2022 Conference Presenters Bios

Dr. Milt Allen has worked with hundreds of schools, community groups and organizations, reaching thousands of students, directors and community members during his career. He is often credited as being one of the most creative, innovative, inspiring and non-traditional music educators today. Conductor, clinician, speaker, author and tireless advocate on behalf of music education, his passion for reaching more musicians at a grass-roots level includes extensive experiences in both public schools and universities in addition to founding a non-profit: The Music Guerrilla, which works with underfunded/underserviced programs in Rwanda, Zambia, Haiti and Compton, CA as well as other schools across the United States.

Milt brings a rare perspective to his role. His cross-genre music interests effectively combine with previous teaching positions in rural/suburban, large/small and public/parochial environments to create a truly unique ability to connect to those he serves. His experiences range from teaching beginning instrumentalists in a boiler room to premiering new works at the university level, to working with young African musicians learning to play an instrument. Yet always, from Glasgow, Scotland to Zambia, Africa, and at regional, state, national and international conferences, Milt’s humor, passion and experience combine to illuminate the possibilities of both music and the live art of performance.

Milt’s articles and insights have appeared in music, parenting and educational magazines as well as various newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. He is also the author of Music, Artistry, and Education: A Journey Towards Musical Growth and Enlightenment, published by Meredith Music Publications/Hal Leonard. Currently, he is recreating and updating his popular “Milt’s Music Minute” information series for parents, students and directors.

Ensembles under Doc’s direction have received numerous awards at local, state and national levels including recognition by the United States Congress for Musical Excellence. He is a two-time high school Teacher of the Year, a Kansas Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist, and is listed in various Who’s Who publications. Other honors and distinctions include 5 awards from the Ohio State University School of Music recognizing his teaching and service and selection as a Conducting Fellow for the Eastman Wind Ensemble’s 40th Anniversary. In 2008, Dr. Allen became the first civilian in the history of the United States Air Force to tour as a featured conductor (USAF Heritage of America Band) and received an Eastern Illinois University Achievement and Contribution Award. Most recently, he served as the conductor training program guest clinician for the United States Army School of Music in Virginia Beach, VA.

Dr. Allen is an educational artist for Jupiter Instruments while also serving as a clinician for the Hal Leonard Corporation and Meredith Music Publications.

Dr. Tyler Austin joins the faculty in the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music at Old Dominion University as Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music. Dr. Austin will conduct the ODU Wind Ensemble, teach classroom conducting at the undergraduate level, lead an applied studio of graduate conducting students, and coordinate the applied woodwind area.

Dr. Austin serves as Artistic Director and Conductor of Maryland Chamber Winds (MCW), an international ensemble of performers who come together to present an annual concert series and educational outreach program. MCW is the ensemble-in-residence for the Maryland Wind Festival, a two-week festival of wind chamber music and outreach based in Frederick and Hagerstown, Maryland, and their surrounding communities. 

A committed advocate of new music, Dr. Austin has commissioned and premiered over 30 works for winds. He founded the annual MCW Composer Commission Project in the Summer of 2016 to produce original works for chamber winds and has funded ambitious recording projects to provide composers with professional recordings of their works. Dr. Austin has studied orchestration with Dr. Zhou Tian at Michigan State University and has been mentored by Dr. David Biedenbender and Dr. Adam Schoenberg.

Dr. Austin has maintained an active career in academia; he previously served as Assistant Director of Bands and then as Interim Associate Director of Bands at Oklahoma State University. While at Oklahoma State, Dr. Austin conducted the OSU Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and FRONTIERS New Music Ensemble. He served as both Assistant Director and then Director of Cowboy Marching Band, and as Assistant Director directed the “Spirit” Basketball Band. He taught classroom courses in the Music Education area and held an additional appointment as Instructor of Bassoon from 2019-to 2021. 

Dr. Austin completed the D.M.A. in Wind Conducting at Michigan State University in the studio of Dr. Kevin Sedatole. Prior to his study at Michigan State, he served as Director of Bands at St. John’s Catholic Prep in Frederick, MD, and actively freelanced as a bassoonist with wind bands and orchestras throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Dr. Austin holds an M.M. in Bassoon Performance from the University of North Texas where he studied with Prof. Kathleen Reynolds and a B.M. in Music Education from Susquehanna University.

Sheily Bell is the Director of Bands at Dutchtown High School. She has been teaching for nearly 50 years. She has a B.M.E. and Master + 30 from Louisiana State University. Ms. Bell was selected Bandmaster of the Year for LBA, Phi Beta Mu Bandmaster of the Year and Outstanding Band Director of the year from SCRMC. Ms. Bell’s bands have consistently received Superior ratings at the District, State and National levels in Concert and Superior ratings at the District and State levels in Marching and Jazz Festivals. Her bands were Grand Champions in music festivals held in Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and runner up in Tennessee and Chicago. She is a past recipient of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Legion of Honor Award (given to 20 band directors across the U.S.). Ms. Bell was the National award winner of the ACB’s Mentor Ideal Award (teacher of teachers). Ms. Bell is constantly in demand to adjudicate band festivals, direct Honor Bands, and give clinics throughout the State of Louisiana as well as parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas.

Jason Bowers holds a bachelor of music education, master of music in choral conducting, and doctor of philosophy in music education from Louisiana State University (LSU). He currently serves as Instructor of Music Education and Outreach Coordinator at LSU where he teaches courses in vocal/choral techniques, music in special education, multicultural music education, and technology in music education. He also oversees the student teaching experience for music education students.

Previously, Dr. Bowers completed nine years of teaching experience developing high school choral programs in the Houston and Baton Rouge public schools. He has also directed a community children’s choir in Baton Rouge for several years. His research interests include community music, multicultural music education, culturally relevant pedagogies, and technology in music education. Jason has presented research and workshops at state, regional, and national conferences, including the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, the National Association for Music Education Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference, the Symposium on Music Teacher Education, the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention, and the Western American Choral Directors Association Regional Conference.

Mr. Brown has been teaching secondary instrumental music, mostly band, for 14 years. He received his BME from Jackson State University in 2008 and is currently in his second year at Louisiana State University pursuing a Master’s in Music Education. 

As an educator he prides himself on adaptation. Every year is different, and every group of students is different. It is my job as an educator to meet the needs of the students in front of me. It requires building relationships with them and being my most authentic self around them. It also requires knowing relevant pedagogical approaches and being vulnerable enough to learn and try something different. That is how we move the needle forward for kids.

Margaret Brown is a third-year PhD student in Music and Human Learning at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is a student of Dr. Robert Duke. She holds degrees from University of Texas at Austin (MM, Piano Performance) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BM, Piano Performance). Her principal teachers include Dr. Clara Yang, Dr. Andrew Brownell, and Dr. Douglas Weeks. Praised for her “keyboard ivory fireworks” and “youthful passion with impressively effortless technique” (CVNC), Brown had her orchestral debut with the UNC Symphony Orchestra, where she performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 3. Brown was a featured soloist in Carolina Performing Art’s “Glass at 80” festival, where she performed with acclaimed composer Philip Glass in a presentation of his piano etudes.

Richard Canter serves as a band director for Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he directs beginning band, junior high bands, the Marching Band and the Wind Ensemble. Throughout his career as an educator, Mr. Canter has been an advocate for music education, serving four years as District President of the Ohio Music Education Association. He has a passion for helping students reach their highest goals in music. This passion led to creating the Scale & Rhythm Chunks program, a teaching tool that is used by bands throughout the United States and internationally. Scale & Rhythm Chunks is endorsed by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser as “exactly what is wanted and needed…an idea whose time has come.” Mr. Canter’s awards and honors include Educator of the Year and winner of the Music Educator’s National Conference Music Composition National Competition.

