your students.

Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center are currently performing and teaching in Africa. Wynton Marsalis gave a speech without notes to a large audience and I thought I’d share some of it with you, “Why do we avoid playing jazz? Don’t avoid jazz or wonder what the next new “thing” might be. The new “thing” about this music is to listen and know where this music comes from. Know whose music is Duke Ellington’s, Coltrane, Jelly Roll Morton, etc. We use these names as if there were in the

past. They will never be in the past. Their contributions are timeless. Just like Shostakovich, their names will not live in the past. They speak timeless fundamental truth!

Jazz teaches us, if we learn to listen with the same intensity that we play with…then when we play, our playing level is increased. It teaches that when we stop playing, someone else will play. If we learn to listen to them, we will have a better time than when we were playing. It teaches us to find and nurture a common ground. That concept in jazz is called swing. It is an element in the music that is left out. Why?

It requires you to seek and maintain a constant sense of equilibrium with people who you may not even like. That is a challenge. On the band

stand there may be fifteen frames of references. However, we must try to understand other’s frames of references to create a common space. Jazz has a mutual ground that we must nourish and take care of.

Knowing jazz adds historical perspective. It’s one thing to teach improvisational techniques, notes, rhythms, lyrics, but who are the people that shaped this music? Listen to Billy Holiday, Benny Goodman’s Orchestra, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald with the Chick Webb Orchestra; you gain insight into those eras: the language, conception of romance, nuances of life…you can “hear” that people were figuring out a way to celebrate and define their existence joyously in spite of hard times. We live in an

era where there is movement away from humanity; survival of the fittest. This is harsh.”

Wynton Marsalis has also stated on several occasions, “Jazz music is America’s past and its potential summed up and sanctified and accessible to anybody who learns to listen to, feel, and understand it. The music can connect us to earlier selves and to our better selves to come. It can remind us of where we fit on the timeline of human achievement, an ultimate value of art.”

We should come together with a force through education and performance; brought together through swing. Change the routine and try something different. Teach our youth how to listen, encourage them to go out and hear live music! Jazz is for everyone. On November 7, Gadsden State Community College will host the 2019 GSCC Jazz Festival, “Celebrating Women In Jazz “at Wallace Hall Fine Arts Center in Gadsden, AL. This FREE Jazz Festival is a Jazz Education Network affiliated event and will show case regional jazz ensembles throughout the day (9am-6pm), include an educational workshop, a 7pm finale concert featuring three internationally renowned guest artists, and an after party jam session to wrap up the day. If you can’t bring students to this festival, mark your calendars for the JSU Jazz Festival on April 10, Troy University Jazz Festival on April 4, UAB Jazz Summit March 28, and keep an eye out for other events. We will keep the Alabama JEN Facebook Page updated with events around our region. Remember, bringing students to concerts can be beneficial

and enriching.

There are several other ways we can go beyond the standard. If you can’t take your students to a jazz festival, create listening sessions. Teach your students how to actively participate in the listening process. Several schools have contacted me about starting JEN School Chapters. Let your students take ownership within your program. While working on music, concert or jazz, post “tunes of the week”…standards every jazz musician should know. Encourage jam sessions. Have conversations with your students about this music. Help them discover the jazz masters. Everyone should find “heroes” or models to base their progression on. Learn the language, learn the history, learn to swing… get out of the “woodshed” or the classroom and go beyond the music on the page.

In the spirit of swing,

AMEA Division Events 2019 - 2020

Alabama Bandmasters Association

Alabama Vocal Association

Elementary/General Division

Alabama Orchestra Association

Proposed AMEA By-Laws Changes

MOTION 1: Amend the Constitution, Article III, Membership, Section 4. Industry Membership from the text shown to that proposed below.

ORIGINAL

Industry membership shall be open to businesses which support the mission of AMEA. This membership shall have the same privileges as active members except the right to vote and to hold elective office.

REVISION

Industry membership shall be open to businesses, ensembles, organizations, colleges, and universities which support the mission of AMEA. This membership shall have the same privileges as active members except the right to vote and to hold elective office.

MOTION 2: Amend Article IV Government, Section 4. Quorum from the original text to that proposed here.

ORIGINAL

A quorum shall consist of a majority of the elected members of the Governing Board or their representatives. Such representatives shall be restricted to the President-Elect or Past-President of the Divisions.

