Kari Adams is Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at Florida State University and conductor of Levana (formerly Women's Glee Club). Prior to her appointment at FSU, Adams completed her PhD in music education at the University of North Texas. She taught middle school choral and general music in Knob Noster, Missouri, where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2014. She is a passionate educator, conductor, and researcher.

Adams engages in guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator opportunities regularly. She has conducted All State and honor choirs in Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia. She has also presented at state practitioner conferences in Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and Texas as well as at national ACDA and NAfME conventions. Her articles focused on research-based strategies for practitioners have been published in Music Educators Journal, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Florida Music Director, and Choral Journal. Through her work as the Research Chair for FL-ACDA, she operates the Research Corner blog, a resource focused on making research in the field more accessible for in-service and preservice teachers.

Adams's research has been published in leading journals in the field including Journal of Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, and International Journal of Research in Choral Singing. Her research interests include music teacher education, identity construction, music perception, and implicit theories of intelligence. In addition to her publications, she has presented on these topics at regional, national, and international conferences.

Jessica Amir is a clinician, public school orchestra teacher, private studio teacher, and performing musician living in Wichita where she has spent 15 years as the Orchestra Director for Wilbur Middle School. During her time at Wilbur, she has been awarded with the Golden Apple Award as well as the Good Apple Award for outstanding service with the Wichita Public Schools. She is among the first cohort of Bornoff Diversity Fellows and is Kodály Levels 1-3 certified, and plays bass in the string duo Sunflower Sound. To serve her school, she supports her colleagues by acting as a building Pro Rep for the United Teachers of Wichita. To serve the next generation of musicians, she is the Secretary for Music Associates, a fundraising group dedicated to funding scholarships and opportunities for students pursuing music at her alma mater, Wichita State University.

Justin Binek is an internationally recognized jazz and classical singer, pianist, clinician, and composer/arranger. Justin is a co-author of the upcoming third edition of Richard J. Lawn's Experiencing Jazz textbook; he is also a contributing author to Diana Spradling's Jazz Singing: Developing Artistry and Authenticity and Katrien Van Opstal's Vocal Jazz Technique: The Mixing Table Model. A renowned scat singer and teacher of vocal improvisation, Justin is a featured clinician in Michele Weir's ScatAbility iOS app. Justin's compositions and arrangements are available from Kerry Marsh and Anchor Music, and his original jazz-inspired mass, Missa Lucis, made its Carnegie Hall debut in June 2022.

A 2021 and 2022 GRAMMY Music Educator Award Quarterfinalist, Justin currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Jazz Studies at Kansas City Kansas Community College, where his students annually receive numerous DownBeat Student Music Awards. He also teaches on the faculties of The Jazz Harmony Retreat and the Halewynstichting Jazz Workshop (Belgium). Justin is an active performer in the vibrant Kansas City jazz scene. For more information, visit www.justinbinekjazz.com.

Michael C. Black holds the title of Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Bands, and Director of Music Education at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, in Alva, Oklahoma, where he directs the NWOSU Wind Ensemble, Ranger Marching Band, Ranger Pep Band, and NWOSU Jazz Ensemble. Prior to joining the faculty at Northwestern, Michael served as an Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana. Dr. Black has a record of accomplishment, presenting emotional and musically enriching performances. Concerts have been lauded as "a joy to attend" and that attending was like being "in a classroom as well as a concert." Prior to Franklin College he was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for bands at the University of Connecticut and University of Kentucky, where he directed the basketball bands, including a trip to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. He began his conducting career as the Director of Bands at Panama High School in Panama, Oklahoma.

Dr. Black received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in wind band conducting from the University of Kentucky, where he studied with Dr. Cody Birdwell, and the Master of Music in conducting degree from the University of Connecticut, where he studied with Dr. Jeffrey Renshaw. Dr. Black began his collegiate studies at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music Education degree.

Dr. Black is active as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator, trumpet player, and community member. He is a member of the National Association for Music Education, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, and the College Band Directors National Association, and is an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma, the national honorary band sorority, and Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary band fraternity.

Nancy Blockcolsky received a Bachelor of Music Education from Baker University and a Master of Music in piano pedagogy with a performance emphasis from Kansas State University. She has served in the music ministry since 1982 in various capacities—singer, guitarist, pianist, worship leader, bass player. She leads worship and is the technology minister at Agape Family Church in Manhattan, Kansas. A trained soprano, Mrs. Blockcolsky presented a solo voice concert in 2010. In 2015, she was a featured piano and vocal soloist with the Community Chamber Orchestra of Morganville, Kansas. Mrs. Blockcolsky performs often in the pit orchestra for productions at the Manhattan Arts Center; she has played for Mary Poppins, Evita, Jekyll & Hyde, West Side Story, The Addams Family, Oliver, and Little Shop of Horrors, among others. Mrs. Blockcolsky teaches piano classes, beginning guitar, Music Appreciation, and Introduction to Personal Computing at Manhattan Christian College and serves as a pianist at MCC events. She maintains a private studio of more than 30 students in piano, guitar, and violin. She has served on the board of the Kansas Music Teacher Association for 20 years in several positions (including President, District 3 President, and Vice President for Conference) and is the Secretary of the Manhattan Area Music Teachers Association.