Mr. Canter is sought after as a clinician and guest conductor. In addition to his position at Walnut Hills High School, he serves as music director and conductor of the Cincinnati Junior Youth Wind Ensemble at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. His professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the Ohio Music Education Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, ASCAP, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Kappa Kappa Psi. Mr. Canter has presented clinics throughout the United States, including two sessions at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, as well as music education conferences in Texas, Oregon, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Kansas, Nebraska, California, Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado, Nevada, West Virginia and Ohio. His awards and honors include Educator of the Year, the Celebrate Excellence Award, and winner of the Music Educator’s National Conference Music Composition Competition. Mr. Canter holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Bowling Green State University and a Masters Degree in Music Education from Miami University. He resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife, Kellie and their two children, Lily and Andrew.

Scott Casagrande retired in 2021 as Director of Bands at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, IL after completing 33 years of teaching in Illinois Public Schools.  He taught high school, middle school and elementary students in suburban, urban and rural settings over the course of his teaching career.

Mr. Casagrande currently serves Music for All as a Music Education Consultant responsible for the National Festival, Affiliate Regional Music Festivals and Affiliate Marching Band Events.  He is an Educational Consultant for MusicFirst software and an administrator for the Dr. William P. Foster Project serving bands in under-served communities. Mr. Casagrande serves on the Board of Trustees for the VanderCook College of Music.

Under Mr. Casagrande’s direction, the John Hersey Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble performed as a featured ensemble in the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.  Ensembles under his direction were selected to perform in  24 Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festivals, two Illinois Music Educators Association Conventions and four Music for All National Concert Band Festivals. The Hersey Symphonic Band was named the Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival Honor Band four times and the band program was awarded the Sudler Flag of Honor by the Sousa Foundation.

Clark W. Joseph, a native of Lafayette, LA is a workshop clinician specializing in ministering the good news of Jesus Christ through the medium of music.  He has earned Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Louisiana @ Lafayette.  He also earned a Master of Science in Education from Fordham University in New York.  He has done post-graduate work receiving certification in Education Administration from The City College of New York.  He was awarded the Dean’s Honor Scholarship from Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology (Dallas,TX) where he earned a Master of Theological Studies. He was awarded the Doctor of Ministry from Bell Grove Theological Seminary(Baton Rouge, LA). Additionally he earned the Doctor of Worship Studies from Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA).

The ministry of music has taken him throughout the U.S., Africa and Europe conducting workshops and seminars.   He has been a guest presenter at the Gospel Music Workshop of America and the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference.  He has been a guest lecturer at Southern Methodist University (Perkins School of Theology) in the Sacred Music Division since 2006.  His compositions have been recorded with the GMWA Mass Choir, GMWA Men of Promise, the Northern California Chapter of GMWA, Modern Day Music Ministry Conference, the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, Austin, TX. and Richetta McNeil.  He is a member of the following organizations:  Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Dallas Metroplex Musicians Association, Gospel Music Workshop of America, American Choral Directors Association, National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses and the National Association of Negro Musicians. 

He has served as Minister of Music for the National Baptist Convention USA Musical in 2006 (Dallas, TX).  Additionally, he served as Minister of Music for the National Baptist Convention of America Board Meeting Musical in 2007 (Dallas, TX).  He was one of the featured Ministers of Music in June 2007 issue of the national publication, Gospel Today magazine and in January, 2014 in By Design Magazine.  In 2008, 2014 and 20022 he served as the Minister of Music for the National Missionary Baptist Convention Musical (Dallas, TX).  Additionally, he has served as conductor for the Black Academy of Arts & Letters Black Music and Civil Rights Movement Concert at the Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas since 2008 featuring recording artists CeCe Winans, Ledisi, Chrisette Michele, Reuben Studdard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Karen Clark-Sheard, Fantasia and Peabo Bryson.  Other artists include Kim Burrell, Chante Moore, Phil Perry, Tony Terry, Rashaan Patterson, Beverly Crawford, Ernest Pugh, B. Slade and Bilal. 

His church choir, The St. John Church Music Ministry, was the 2011 Dallas Regional Winner of the How Sweet The Sound Choir Competition, representing the Dallas Region in the National Finale Competition in Los Angeles, CA.  In 2012, for the same competition, the St. John Church Music Ministry was the How Sweet The Sound Dallas Regional Runner-Up, as well as the People’s Choice Award Winner. In 2013 the St. John Music Ministry was the National Winner of the Hopeline Award from Verizon How Sweet The Sound. As a result of this award, Verizon presented $10,000.00 to Brighter Tomorrows, an organization that combats domestic violence.   In 2014, the St. John Music Ministry was the featured choir on Flow Records Live Recording, Bishop Richard “Mr. Clean” White, I’m Glad.  In 2015, the St. John Music Ministry recorded with Ian Craig and GidIAN’s 300, Change. In 2016, he was inducted into the Dallas Metroplex Musicians Association Hall of Fame and awarded Choir Director of the Year by the Music and Ministry Awards and KHVN.  Additionally he served as Choir Director of the Texas State Fair, A Night of Gospel.  In 2019, he had the privilege of conducting the Dallas Unity Choir for the Gospel Goes Classical Concert featuring the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Bishop Marvin Winans. In 2021, his choir, the St. John Church Music Ministry was invited to perform for the American Choral Directors Association National Conference. In 2022 he serves as the Choir Master for Together We Sing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra presenting a tribute to Richard Smallwood. In 2022, he conducted the Project Unity Gospel Choir along with the Dallas Symphony in A Tribute to Richard Smallwood.

Clark presently serves as full-time Minister of Music & Worship Arts at the St. John Church Unleashed of Grand Prairie/Southlake, TX, one church ministering in multiple locations.  Prior to locating to Grand Prairie, TX he worked for the New York City Board of Education as a School Administrator.  He is the father of three sons, Wynton Lamaur, a graduate of Texas A&M University, Karmell Micah, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University and Ross Wayman, a student at Texas Tech University.

Shannon Barrett Crumlish teaches Pre-K through fifth grade general music and choir at Carencro Heights Elementary School in Carencro, Louisiana. In addition to her role as her school’s music teacher, she serves as the co-chair of her school’s PBIS committee. Ms. Crumlish is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where her research focuses on the impact of empathy-based behavioral interventions on disciplinary equity.

An engaging and experienced clinician, Ms. Crumlish is passionate about the power of music education to foster empathy and understanding. She believes a crucial part of being a teacher is implementing and advocating for equitable and just educational practices while treating students, their families, and all members of the school community with unconditional regard for their dignity.

Ms. Crumlish holds bachelor’s degrees in K-12 Music Education from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey and a master’s degree in Music Theory and Composition from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Robin A. Daigle is a native of Thibodaux, La, and a graduate of Thibodaux High School. She received the Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1981 and recently retired after serving 34 years in the field of music education. Ms. Daigle has taught band at Eunice High School, Armstrong Middle School, Lafayette Middle School and Edgar Martin Middle School. At Edgar Martin, where she finished her teaching career, there were over 400 students enrolled in the band program. Throughout her teaching career, Ms. Daigle’s symphonic and jazz bands competed in and out of state and consistently received superior ratings at Louisiana district and state band festivals. In 2018, she was inducted into the LMEA Hall of Fame.

Dr. Frank M. Diaz is Associate Professor of Music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Before his appointment at Indiana, Dr. Diaz held positions at the The University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, the University of Oregon, and at school districts in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. He is also former Music Director and Conductor of the Corvallis Youth Symphony in Corvallis, Oregon. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the National Association for Music Education, and at various conferences and honor festivals across the United States.

Dr. Diaz has served as a conductor, adjudicator, presenter, and clinician in over 30 states as well as internationally. As a scholar, Dr. Diaz teaches and conducts research on mental health and music, and is passionate about creating learning environments in which students thrive and feel valued as both human beings and musicians. His research on mental health has been featured in numerous magazines, journals, and podcasts, as well as through media outlets such as CNN, NPR, Science Daily, and The Huffington Post.

Rodney Dorsey is professor of music in bands and chair of the Department of Bands at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, a position he has held since fall 2018. He is the conductor of the internationally recognized Indiana Wind Ensemble and guides all aspects of the graduate wind-conducting program.

Dorsey’s positions have included director of bands at the University of Oregon, associate director of Bands at the University of Michigan, associate professor of music at DePaul University, and director of Athletic Bands at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. He also taught public school for eight years in Florida and Georgia.

