About
Letter from the President
“Keep At It”
“Well, you must have a lot of time on your hands now that marching season is over”. I’ve had that sentence repeated to me on occasion over my teaching career and although I now take it somewhat in stride knowing the person who said it hasn’t ever been in band, they still get under my skin and I end up explaining about everything else that we have going on or will have going on for the remainder of the year.
What else is there to do? Plenty. I especially want to encourage the new directors to “take note” and keep at it during this time of the year. If you’re new to South Carolina or grew up in a band that didn’t participate in all of the SCBDA events, I want to encourage you to actively challenge your students to participate in all that the association has to offer. Region Band, All-State Jazz, Solo and Ensemble, Winter Ensembles, just to name a few. There are plenty of opportunities for your students to grow as musicians and individuals to help your program become better. Be sure to stay abreast of the SCBDA calendar of events and when each one occurs and especially when the registration period is. Even if your band or ensemble is not ready to compete in these activities, keep at it and make that a goal for next year or the year after that. Take your students to watch and learn about what all the SCBDA has to offer.
I want to recognize a few bands for bringing South Carolina to the forefront on a national level. Congratulations to the Nation Ford High School Band and director Martin Dickey on their selection to march in the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC. The band will leave in a week and we can see them perform live on national television. Kudos to the Lugoff-Elgin High School Percussion Ensemble and director Glenn Price for their selection to participate in the Music for All National Festival. The ensemble was chosen as one of eight to perform at the festival in Indiana during March. And congratulations to the Wando Warrior marching band on their performance in the finals at the BOA Grand National Championships this weekend in Indianapolis. The band competed against 91 other bands and finished in 12th place, just 0.2pts out of 11th place with a score of 86.2.
I encourage directors to “keep at it” and strive to do whatever it takes to promote your program and make it a vital part of your community. Your band may not be selected to perform on television or at a national event, but that doesn’t make anything they do any less important. However, if your band has received an award or been selected to perform somewhere, we do want to know about it. Let’s keep the positive headlines coming in.
The SCBDA is a great organization and has a lot to offer for everyone. I hope you continue to have a great school year and remember that Music IS Instrumental to Success!
Musically,
Joe
Meshach, President
South Carolina Band Directors
association