NBA NEWS – BIENNIAL ELECTIONS
High School Representatives, cont.
championship Game, and several other bowl game appearances. In 2019, Shira received a Master of Music Education degree at William Carey University (Hattiesburg, Mississippi) studying with Dr. Wes Dykes and Dr. Jeremy Morgan. In December 2019, he was awarded the prestigious A.E. McClain Outstanding Young Band Director Award from the Mississippi Bandmasters Association. In his first year as Director of Bands at Ocean Springs High School, the Wind Symphony performed at the 2022 Tri-States Honor Band Weekend on the campus of the University Tennessee-Chattanooga. This fall, the Ocean Springs High School Wind Symphony will perform at the 2022 Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington. Shira is a member of the National Band Association, the National Association for Music Education, the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, and the Gulf Coast Band Directors Association. He is an active clinician around the state of Mississippi and currently serves as Camp Coordinator for the University of Southern Mississippi's All South Drum Major and Guard Camp. Shira currently lives in Pascagoula Mississippi with his husband, Patrick, and their dog, Benji.
58
AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE NOMINEES
CRAIG AARHUS (MS) NOMINEE, AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE
DR. CRAIG AARHUS is Associate Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Mississippi State University. At MSU, he co-directs the Famous Maroon Band and basketball pep bands, conducts Wind Ensemble "B," the Concert Band, and Campus Band, and teaches Conducting and Brass Techniques in the Department of Music. He also currently serves as the area coordinator for Music Education in the department. As a member of the band faculty, Dr. Aarhus has been part of a team that has helped lead the band program to unprecedented growth, making it currently one of the largest bands in the Southeast. A native of Alabama, Dr. Aarhus received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Auburn University and his Master of Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees
in Conducting from The University of Iowa. While at Iowa, he was the recipient of the prestigious Iowa Performance Fellowship and was a conducting student of Dr. Myron Welch. He also served as a graduate conductor for all of the concert bands, arranged music and wrote drill for the Hawkeye Marching Band, and was co-director of the Iowa Pep Band. During this time, he was also the director of the Southeast Iowa Concert Band at Iowa Wesleyan College for one year. Prior to his appointment at MSU, Dr. Aarhus was a successful high school and middle band director in the public schools of Lanett, Tallassee, and Mobile, Alabama. Dr. Aarhus has been involved in the National Band Association for several years as the State Chair for Mississippi (20092012), Southern Division Chair (2012-2016), and as the College/ University Representative (201618). Currently, he serves as an appointed member of the Board of Directors, helping with social media for the organization. Additionally, he is a member of several professional organizations including the College Band Directors National Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Mu Alpha, Tau Beta Sigma and the Mississippi Bandmasters Association. He is also the Past-President of the Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity and recently completed a ten year tenure as a Governor
Continued on next page
NBA JOURNAL