Dr. Jeremy Dowden is based in Natchitoches, LA. He was principal trombonist with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (PRC), and a member of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with Eutin Festival Orchestra, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, the Rapides Symphony and the South Arkansas Symphony, as well as the orchestras in Longview, Texarkana, and Marshall TX. Jeremy earned his B.Mus.Ed. degree from Northwestern State University of Louisiana and his MM and DMA degrees from the University of Kansas. Dr. Dowden has been a band director in the public schools of KS, TX, and LA since 2014, sharing his passion for music with young instrumentalists.

Jessica Fain graduated in 2009 from Northwestern State University with a Bachelor of Music Education Degree. She is currently in her thirteenth year teaching and is in her third year as the band director at Bluff Middle School in Ascension Parish. Prior to teaching at Bluff Middle School, Ms. Fain was the band director at Tioga Junior High where she followed many successful band directors and maintained the long-standing success of the program. Ms. Fain’s bands have consistently received Superior and Excellent Ratings at both the District and State levels.

Ms. Fain also served as the Assistant Band Director at Tioga High School where she has helped lead the band to many Superior Ratings during marching season. Her primary responsibilities included instructing the percussion section which consistently received high ratings including Best in Class and Most Outstanding Percussion at a number of competitions.

Ms. Fain was selected by her colleagues as the District II Band Director of the Year (2011), Tioga Junior High Teacher of the Year (2013 & 2016), received the Golden Apple Teacher Award (2015 & 2016) and was named as the Bandmaster of the Year for Louisiana Bandmasters Association (2018).  She has presented at LMEA and was published in the November issue of The Instrumentalist (2018). Ms. Fain has served as an honor band clinician and on adjudication panels for several districts across Louisiana and Texas. She is a member of NAfME, NBA, LMEA, TMEA, Louisiana Bandmasters Association, LMAA, and Phi Beta Mu. Ms. Fain currently serves on the LMEA Board as the District Director for District IV, is also the President-Elect/Secretary for the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association, and the President for Louisiana Bandmasters Association.

Dr. William Ford is currently the Instructor of Low Brass at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. He has enjoyed success as a performer by winning the Second Trombone position with the Rapides Symphony Orchestra in Alexandria, LA, being named a finalist in the 2020 American Trombone Workshop Division III Solo Competition, winning the principal trombone and featured soloist positions with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra for their 60th and final season, winning the Western Michigan University Concerto Competition, and being named a finalist in the Louisiana State University and James Madison University Concerto Competitions, respectively. While at WMU, Will was a member of the Jazz Ensemble and Advanced Jazz Combo, which won Downbeat Magazine awards in 2017 and 2018. Will is an active performer and educator in Louisiana and the surrounding areas, having performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra, Rapides Symphony Orchestra, and Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, as well as teaching a private studio in Baton Rouge. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Brass Performance with a Cognate in Jazz from Louisiana State University, a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance with a Cognate in Jazz from Western Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from James Madison University. His primary teachers include Dr. Andrew Lankford, Dr. Chuck Dotas, Dr. Steve Wolfinbarger, Prof. Doug Stone and Dr. Hana Beloglavec.

Jeremy Garcia has performed all over the United States. He has collaborated as a soloist with the Houston Grand Opera, as a soloist with the Fremont Symphony Orchestra in Lander Wyoming (2022), and as a soloist and composer with the Helena Symphony in Montana, the Fort Bend Symphony, and Brazosport Symphony.  He has performed in numerous festivals as a soloist and collaborated with many top flamenco artists.

He has recorded two CDs, García y Reyna’s Baile del Sol and Café Khytaro’s Distancia. In 2009 Garcia co-founded Solero Flamenco, Houston’s premier flamenco performance company, along with Irma La Paloma; the two subsequently co-founded and directed the Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival (2011-2016).

As an educator, Garcia served as Director of Guitar Studies at San Jacinto College for 20 years. He currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director of the Houston Classical Guitar Festival and Competition. He has a Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi and a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Eric Gaudet is a native of Thiboduax, Louisiana and currently lives in Lafayette Louisiana. He received his Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He worked previously as the assistant director of bands at Comeaux High School from 2014-2016. He is currently the director at Edgar Martin Middle School and Broadmoor Elementary in Lafayette Louisiana where he instructs band students that range from grades 5-8. He has held this position since 2016 to present.

Eric is also the current brass caption head for the Louisiana Stars Drum and Bugle Corps since 2019 when the corps scored its ratings since its inception. He has been on the brass staff since 2016 as a trumpet instructor. Eric was a member of the 2011 and 2012 Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps and a member of the 2013 Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps. He is an active member of the South Louisiana’s Band Director Association. Eric actively judges, instructs, and performs in the Lafayette area. This includes helping organize and performing in community musical events.

Cynthia I. Gonzales, Regents’ Teacher and Associate Professor at Texas State University, is author of the first collection of aural skills exercises published in SmartMusic®, titled The Listen-Sing Method.  A retired professional singer, Cynthia performed with Conspirare, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and the San Antonio Chamber Choir. She has been a Reader for the AP Music Theory Exam since 2015 and currently serves on the Test Development Committee, as well as the Society for Music Theory Executive Board.

A native of Louisiana with over 15 years experience as a music educator, Gregg Griffin currently serves as a gifted and talented music educator for Vermilion Parish Schools. Throughout his career, Mr. Griffin’s bands have earned multiple sweepstakes awards on the district and state levels. 
 
Gregg is passionate about the rich cultural and musical styles Louisiana has to offer. He regularly uses his classroom to instill in his students a love of the unique sounds of Louisiana. Students explore their passion by participating in ensembles with genres that focus on Jazz, Cajun/Creole, and Zydeco. 
 
As a graduate student at UL Lafayette, Gregg is preparing a thesis involving research in the field of music education. He is currently developing a curriculum focused on bringing the sounds of traditional Louisiana music to the classroom. 
 
Gregg currently resides in Vermilion Parish with his wife Kylie, and four girls, Gracie, Anna, Eleanor, and Iry. In their spare time, Gregg and Kylie write and perform Cajun, Créole, and Zydeco music with their band Poisson Rouge.

Kylie Veazey Griffin is a dedicated music educator and native of Erath, Louisiana. She serves as the current band director at Dozier Elementary School where she was nominated teacher of the year, and her bands have received superior ratings at both the district and state levels throughout her teaching career. During her time at Erath Middle School, she started the first student zydeco band, called the Bayou Tigre Steppers. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from UL Lafayette in 2010 and completed her master’s degree at UL Lafayette in 2018 where she was named Richard G. Neiheisel Phi Beta Kappa’s Outstanding Graduate. In fulfillment of her degree, Kylie wrote the first accordion method book to use written notation and was a finalist in the 3MT competition for her work. In addition to teaching, she enjoys writing Cajun, Créole, and zydeco music for her and her husband Gregg’s zydeco band, Poisson Rouge. Kylie currently resides in Perry with her husband, Gregg Griffin, and four daughters, Gracie, Anna, Eleanor, and Iry.

Mrs. Juanita Marshall Hall is a native of Franklin, La. She graduated from Franklin Senior High and then went on to USL( ULL). She grated from USL in 1989 and stated her career as a band in Beauregard parish teaching at Merryville High School. She then went on to Allen parish to teach at Kinder High School.After Kinder High she went to Acadia parish and taught at Crowley middle. While at CarEncro Middle she received her Masters in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2007. Her  final school destination was at Carencro Middle where she spent 25 years. Mrs. Hall retired June 1,2021 after 31 years of teaching. Mrs. Hall has been married to her husband Mike for 30 years and they have two children Matthew and Madison and a daughter in law Rebekah. During her career she has been the chapter president of Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana, an advocate for arts education, she works with numerous out reach groups, she does Socks and Undies for Elementary schools in Lafayette parish. She is and will always be honored to be a music educator.

