WINTER OKLAMUSIC 12 13 II small file.pdf - Oklahoma Music ...

OkMEA
band division vice–president: kirby swinney
Menu for January
Marching Band is over, holiday parades have come
and gone, and concert season is well underway. I hope
everyone is having a great time preparing for upcoming
concerts and contests and looking forward to the January
OMEA convention.
Before we take a closer look at the coming January
convention, I would like to take a moment to thank Adam
Mewhorter, Jenn Kauffman, and Robert Hullet for the great
job they did at the October in–service at OCU. They did a
great job of offering us two outstanding clinics with tons of
practical, useful information. If you didn’t get the chance to
attend the October workshops, please make plans to do so
next year.
A big thank you also goes out to Mike Lowery, All–
State Band Chair, and his committee members, Jeremy
Parker and Darby Cassaday, for an outstanding job in
putting together the district and state level All–State Band
auditions. Having done this job myself, I know that it is a
very intense, time consuming, and thankless job. I hope
all of you will take the time to thank these gentlemen when
you see them at the winter convention.
I hope you are making plans to attend the OMEA
convention in January. We have some outstanding clinics
and concerts scheduled that I know you will enjoy. Dr.
Sarah McKoin, director of bands at Texas Tech University,
is this year’s Intercollegiate Band conductor. The
Intercollegiate Band concert will be held on Thursday
afternoon as usual. This group has given us many years of
great concerts, and with McKoin on the podium, I’m sure
that tradition will continue. Following the concert, McKoin
will present our first band clinic of the convention, titled,
Don’t Forget the Music.
Joining us from Kansas State University is Dr. Nora
Lewis. Lewis is the oboe professor at KSU. She will
be presenting a very useful, practical clinic entitled,
Encouraging our Oboists: Resources and Tips for
Directors. Lewis presented this clinic with great success
at a recent Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The session will
address all aspects of the oboe, and will offer practical tips
for directors on how to get a young oboist started on the
road to success. Double reeds are definitely an instrument
that many of us wish we knew more about. This is the
perfect opportunity to get started.
Also joining us from Kansas State University is Dr.
Frank Tracz. Tracz is the director of bands at KSU.
Since his arrival at KSU, the band program has grown
dramatically. His clinic, I Must Have Missed That Class,
will address many of the practical details that are often
learned through experience. Tracz is a frequent clinician
at the Midwest Clinic, and if you have ever attended any
of his presentations, you know that it will be interesting
28 OKLAHOMA MUSIC, Winter, 2012-2013 OMEA web site: www.okmea.org
and entertaining.
Cheryl Floyd, from Hill Country Middle School in Austin,
TX, will present a clinic titled, Picking Music for Picky
People. Floyd’s bands at Hill Country are some of the best
in the country, and her band has commissioned many
works from well-known composers, including John Mackey.
She will share her vast knowledge of repertoire, and give
us some tips on selecting quality literature.
Finally, our keynote speaker for the convention, Dr. Tim
Lautzenheiser, will present a clinic on Friday afternoon.
His topic has yet to be determined, but when he speaks,
there is never a dull moment. Make sure you attend.
The Oklahoma Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society
will also sponsor a session. This year’s presenter will
be David Hardman. David will present a clinic on big
band drumming.
We had many high–quality groups apply to play at OMEA
as an honor group this year, and as a result, we have some
truly outstanding honor groups for you to hear. Performing
on Thursday evening in the Assembly Hall of the Tulsa
Convention Center are:
Broken Arrow Centennial Middle School 8th Grade
Band; Loren Pettys, conductor.
Durant High School Band; Chris Gregg, conductor.
Putnam City High School Wind Symphony; Darby
Cassaday, conductor.
Performing Thursday evening in the Buckingham Room at
the Doubletree Hotel are:
Southmoore High School Jazz Band; Geoffrey Clifton,
conductor.
University of Tulsa Jazz Ensemble I; Professor Vernon D.
Howard, conductor.
University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Ensemble I; Brian
Gorrell, conductor.
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