North Carolina Music Educator Winter 2023

y James Barnes, Inventions from “The Sacred Harp” by James
Curnow, Chase by Dr. W. Francis McBeth, Forever Shining by
James Swearingen and Evocatio by Brian Balmages.
Raiford “Ray” Landreth
Raiford Ivy Landreth, better known as
Ray, worked as a band director in Virginia
and North Carolina. He spent the last 18
years of his career as the director of band
at Concord High School, where he retired.
Upon his death in 2000, the band room was
dedicated and named after him as well as an
award dedicated to his memory named the
Raiford Ivy Landreth Excellence in Music
Award.
During his time as a band director, Landreth directed multiple
bands to receive superior ratings at MPA (concert festival) as well
as direct award winning marching bands. His bands performed
in Ireland as musical ambassadors representing the City of
Concord, N.C. Many of his students were selected for honors such
as county band, district band and state honors band. He held all
of his students to high standards and taught with discipline and
compassion.
Under his direction, the Concord High School Band was a
state and regionally recognized program with a reputation and
record of high level musical performances. They performed
at the highest level across the state, outside of the state, and
internationally. Landreth was known throughout the state for his
bands, and for the high level performers that came through the
program due to his instruction.
At Concord High School, he taught the students to work and
live “with Pride.” He participated in the South Central District of
North Carolina and was awarded the Award of Excellence in 1986.
He inspired many students throughout his 36 years of education
to be their best selves and to love music as he did. Many of his
students continue to participate in musical activities; some were
inspired to be music teachers.
NAfME Professional Learning
Community Webinar
Building a Better Brass Section
Wednesday, January 25, 7-8p.m. EST
Dennis Edelbrock will offer many creative ways to
build your brass section. Upper range, sound quality, and
performance anxiety, among other concepts, will all be
discussed with proven ways of improving your students’
technical abilities. Four main “tools” will be used to
develop range, endurance, and sound quality. All will be
demonstrated during the clinic, and audience members
will be invited to participate. In addition, the psychological
components of playing and improving will be discussed.
These will include confidence, leadership, and performance
anxiety with fresh ideas about how to enhance your
students’ solo and ensemble participation. All of these
strategies will be interfaced and integrated to enhance each
other. The result will be SMART goals that all can carry
away to guarantee improvement! The session will be of
interest to band directors and teachers of brass instruments
at ALL levels and ages.
Dennis Edelbrock
Described by the Washington Post as having “incredible
technique” and performing with “reckless abandon”,
Dennis Edelbrock has had a performing career spanning
48 states and 14 foreign countries. As a member of the U.S.
Army Band and the Army Brass Quintet for 35 years, he
was tasked with performing and producing White House
concerts and internationally televised historical events
including presidential state funerals and inaugurations, as
well as international Olympic events. He was awarded the
Legion of Merit by the U.S. Army in 2010.
As a soloist he has been featured in Contact, Wag
the Dog, and Gardens of Stone, and in the Spielberg film
(Dreamworks 2013) Lincoln, which garnered several
academy awards. More recently, Edelbrock was nominated
for a GRAMMY Music Educator Award. He is professor
of trumpet at George Mason University, where he has
been awarded an Excellence in Teaching Award. As the
founder and executive director of the National Trumpet
Competition, Edelbrock has overseen the growth and
development of the largest instrument competition in the
world, which now has over 10 million downloads of its
educational and performance YouTube archives.
Register now:
https://bit.ly/BetterBrassSection
After registering, you will
receive a confirmation email
containing information about
joining the meeting.
Elementary
Greetings! It is my pleasure to introduce myself, Joseph
Girgenti, as your Elementary Section chair. I am currently
the general music teacher and band director at Walter
Bickett Elementary School in Union County. I graduated from
Wingate University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Music Education,
and from East Carolina University in 2018 with a Master of Music.
While I am only in my eighth year of teaching, I am proud
and honored to serve NCMEA and the Elementary Section
over the next two years. Males are often underrepresented in
elementary education, and even more
so in elementary music. I am truly
humbled by this historic moment in
our organization, as I am the first male
Elementary Section chair.
My goal for the Elementary Section
is to provide meaningful opportunities
to connect and collaborate throughout
the year. We have spent the last year
reconnecting with everyone postpandemic
through our Elementary Music
Matters newsletter. Each newsletter
includes updates from each district
– events, celebrations, and more. We
can only spread the word of all the
awesome things happening in our
state if we know about them. If you are
currently not receiving our quarterly
newsletter, please contact me or your
District Representative to get on our
mailing list. You may also complete this form https://forms.gle/
xXWAkueeDKuZYLqq6 and we will contact you!
I believe we all have something important to learn from
one another. And in the spirit of collaboration, I am excited to
announce that the NCMEA Elementary Mini-Conference will
be held on Saturday, April 22 at UNC Wilmington. The Spring
Mini-Conference is an opportunity to get together, share best
practices, learn from each other, and network. Session proposals
are being accepted through January 13 via this link: https://forms.
gle/9yZnswndzkBvQGaA8. We are offering all current college
music education students in North Carolina free registration. In
addition, UNC Wilmington is offering free parking for the day
to all registered attendees. Lunch will also be included in your
Joseph Girgenti, Chair
registration cost. More registration information will go out in our
next newsletter.
We are also working to bring future collaborations between the
NCMEA General Music and Exceptional Children’s Committee,
the Inclusive Vision for Music Education (IVfME), Kodály
Educators of North Carolina, and North Carolina chapters of the
American Orff-Schulwerk Association. If you are a part of any
of these committees or organizations and would like to help us,
please reach out. Our goal for these connections is to expand our
professional network and to offer additional
professional development to all elementary
teachers in North Carolina.
At our fall Conference, the Elementary
Honors Chorus came back in full swing!
The performance was absolutely stunning.
Hearing “How Sweet the Sound,” our
commissioned piece performed live brought
tears to so many listening. Congratulations to
the students, teachers, and parents for their
dedication and participation.
I am also pleased to announce our 2022
Elementary Teacher of the Year is Lindsay
Williams from Onslow County. We are
honored to have her serving our board as the
Recording Secretary. She gives 110 percent to
all she does, which was clearly evident in her
recommendation letters by her supervisors
and colleagues.
Our fall business meeting brought us some newly elected and
appointed board members. Please welcome:
Chair-Elect: Jeannine DuMond
Member-at-Large: Janae Copeland
Member-at-Large: Karen Franks
District 3 Rep: Amy Sullivan
District 5 Rep: Marc Bryan
District 8 Rep: Cara Henry
As a board, we represent you. At any time, please contact me or
any board member with comments, questions, or suggestions.
Have a wonderful new year!
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