Simon Holoweiko is the Associate Director of Bands at Louisiana State University where he conducts the Symphonic Winds, teaches undergraduate conducting, graduate wind literature, doctoral students minoring in conducting, and assists with athletic bands. Holoweiko joined the faculty following successful appointments at Michigan State University and Martin County High School in Stuart, Florida. 

After serving as Assistant Director of Bands at MSU, where his duties included Associate Director of the Spartan Marching Band, conductor of the Concert Band, Spartan Youth Wind Symphony, and teaching courses in the College of Music, Holoweiko entered the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Wind Conducting at Michigan State University as a student of Dr. Kevin Sedatole. He also holds the Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University where he studied with Dr. Jamie L. Nix and assisted with all aspects of the wind program.

Prior to his graduate studies, Holoweiko taught in the Florida public schools as the Director of Bands at Martin County High School (Stuart). At Martin County, he coordinated all aspects of the band program including instruction of the marching band, two concert ensembles, and founded a curricular jazz band and AP music theory course. He is also the conductor and a co-founder of the Treasure Coast Summer Band Camp in Jensen Beach, FL and is an active clinician. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Michigan State University.

Holoweiko is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and holds professional membership in the College Band Directors National Association and the National Association for Music Education.

Pam Hotard has been a Choral Director for 41 years. She is a graduate of the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor’s degree of Arts in Music Education and a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a minor in Music.

Mrs. Hotard has taught Choral Music, Classroom Music, and Piano to grades K – 12. She taught in Orleans parish and St. Tammany parish. Mrs. Hotard is Orff certified and has a certification in the Choral Music Experience. She has been a participant in many Discipline-Based Arts Education workshops.

Her choirs consistently scored Superior at the Louisiana Music Educators Association festivals at the district and state levels. Her students have participated in Honor Choirs in District VI and District IX. They have also performed at various New Orleans hotels and have performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s Yuletide Celebration.

Pam is currently teaching Middle School Choir, Junior High Choir, Classroom Music, and Piano at Clearwood Junior High in Slidell. Mrs. Hotard is a singer, pianist, and arranger. She served as Director and Music Director for Slidell Little Theater’s Young Actors Program and as a Clinician and Conductor for Honor Choirs in St. Charles and Livingston Parishes.

Pam is married to Gary Hotard who is a Band Director in Slidell. They have 3 children and one grandchild.

Dr. Daniel S. Isbell, Associate Professor and Head of Music Education area at Louisiana State University. Ph.D. (University of Colorado at Boulder); MME (University of New Mexico); BME (Ithaca College). At LSU, Dr. Isbell teaches courses in instrumental methods, introduction to music education, research methods, and student teaching. He is the former Chair of Music Education at Ithaca College and has taught public school instrumental music in New York and Colorado. Dr. Isbell is the recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award by the Council for Research in Music Education (CRME), the Society for Education, Music, and Psychology (SEMPRE) Conference Research Award, the Emerging Researcher Award from Music Education Research International (MERI), the Ithaca College London Center Teaching Sabbatical Award, and the Modern Band Higher Education Fellowship from Music Will (formerly, Little Kids Rock). Dr Isbell’s work has been published in a variety of journals, and he frequently presents his research at regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. Isbell maintains an active career as a trumpet player.

Chris Judah-Lauder taught elementary and middle school music for 40 years. She is a regular presenter at state, national conferences, Canada, China, and South Korea. She is a Past President of AOSA, chaired the AOSA Digital Mentorship Committee and was the National Conference Chair for the 2009 and 2017 AOSA Conferences. Chris also serves as a consultant.

Chris teaches AOSA-approved Teacher Education Courses at various universities across the United States, has sixteen publications including Drum with a Passion, Games, Groups, and Gems, In the Modes, Hand Drums on the Move.

Clarinetist Cecilia Kang currently serves as the associate professor of clarinet at Louisiana State University and artist faculty at Aria International Summer Academy and California Orchestra Institute.  

As a performer, she has collaborated with the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and members of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Danish Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Her passionate and innovative pedagogy has been showcased at over 100 renowned musical institutions around the world, including at the Midwest Clinic, the University of Toronto (Canada), the University of Michigan (USA), San Francisco Conservatory of Music (USA), Beijing Central Conservatory of Music (China), Shanghai Conservatory of Music (China), Sai Wan Ho Civic Center (Hong Kong), National Taiwan University of Arts (Taiwan), Yonsei University (South Korea), Thailand International Clarinet Academy (Thailand), and Conservatorio di Musica “G.Verdi” di Milano (Italy). 

Dr. Kang earned her degrees from the University of Michigan, the University of Southern California, and the University of Toronto. She is a Vandoren and Buffet Crampon Performing Artist. For more information, please visit https://kangcecilia.com/.

Carlton Kilpatrick, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Music in Vocal Music Education at the University of Louisiana Monroe. He teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework in music education and conducts Bayou La Belle, an upper-voice ensemble and Warhawk Singers, a lower-voice ensemble. A native of Florida, Dr. Kilpatrick taught high school chorus in the public schools in Lake City, FL and Altamonte Springs, FL for 15 years. In 2010, his choir was invited to perform for the Florida Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He was recognized as the Florida Music Education Association’s Secondary Music Educator of the Year in 2018. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Florida and Master of Music in Choral Conducting and Ph.D. in Music Education from the Florida State University. Prior academic appointments include Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Kilpatrick is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. His research has been published in The Choral Journal and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. His research interests include nonverbal communication in conducting and teaching, inclusive practices in music education, and LGBTQIA+ issues in music education. He has presented sessions for music educators throughout the Southeastern United States. He is in demand as a curriculum specialist having served as the Instructional Design Editor on Jason Max Ferdinand’s Teaching With Heart and in the development and production of two units of educational videos for The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay Digital Youth Initiative.

During his teaching career in Florida, Dr. Kilpatrick was engaged in leadership roles with the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) and Florida Vocal Association (FVA), including services as President of FVA (2016-2017). He continues to be involved in the leadership of the ACDA’s Southern Region as the Performing Choir Chair-elect for the upcoming 2022 conference in Raleigh. Prior leadership roles in the Southern Region include the Application and Ads Chair for the 2020 conference in Mobile, the Honor Choir Chair for the 2016 conference in Chattanooga and the 2014 conference in Jacksonville. He served as the coordinator of the National ACDA High School Honor Choir at the 2017 conference in Minneapolis. He served as the Secretary of the Florida chapter of ACDA from 2008-2015.

Dr. Kilpatrick holds memberships in NAfME, ACDA, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Francis LeBlanc is a native of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, and a resident of Lafayette, Louisiana. Francis is the middle of five children of the late Joseph Wade LeBlanc, Sr. and Otelia Leblanc. He is also a proud father and grandfather. 

Francis is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (formerly the University of Southwest Louisiana – USL), where he earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in vocal music performance. Mr. LeBlanc has taught in Lafayette Parish and St. Martin Parish. For the last 25 years, he has been employed as a vocal music teacher in the Vermilion Parish school system, teaching at Abbeville High School and J. H. Williams Middle School in Abbeville. 

Francis serves as the music ministry director in his home church parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Breaux Bridge for fifty (51) years, along with several church parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette. He also serves as the music ministry director at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Elizabeth Seton, all in Lafayette, Louisiana. For over 30 years, he has served as the music director for the Diocese of Lafayette, Office of Black Catholic Ministries Annual African American Catholic Youth Congress.

Mr. LeBlanc is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity and a member of the Lafayette Ecumenical Choir, where he serves as an Assistant Director and a member of the Tri-Parish Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, under the direction of Mrs. Mathilda Martin. He has been featured as a Soloist with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra. Mr. LeBlanc has served as an Accompanist for both the District Three (3) and Vermilion Parish Honor Choruses.   

After high school graduation in 1977, Francis was honored with the opportunity and privileged to study music while touring Europe.

