By Shelby R. Chipman, Ph.D. Developing a strong desire for at-risk has always been a passion for my innermost drive as a music educator. Part of my approach stems from my education at Miami Northwestern high school, a inner city title-one…
by Gabriel Arnold My fondest teenage memories are of playing tuba at Benjamin Elijah Mays High School, located in the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia. Band director Summer Smith led that band program faithfully for over thirty years. Mr. Smith…
by Matthew Spradlin Shortly after ‘returning home’ to serve as the band director at my high school alma mater, a major employer announced they were leaving our community. The company employed 9,500 in a community of 12,500. One could imagine…
by Lisa O. Williams What in the world does a middle school principal have to say about the importance of band in a Title I school? For starters, I was a member of my middle school and high school concert…
by Jeremy Earnhart For several of us, the term renaissance triggers memories of college music history classes where the presentation of one’s hair was in direct proportion to how recently they stopped tapping the snooze button. This Renaissance is not…
by Walter A. Harley In America, around every corner one can find a child or children who need love, compassion, care, shelter, food, education, but most of all Family. Now it’s time for the National Band Association Family to take…
by Amber F. Kenis I very clearly remember my first day of teaching. After a meeting with my new administrators, one of them offered to walk me over to my band room. I followed him outside of the school building,…