REVISION

A quorum shall consist of a majority of the elected members of the Governing Board or their representatives. Such representatives shall be restricted to the Past-President, President-Elect and/or Vice-Presidents of the Divisions.

RATIONALE: matches the text changed in 2016 that clarified that a President-elect or Vice President might be the same position in some divisions.

MOTION 3: Amend the Bylaws so that all references to the In-Service Conference are changed to the AMEA Professional Development Conference

RATIONALE: There are five instances in the bylaws. We changed the name of the conference at a board meeting on August 6, 2016. This is an artifact from that time.

MOTION 4: Amend the Bylaws, Article III, Rules Governing Elections from the original text to that proposed here.

ORIGINAL

Section 3. An Election Committee shall be appointed by the President and will meet within one week of the closing date on the ballot to canvass the returns. The President shall give public notice immediately. The election ballots shall be filed in the office of the Executive Director for a period of at least one year."

REVISION

Section 3. An Election Committee shall be appointed by the President by the August Governing Board Meeting. The Election Committee will include at least five representative members from all divisions of the organizations. The Election Committee will be presented with results within one week

of the closing date of the returns. The President shall give public notice immediately. A record of the election ballots shall be filed in the office of the Executive Director for a period of at least one year.

MOTION 5: Amend the Bylaws, Article VI, Voting, from the original text to that proposed here.

ORIGINAL (with parts marked to be struck from the record)

Section 1. The election of AMEA officers shall be conducted by ballot in accordance with the instructions of the Governing Board. If the election is held during the annual in-service conference, provisions shall be made for members who are registered for the conference to receive ballots and necessary supporting information in time for the members to return their ballots before the date of the close of voting. Such closing date shall be designated by the Governing Board and printed on ballots and other material issued to the members preliminary to the vote. Provisions will be made for active AMEA members who are unable to attend the annual InService Conference to vote by absentee ballot for all elections held during the In-Service Conference. Absentee ballots must be requested, completed, and returned according to guidelines specified by the AMEA Governing Board.

Section 2. Amendments to the constitution and bylaws, and all other matters, for which a vote is appropriate, may be conducted either by mail or at any business meeting scheduled by the Governing Board.

REVISION

Section 1. The election of AMEA officers shall be conducted by ballot in accordance with the instructions of the Governing Board. Provisions will be made for active AMEA members to vote online according to guidelines specified by the AMEA Governing Board.

Section 2. Amendments to the constitution and bylaws, and all other matters, for which a vote is appropriate, may be conducted either online or at any business meeting scheduled by the Governing Board.

MOTION 6: Amend the Bylaws, Article VIII, Amendments, from the original text to that proposed here.

ORIGINAL (with parts marked to be struck from the record)

The Bylaws may be altered or amended by an approving vote of the majority of those members who cast ballots at any regular or special meeting of the Association, or by a majority of those members who cast ballots by mail, provided that thirty days notice of such proposed amendment or alteration shall be given by mail or otherwise to all members of record who are eligible to vote. Proposed amendments may be initiated by the Governing Board or by a petition signed by five percent (5%) of the membership of record.

REVISION (additions/substitutions in bold)

The Bylaws may be altered or amended by an approving vote of the majority of those members who cast ballots at any regular or special meeting of the Association, or by a majority of those members who cast ballots online, provided that thirty days notice of such proposed amendment or alteration shall be given by email, website posting, or otherwise to all members of record who are eligible to vote. Proposed amendments may be initiated by the Governing Board or by a petition signed by five percent (5%) of the membership of record.

(to be voted on by the AMEA membership at the 2020 Conference)

Florida’s only festival that’s really on the BEACH!

For High School and Middle School Choral Groups, Symphonic Band, Orchestras, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Marching Band, and Color Guard.

April 24-25 & May 8-9 2020

Groups are returning year after year to the most fun festival in Florida.

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Each Member of the Jaguar Marching Band receives a scholarship

Full-Band travel opportunities to away games and exhibitions

Matching University-provided wind instruments

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2020 AUDITION DATES

Woodwinds & Brass: Feb 1 Feb 29 April 11

Jaguar Drumline: March 21 (clinic) April 11 (auditions)

Color Guard: April 18

For more Information about AUDITION DATES visit jaguarmarchingband.org or call 251-460-6136

Laidlaw Performing Arts Center 5751 USA Drive South, Room 1072 Mobile, AL 36688 251-460-6136

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