Mrs. Lewis began her career as a Board Certified Music Therapist working with multiple populations of clients including; Children with Developmental Disabilities, Children with Autism, Teens and Adults with Chronic Mental Illnesses and Geriatrics with Alzheimers. After 15 years in the Music Therapy field, she attended Louisiana State University to obtain a degree in Music Education in 2012. For the past 10 years she has been a music teacher in both private and public schools, leading children’s choirs and Orff ensembles in multiple local churches, and teaching in her private studio. As an oboist, and being instrumentally certified; she has used ukulele, bucket drumming, and Orff instruments to allow her students to learn music through both instrumental and vocal avenues. She is beginning her 6th year at Baton Rouge Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet.

Ian Loeppky has been Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of North Alabama since the fall of 2003. He directs the two elite choral ensembles at UNA and teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting, choral techniques, world music, and graduate choral literature. In addition, he is founder of the Florence Camerata, Artistic Director of the Huntsville Community Chorus Association, and a frequent contributor to the ACDA Choral Journal and Anacrusis. His works are published by Kelman Music Press, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, UNC Jazz Press, and Carl Fischer. Under his direction, the UNA Chamber Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensemble sing regularly at local and regional concerts, festivals, and conferences. He has been a student of Zen practices with Zen Master George Bowman for fifteen years.

BJ McGibney, a tenor, and bass trombonist, plays in various groups/styles Jazz (smaller Jazz to Big Band) Symphonic (Symphony, Brass Quintet, Brass Choir & Chamber Ensembles) to Church (Praise and Worship) etc. 

McGibney taught in the East Baton Rouge Parish Talented Music Program for 21 years. He started as the Band Director at Baton Rouge Magnet High School Fall 2017 where he conducts the Symphonic Winds 1 & 2 ensembles, Jazz Band, Music Tech/Jazz Improvisation class and AP Music Theory. McGibney also has a private studio as well.

McGibney holds degrees from Louisiana State University (MM; Bass Trombone Performance) and Murray State University (BME).

Sharie Mahler is a native of Destrehan, Louisiana, and grew up in a musical home. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2014, she taught K-6 music and choir in St. Tammany Parish and began instructing visual basics at Mandeville High School. In 2015, Sharie began working towards a Master’s Degree in Music, designing drill and choreography for Mandeville, and teaching piano lessons at Northlake Academy of Music. Sharie has worked as a visual instructor for numerous high schools, as well as the 2 time WGI medalist, Elite Independent Percussion.

During her time as an Assistant Band Director at Destrehan High School, she designed drill and choreography for the Marching Band, as well as for the St. Charles Parish RiverWinds Indoor Winds Ensemble. Established in 2017 under her direction, RiverWinds has won second place in the LMCGPC A Class Championships in 2018, and first place in 2019. Additionally, in 2019, the ensemble won the WGI South Power Regional and was a WGI World Championships A Class Finalist.

Currently, Sharie is the Instrumental Talented Music Teacher for St. Charles Parish Public Schools with a studio of over 50 gifted young musicians. Above all, she follows an Art for Art’s Sake philosophy and strives to make every student’s musical experience a positive one.

Dr. Shannon McDonald serves as Adjunct Professor of Music at Texas Woman’s University where she teaches music history, music theory, and clarinet lessons. She holds a D.M.A. in clarinet performance from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and a master’s degree in instrumental pedagogy from Texas Woman’s University. She recently won the first prize in the International Clarinet Association’s Research Competition for her research, “Accommodating Learning Differences in the Clarinet Studio: Private Teacher Experiences and Pedagogical Guide.”

Recognized in both the jazz vocal and instrumental worlds, Darmon Meader is a highly respected vocalist, arranger and saxophonist. Darmon has achieved international recognition as the founder, musical director, chief arranger, composer, producer, saxophonist, and vocalist with New York Voices. As a member of New York Voices, he has released numerous recordings on the GRP, RCA/Victor, Concord and MCGJazz labels. In the fall of 2007, New York Voices released their long-awaited MCGJazz release “A Day Like This,” and in January of 2008, Darmon released his much anticipated debut solo CD, And So Am I. Darmon’s solo project is a collection of jazz standards and original works, which reflects his varied interests and skills as a singer, saxophonist, writer and arranger. Although the entire project is steeped in the jazz tradition, the CD includes a wide variety of styles, orchestration approaches and concepts. Darmon’s two most recent projects with NYV are “New York Voices, Live with the WDR Big Band” (2013, Palmetto Records), and “Let It Snow” (2013 Five Cent Records). In addition to Darmon’s vocal and sax performances, both recordings feature his exemplary vocal arrangements, and the Christmas project also features Darmon’s extensive orchestration skills. 

Continue reading Darmon Meader’s bio . . .

Ginny Medina-Hamilton presently serves as the chairperson of the newly formed Louisiana Advocacy Leadership Force for the Louisiana Music Educators Association. For the last few years, Ginny has attended the NAfME National In-service and the Program Leaders Forum. She has been an active member of LMEA, District VII, and LA-ACDA for over 20 years.

Mrs. Hamilton is presently the principal of her alma mater, Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma. Previously, she served as the Director of Gifted, Talented, and Arts Education for St. Charles Parish Public Schools. Before entering administration, Mrs. Hamilton taught choir, general music, and talented music to students at all levels for 20 years.

She continues to enjoy adjudicating choral and vocal festivals, working as a guest clinician, and watching her children and students perform in musicals and concerts.

Craig Millet earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Instrumental Music Education from Louisiana Tech University. In 1990, he accepted the Assistant Director position under Carl Schexnayder at St. Amant High School. In 1999, Mr. Millet accepted the Director of Bands position and held that position until stepping back into an Assistant Director position in 2020. All of the St. Amant Bands, including Marching Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Symphony, consistently receive superior ratings at District and State Festival. Under his direction, performing grade IV and V literature, the Wind Symphony has never made less than straight Superiors and Sweepstakes at any festival. In 2001, Mr. Millet received the Band Master of the Year Award for excellence in the field of music education from Louisiana Tech University. Mr. Millet’s professional affiliations include Phi Mu Alpha, Phi Beta Mu, MENC, LMEA, TBA, and NBA.

Dr. Tim Pardue is the Director of Bands in the W.A. and Dorothy Hanna Department of Performing Arts at McNeese State University where he conducts the Wind Symphony, Pride of McNeese Marching Band, Courtside Cowboys Basketball Pep Band, and teaches music education, music theory, and conducting courses.

He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in wind conducting from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Music degree in wind conducting from the University of Arkansas, and Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Louisiana Tech University.

Pardue is an active arranger and clinician. He has arranged for The Pride of McNeese, The Pride of Oklahoma, and University of Arkansas Razorback Marching Band. He has conducted honor bands and adjudicated throughout the gulf south region. Pardue has presented his research on flexible scoring as a means to provide quality repertoire to small band programs with limited instrumentation.

Prior to pursuing graduate studies, Pardue taught middle and high school bands in St. James Parish at Lutcher High School and Gramercy Elementary and in Plaquemines Parish at South Plaquemines High School. He holds professional memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society, Tau Beta Sigma, and Kappa Kappa Psi.

Shaun R. Popp is Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music Education at Henderson State University, where he conducts the University Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, and the “Showband of Arkansas ®” Marching Band, teaches courses in conducting, wind band literature, and music education, and is responsible for the administrative aspects of the HSU band program and summer music camps.

Dr. Popp holds degrees from Morehead State University, the University of Louisville, and Florida State University. His primary conducting teachers include Richard Miles, Frederick Speck, and Richard Clary.

Rosephanye Powell has undoubtedly earned the place as one of our great female choral composers. Her writing style is accessible for singers of all ages, making her a popular composer featured on Honor and All-State Choir Programs. Whether writing a short octavo-length piece or an extended work, her knowledge of the voice, voice leading, and her gift for melody will ensure the consumer a high-quality composition.

Dr. Rosephanye Dunn Powell has been hailed as one of America’s premier women composers of solo vocal and choral music. As a choral composer, Dr. Powell has an impressive catalogue of works published by some of the nation’s leading publishers, including the Hal Leonard Corporation, the Fred Bock Music Company/Gentry Publications, Oxford University Press, Alliance Music Publications, and Shawnee. Dr. Powell is commissioned yearly to compose for university choruses, professional, community and church choirs, as well as secondary school choruses.

Continue reading Dr. Powell’s bio . . .

Jim Price is a high school band director and maintains an active private horn studio in south-central Louisiana. He has performed multiple symphonies in the Acadiana area, as well as has recorded horn for movie soundtracks and nationally recognized recording artists. He also plays trumpet in many local jazz and brass band groups in his area. Mr. Price is a former student of Catherine Roche Wallace at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Christopher M. Smith at Texas Tech University. He is currently developing strategies for increasing interest and awareness to the benefits of private teaching in Louisiana, and is hoping to encourage more individual instruction through band programs and district engagement.

Anthony Pursell is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Northwestern State University, in Natchitoches, Louisiana where he directs the Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds, teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting, and manages all aspects of the band program, including the renowned Spirit of Northwestern marching band. He holds the Doctor of Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting and Music Education from Ball State University, and the Master and Bachelor of Music Education degrees from Loyola University (New Orleans).

Pursell has participated in conducting clinics with such notable conductors as Eugene Corporon, H. Robert Reynolds, Jack Stamp, Dennis Fisher and James Ogle and has conducted concerts throughout the United States and the South Pacific. He serves as an adjudicator, conductor and clinician and is in demand as a halftime show writer, arranger, conductor and clinician for marching bands, concert bands and jazz bands throughout the United States. He served as the National Band Mentor for the National Association of Music Education’s Mentoring Project and has given clinics and sessions at the World Association for Symphonic Band and Ensemble (Prague), Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic (Chicago) and at several state and regional conferences including Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Louisiana, and Texas on a wide variety of topics related to wind band education. He has contributed to GIA’s Teaching Music Through Performance in Band and has had articles published in The Instrumentalist, Journal of Band Research, and The Southwest Musician (Texas). His book, Improving Music Sight Reading: An Iconic-Based Approach to Teaching Rhythm, is published by VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG (Saarbrücken, Germany).

Dr. Pursell’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Phi Beta Mu. He holds honorary memberships in Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. In 2012 he was named contributing editor for The Instrumentalist Magazine and was appointed in 2018 as the massed band director for the Military Bowl in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Clay Redfield is the Coordinator of Music Education in the School of Music at California State University, Sacramento. His duties include leading the music education faculty, supervising the music student teachers, teaching courses in music education and jazz pedagogy, and advising students. From 2008 until 2020, Redfield also served as the Associate Director of Bands. He conducted the Concert Band, guest conducted the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and with his wife Loralee, directed the Sacramento State Marching Band, a group they developed from 27 members to 203 members.

Prior to joining the Sacramento State faculty in 2008, Redfield served as the Fine Arts Division Chairman and Director of Bands at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Arizona. Redfield began his teaching career in 1984 in Reno, Nevada, where he taught instrumental music at Robert McQueen High School, Darrell C. Swope Middle School, and several elementary schools.

Some of Redfield’s credits include the Northern Nevada Outstanding High School Educator Award, the Washoe County Teachers Association Distinguished Service Award, a four-time Nevada State Marching Band Champion, and the UNLV Graduate Teaching Assistantship. Redfield is a frequent invited conductor, clinician, adjudicator, presenter, and the Contest Director of the Golden Empire Music Festival series at Sacramento State.

Redfield holds a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University, Sacramento, a Master of Arts degree from the American Band College of Southern Oregon University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he studied with Thomas Leslie, Anthony LaBounty, and Takayoshi Suzuki.

Dr. Molly Redfield is Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Louisiana State University. She is an established bassist, arranger, and jazz educator. As a bassist, Dr. Redfield was chosen for the 2022 Jazz Education Network, Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Combo, awarded the 2017 Outstanding Festival Soloist Award at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, and awarded the 2016 Outstanding Collegiate Rhythm Section Performer at the Reno International Jazz Festival. She has recorded with Kenny Rampton, Gilbert Castellanos, and Clint Holmes. She has performed with Allison Miller, Ingrid Jensen, Gregg Bissonnette, Butch Miles, Judith Hill, and more. As an arranger, Dr. Redfield received a 2021 DownBeat Magazine, Student Music Award for her vocal arrangement of “Moonglow.” Dr. Redfield earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree in String Bass Performance and her Masters Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Prior to attending UNLV, she attended Sacramento State where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and earned her Bachelor of Music Education, with an emphasis in Classical Bass Performance, and a Bachelor of Music, Jazz Bass Performance.

William G. Rose is a multi-instrumentalist, performing on alto, tenor and bass trombone; euphonium & tuba; guitar; tenor, plectrum & 5-string banjo; ukulele; mandolin; string bass and bass guitar; and piano. He is presently Associate Professor of Music and Assistant Department Head in the W.A and Dorothy Hanna Department of Performing Arts at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA, where is in his 36th year of teaching at the University. He teaches the low brass studio, music theory, music technology, conducts the brass choir, and has served as Musical Director for music theater productions, as well as holding the position of Coordinator of Equipment and Technology for the department. He holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Michigan State University; his principal teachers are Leonhard Rose, Dr. Gerald Grose, Donald Haack, Curtis Olson and Philip Sinder. He has served as principal trombone/euphonium with the Milwaukee Civic Orchestra, Concordia (*Concord) Chamber Orchestra, Music Under the Stars Orchestra and Present Music (Kevin Stahlheim, music director) of Milwaukee, bass trombonist with Acadiana Symphony and Chorale Acadiane, and has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Greater Lansing Symphony, the Detroit Chamber Winds, Shreveport Symphony, the Plymouth Michigan Symphony and the Ron DeVilliers-Jack Carr Big Band of Milwaukee, among others. He has performed and recorded with many distinguished musicians including Kevin Clark, Les Elgart, Chuck Hedges, Slide Hampton, Leif Pederson and Skitch Henderson; and performed in shows for artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bob Hope, Donald O’Conner, Liberace, Neil Sedaka, Lena Horne, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, the Rat Pack, the Four Tops, Marie Osmond and Percy Sledge. Mr. Rose was a founding member of the LATEX Trombone Quartet, which has performed at the International Trombone Association Festival and the New York Brass Conference. He has also served as a clinician and performer at the International Trombone Association Festival and the Big 12 Trombone Conference, as well as other regional and state festivals and conferences.

He currently serves as principal trombonist with the Lake Charles Symphony in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the Rapides Symphony in Alexandria, Louisiana; solo euphonium with the Calcasieu British Brass Band, plays lead trombone/bass trombone with the Lake Charles Jazz Band, lead trombone with the 1944 Big Band, and performs on tenor banjo and tuba with the Bayou Jazz Kings. As a theatrical conductor, he has served as Music Director and conductor for many productions in the SW Louisiana area for the McNeese Theater, Lake Charles Little Theater, Louisiana Choral Foundation, Itinerant Theatre, Chamberlain Productions, the Lake Charles Civic Ballet and the Lake Charles Symphony. As a composer and arranger, his catalog includes works for ballet, band, orchestra, jazz ensemble, choir, handbells, brass ensembles/alphorn choir and solo works for brass and alphorn. Mr. Rose is a Yamaha Performing Artist and a Melodious Accord Composition Fellow.

David Saccardi will begin his appointment as Assistant Professor of Music Education at Louisiana State University in the fall of 2022, where he will teach courses in the undergraduate music teacher preparation sequence and graduate courses in research and the psychology of music. Prior to coming to LSU, Saccardi taught at the University of Texas at Austin and at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas.

Saccardi’s research interests include peer-assisted learning in music classrooms, pre-service string teacher training, parental involvement in music instruction, and pedagogical topics in string education. His work has been published in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Texas Music Education Research, American String Teacher and the American Suzuki Journal. He currently serves on the editorial board for American String Teacher.

Prior to joining the faculty at LSU, Saccardi taught middle school and high school orchestra in Loveland, Colorado and was the orchestra director at Hummingbird Music Camp in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Orchestras under his direction were ranked consistently as superior at state music contests and musical theatre productions under his music direction were nominated for numerous awards. He has also performed on double bass with regional orchestras in Northern Colorado, Wyoming, and Central Texas and has been an active double bass studio teacher since 2004, with registered training through the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

He is an active string adjudicator and clinician, having worked with orchestras around the United States, and has presented research and clinic sessions at the national conferences for the American String Teachers’ Association and the Suzuki Association of the Americas in addition to several state music education conferences.

In 2016, he was recognized by the Colorado Chapter of the American String Teachers’ Association as the Exemplary Secondary Orchestra Director for the State of Colorado. Dr. Saccardi holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin (PhD; Music and Human Learning), the University of Michigan (MME), and Colorado State University (BM; Double Bass & Music Educaton).

Abby South (BME, Loyola University; MM, LSU) is a third year PhD student at Louisiana State University in music education with a minor in cognitive psychology. She has sixteen years of K-12 teaching experience and was an instructor of record during her master’s and PhD programs. Ms. South was named Band Director of the Year (LMEA District VI, 2010), Teacher of the Year (Juban Parc Junior High, 2015), and has supervised thirteen student teachers from three different universities. She was the honors ensemble director for Kids’ Orchestra, Baton Rouge (2018-2020) and now serves as a content specialist teaching assistant, teacher mentor, and member of the professional development and clinic team as part of a partnership between Kids’ Orchestra and LSU. Ms. South maintains a private lesson studio, is a frequent guest conductor and adjudicator in Louisiana, and serves on the LSU School of Music’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion council. She is a member of LMEA, NAfME, and Phi Beta Mu. Her research interests include cognitive psychology, trauma-informed instruction, comprehensive musicianship, and teacher mentorship.

J. Mark Thompson is Professor of Music at Northwestern State University. He holds degrees from Murray State University, University of Southern California, and University of Iowa; his teachers include Ray Conklin, John Hill, George Krem, Charles Vernon, and Arnold Jacobs. A charter life member of the ITA, Dr. Thompson chairs its Advisory Council on Literature and served a six-year term on its Board of Advisers. Editor and co-author of French Music for Low Brass Instruments, he also producedSolos for the Student Trombonist, 2d ed. Dr. Thompson was a featured soloist with the South Arkansas Symphony, Shreveport Symphony, and the U.S. Army Orchestra, and he was a Participant at the Alessi Seminar. Formerly Principal Bass Trombone of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he performs with the Shreveport Symphony, Drei Bones (trombone trio), I-49 Brass Quintet, Texarkana Symphony, South Arkansas Symphony, Lancaster Festival, and Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestras.

Dr. Kenna Veronee is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in instrumental, elementary, and general music education. Additionally, she also supervises student teachers and graduate research projects. Dr. Veronee currently serves as the program coordinator and academic advisor for both the Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Master of Music Education degree programs at ULM and facilitates several music education partnerships at local K12 schools.

In addition to her teaching, Dr. Veronee is an active researcher and presenter. Her work has been published in the Journal of Band Research, the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Research Perspectives in Music Education, and the Florida Music Director. She has also presented research and clinics for preservice and inservice teachers at the International Society for Music Education Conference, the Clifford K. Madsen International Symposium for Research in Music Behavior, the National Association for Music Education Conference, the Desert Skies Symposium on Research in Music Education, the Louisiana Music Educators Association Conference, the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, and the Florida Music Education Association Conference. Dr. Veronee has guest lectured on various music education topics at universities such as Florida State University, Case Western Reserve University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Kentucky, Indiana State University, Western Illinois University, Nicholls State University, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Jane Vidrine created the Guitar Program in Lafayette Parish Public Schools (Louisiana) in 2000, the first full-time Guitar Program in Louisiana at L.J. Alleman Fine Arts Magnet Academy, a middle school of choice. Today, the LJA Guitar Program teaches students in 5th through 8th grades with classes at 5 different levels. LJA Guitar Program was a great start for many students who have since graduated high school with music scholarships and have become well-known professional musicians, arts administrators, teachers, and luthiers. L.J. Alleman’s program spawned high school guitar programs and classes around Lafayette as students moved on from L.J.Alleman.

She participated in the GAMA Teaching Guitar Workshops, Bill Swick’s Beyond Guitar Basics Workshop, and the GuitarCurriculum Teacher Summit in Austin.  She has also taught class guitar at Augusta Heritage Center at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV and for Louisiana Folk Roots.

As a musician, Vidrine actively performs with the Magnolia Sisters Cajun band.

W. Dale Warren is Senior Wind Band Conductor and Professor of Music in the University of Arkansas Department of Music. Professor Warren’s primary responsibility is conducting the University of Arkansas Wind Symphony. Professor Warren also teaches Junior, Senior, and Graduate level Music Education Courses. Professor Warren is the former Director of the University of Arkansas Razorback Marching Band (1991-2000).

Born in Greenville, Kentucky, Professor Warren attended Muhlenberg Central High School where he played euphonium for Joe Allen. Professor Warren received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. He received his Master of Music Education degree from the University of Kentucky. Professor Warren is a former conducting student of Edward A. Knob, John Larkin, George Mabrey, W. Harry Clark, Skip Gray, Dennis Johnson, John Paynter, John Whitwell, and Larry Rachleff. Professor Warren also served on the music department faculty as Associate Director of Bands at the University of Kentucky from (1986-1991).

Professor Warren has taught in the public schools of Bremen High School in Bremen, Kentucky (1980-1982) and at North Hardin High School in Radcliff, Kentucky (1982-1986). While at Bremen and North Hardin, Mr. Warren’s bands received numerous awards and Division I ratings. Professor Warren has guest conducted All-District, All-Region, and All-State honor bands, as well as several university bands in 35 states. Professor Warren has completed a faculty residency with the Kasetsart University Wind Symphony in Bangkok, Thailand. The Thailand residency included conducting rehearsals, teaching master classes and guest conducting a full concert program of all American composers. Professor Warren is a computer clinician/designer for Advantage Showare Inc., and Arrangers’ Publishing Company. He also serves as an adjudicator for Musicfest Orlando and Music for All/Bands of America. Professor Warren serves as chairman of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Shield Award Committee, is a John Philip Sousa Foundation Board Member, and is a Past President of the Southeastern Conference Band Directors Association.

Since Professor Warren arrived at the University of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas Wind Symphony has made special guest appearances at the College Band Directors National Association Convention on five separate occasions and was invited to perform again at the 2008 Conference held at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music. In addition, the UA Wind Symphony performed at world famous Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2000. The UA Wind Symphony has also performed at the Arkansas Music Educators Convention All-State Conference on two occasions under Professor Warren’s baton. The UA Wind Symphony is featured with composer David Holsinger on a compact disc entitled "Holsinger I" and is featured on several TRN Music Publishers demonstration recordings.

During Professor Warren’s tenure as Director, the Razorback Marching Band performed numerous times for former President William Jefferson Clinton, including the 1992 Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. Under Professor Warren’s leadership, the Razorback Band has also performed at the 2000 Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, the 1999 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, the 1995 SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, the 1995 Carquest Bowl at Joe Robbie Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and at the 1991 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Razorback Marching Band also appeared as the Grand Finale Band at the 1997 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland.

Professor Warren’s affiliations include: National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters Fraternity, Music Educators National Conference, College Band Directors National Association, World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Conductors Guild, Arkansas Bandmasters Association, Arkansas Music Educators Association, Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Dr. Kenel P Williams has been a director of music in various capacitiies for over 40yrs. Currently, he is the Minister of Music at Faith Cathedral World Outreach Center in New Iberia, Louisiana. For over 30 years and counting, as the owner and operator of Kenel’s Piano Studio, he teaches piano and vocal lessons.  He lives by the motto is “Music touches feelings that words cannot it’s the melody of the heart and the voice of the spirit.”

At Kansas State University, Dr. Julie Yu-Oppenheim is part of a team that oversees seven choral ensembles and teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting. 

She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from the University of Central Oklahoma, Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Oklahoma State University, and the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of North Texas. Before joining the Kansas State faculty, she taught at Norman North High School in Norman, Oklahoma and San José State University.

She has given presentations and her choirs have performed for conferences of the Kansas Music Educators Association, Missouri Music Educators Association, Oklahoma Choral Directors Association, the American Choral Directors Association and the European Music Educators Association. She is the Southwest American Choral Directors Association President and a 2018 ACDA-ICEP Conducting Fellow (to Kenya).

Dr. Alissa Mercurio Rowe
Associate Professor and Galante Director of Choral Studies
Louisiana State University

Alissa Mercurio Rowe, is an active choral conductor, voice teacher, and soloist. She currently serves as Associate Professor and Galante Director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State University. At LSU she conducts the renown A Cappella Choir and teaches graduate advanced conducting and choral literature courses. Dr. Rowe spent the last twenty years as Director of Choral Activities at Southeastern Louisiana University where she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses. She is active as an adjudicator, has given choral and vocal workshops in the Midwest and Southeastern states and has conducted numerous Honor Choirs. She presented research on Individual Assessment in the Choral Rehearsal at the International Conference on Arts and Humanities and at the 2019 National American Choral Directors Association Conference in Kansas City, MO.

Dr. Rowe is also an active soprano soloist. She has performed with the Tallahassee Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony, New Hampshire Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra (Mexico). She also performed and recorded three roles in David Schiff’s opera Gimpel the Fool, conducted by Kenneth Kiesler, with Third Angle, Portland Oregon’s renowned new music ensemble. She also performed and recorded three roles in David Schiff’s opera Gimpel the Fool, conducted by Kenneth Kiesler, with Third Angle, Portland Oregon’s renowned new music ensemble. Dr. Rowe is a versatile performer who regularly performs a wide variety of works such as the Beethoven’s Mass in C, Messiah of Handel, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Schubert’s Mass in G, as well as opera roles in La Cenerentola, The Consul, Magic Flute and La Perichole, among others. Rowe released the album “Defining French Arias of Early 19th Century New Orleans” in October 2021 on Centaur Records.

Dr. Rowe received the President’s Award from St. Tammany Parish President, Patricia C. Brister, as Musical Artist of the Year in St. Tammany Parish and was awarded the Southeastern Louisiana University’s President’s Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity in 2013.

Dr. Rowe holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Louisiana State University, a Master of Music in Conducting, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance, a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Teacher Certification K-12 from the University of Michigan.

Scott Terrell

Director of Orchestral Studies
LSU School of Music

American conductor Scott Terrell has built a major conducting career through imaginative programs, an engaging presence, and a determined passion for artistic excellence and viability. An ardent champion of new music and diversity of repertoire, he was a visionary leader with a keen intellect for bringing context to the concert hall. Adept in a broad range of repertoire from masterworks of orchestral canon, new commissions, opera, and works beyond the mainstream, this American conductor can, as critics have noted, “program works that entertain and educate, innovate with new works and revitalize the old.”

In great demand as a guest conductor, Mr. Terrell has recently lead orchestras worldwide including the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Columbia, Baltimore Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá (Colombia), Fort Worth Symphony and re-engagements with Arizona Opera, and the Rochester Philharmonic. Maestro Terrell debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra in an all-Gershwin program in 2017, along with the St. Louis Symphony, Houston Symphony, Vancouver Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He has been on the cover conductor staff of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2012, assisting Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin and regularly leading their pre-concert lectures.

Maestro Terrell has led many prestigious international organizations including Opera Colorado, Opera Hong Kong, Colorado Symphony, Arizona Opera, Hamilton Philharmonic, Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Milwaukee Symphony, Spoleto Festival, Naples Philharmonic, Eugene Symphony, Richmond Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, and El Paso Opera. He has been a regular guest conductor and teacher at the Aspen Music Festival since 2001, leading various concert programs as well mentoring and teaching conducting students.

Having a strong affinity for vocal and operatic repertoire, Maestro Terrell has led a wealth of projects abroad. Upcoming opera engagements include Virgil Thompson’s A Mother of Us All at the Aspen Music Festival, and Carmen at Opera Idaho in 2021. Collaborations with Kentucky Opera have included Stephen Paulus’ oratorio, To Be Certain of the Dawn, Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar.  Operatic engagements have included Opera Hong Kong gala concerts of Bernstein, and Arizona Opera’s production of The Magic Flute.  He conducted Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires at Fort Worth Opera, Aspen Music Festival and Arizona Opera as well as Aspen’s concert productions of Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti and Missy Mazzoli’s groundbreaking work, Proving Up.

Mr. Terrell was Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic for a transformative decade (2009-2019) in the organization’s history. He re-invigorated and raised the artistic level of the ensemble, diversified programming, expanded collaborations, and increased community support. He created and endowed both a Composer-in-Residence and an Artist-in-Residence chair. Composers commissioned have included Daniel Thomas-Davis, Daniel Kellogg, Adam Schoenberg, Avner Dorman, and Chris Brubeck. The orchestra was awarded numerous Copland Awards, highlighting his ongoing commitment to contemporary American composers such as Missy Mazzoli, Jennifer Higdon, Gabriela Franck, Joan Tower, Christopher Rouse, John Adams, Michael Gandolfi, Philip Glass, Mason Bates, Roberto Sierra, Christopher Theofanidis, Osvaldo Golijov, and Chris Brubeck. The orchestra was also broadcast on NPR’s Performance Today for the first time in its history during his tenure.

Previously, Maestro Terrell served as Resident Conductor and Director of Education for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and prior to that was Assistant Conductor of Minnesota Orchestra. A native of Michigan, Maestro Terrell is a graduate of Western Michigan University, and the University of Minnesota in orchestral conducting.  In 2000, Terrell was chosen as a fellowship conductor for the inaugural season of the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival under Music Director, David Zinman. He has participated in master classes with such distinguished conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano, Jorma Panula, and David Robertson. At Aspen, he was awarded the prestigious Conducting Prize from David Zinman, an award recognizing exemplary musicianship and promise.

Gordon Towell DME

Coordinator of Jazz Studies
Loyola University New Orleans

Gordon Towell is the coordinator of jazz studies at Loyola University New Orleans. In this capacity he directs the award winning jazz ensemble, teaches improvisation, arranging, composition, jazz combos and jazz history. Before this position Gordon was the director of jazz studies at Morehead State University. Gordon, originally grew up in Calgary, Alberta Canada and holds a BEd in music education from the University of Alberta, an MM in jazz studies from Indiana University and a DME with a cognate in jazz studies from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He has shared his expertise with students at the Morehead State University, University of Cincinnati, Indiana University, Keyano College, Grant MacEwan College, and numerous public schools.

He also finds time to adjudicate, guest solo and perform with national and international artists, and conduct throughout Canada and the U.S. His saxophone performance can be heard on Outlier, Sketch Pad, Ask Me Now, Blue Duck Suit, and Still Friends, which are all available through cdbaby.com. He is also featured on many other recordings with the DOJO Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon and the John Mahoney Big Band. These CDs have been featured on NPR, CBC, and CKUA radio stations.

Gordon is a recipient of the 2001 Morehead State University’s Distinguished Creative Productions Award. He is a Conn Selmer clinician and plays Selmer saxophones and clarinets.

Dr. Serena Weren

Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music
Loyola University New Orleans

Dr. Serena Weren is the Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Loyola University New Orleans where she directs two bands and  teaches classes in music education, musician health & wellness, and conducting. She earned her DMA in wind band conducting from Arizona State University under the direction of Gary W. Hill and Wayne Bailey. She also holds a BA in music and geology from Franklin & Marshall College, a BM in music education from Temple University, and a MM in instrumental conducting and a MMEd both from Arkansas State University. Previously, she was the Director of Bands at Middletown High School South and River Plaza Elementary School in New Jersey. Dr. Weren is an active guest conductor and clinician for concert and marching bands across North America and has worked with music festivals in Austria and Guatemala. Her current research interests include investigating our social and physiological relationship to music making and improving health and wellness knowledge through her work with the Athletes and the Arts. She has presented at Midwest, PAMA, CBDNA and CMS conferences and is an active member of CBDNA, NBA, NAfME, PAMA, CMS, and WASBE.