Ashlynne Bowles is a recent graduate from Emporia State University, and a first year teacher. Passionate about the arts and social justice in all its forms, Ashlynne pursued a Minor in Ethnic and Gender Studies. In addition, she is the oldest of 11 siblings, and a first year teacher. This background has provided Ashlynne with a fresh perspective on youth empowerment. Treat Young People Like People: An Anti-Adultist Approach to Teaching encourages teachers to shift their mindset from viewing students as merely members of musical ensembles to seeing students as whole people with the potential to change the world. Teachers have the opportunity to inspire students by validating their strengths and challenges, uplifting their voices, and enabling them with choices. In addition to teaching K-5 General Music at Lawrence-Deerfield Elementary, Ashlynne is an intern with Allegro Choirs of Kansas City.

Philip Creasser-Taylor holds a dual bachelor's in music and speech/theatre education from Wichita State University. Favorite music direction credits include West Side Story, Little Women, Next to Normal, A Chorus Line, Into the Woods, Aida, She Loves Me, and Guys & Dolls. Awards include Outstanding Music Direction for 6 productions by the American College Theatre Festival. He teaches vocal music and theatre at Northeast Magnet High School; his Madrigal Singers performed at the 2021 KMEA In-Service Workshop and Philip was a semi-finalist for Distinguished Classroom Teacher for secondary schools in USD 259. In 2022, Wichita Northeast Magnet's production of Bonnie & Clyde performed at the Kansas State Thespian Festival. Philip will finish his master's in educational administration this spring from the University of Kansas.

Following a distinguished 33 year teaching career, Professor Paula A. Crider continues to share her passion for making music through an active schedule as guest conductor, lecturer, clinician and adjudicator. She has enjoyed engagements in 47 states, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Singapore, Italy, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

Professor Crider has taught in the public schools at all levels, and holds the unique distinction of having been the first female in the state of Texas to serve as director of bands at a class 5-A high school. Her Crockett High School Bands in Austin, Texas enjoyed both state and national recognition for musical excellence on the concert stage, and were twice named Texas 5A State Marching Champions. The Crockett Band was Awarded the Sudler Order of Merit, and was named to the Sudler Roll of Honor of Historic Bands in 1992.

A tenured Full Professor at The University of Texas, Crider conducted the Symphony Band, and was Director of the acclaimed University of Texas Longhorn Band. During her 17 year tenure, she was twice accorded the "Eyes of Texas" Award for distinguished teaching. She continues to serve as visiting guest professor at universities throughout the country. She has written numerous articles for The Instrumentalist, The Band Director's Guide, the National Band Association Journal, and has published manuals for Brass Techniques, Marching Band Methods and Instrumental Conducting. She is co-author for the Hal Leonard "Masterwork Studies" series, and author of The Composer's Legacy, Conductors on Conducting for Wind Band published by GIA. Professor Crider has presented professional teacher seminars throughout the United States, and has served as Music Director for the London New Year’s Day Parade. She is coordinator for the National Band Association Young Conductor/Mentor Program, is senior Educational Consultant for Conn-Selmer, Inc., and serves on the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Board of Directors.

Crider is a Past President of the National Band Association, and the American Bandmaster's Association. Awards and honors include the Tau Beta Sigma/Kappa Kappa Psi Distinguished Service to Music Award, the Sudler Legion of Merit, The Women Band Director's International Rose, The Grainger Society Medal, the National Band Association AWAPA Award, 2004 Texas Bandmaster of the Year, Phi Beta Mu Hall of Fame, and the Midwest Medal of Honor. In 2013, she was honored with a Doctor of Music Education Honoris Causa from the Vandercook School of Music. She was inducted into both the Women Band Directors International and the National Band Association Hall of Fame, and in 2015 was elected to the Phi Beta Mu International Hall of Fame.

Manda Deegan is a violin and viola instructor, musician, string instrument repair technician, and bow repairer and rehairer in Salina, Kansas. A Denver native and a graduate of The Lamont School of Music at The University of Denver, Deegan spent a decade traveling, playing, and teaching in locations from Korea to Kentucky during her husband's army career. She settled in Kansas with her family in 2007 and has since played Principal 2nd Violin with the Salina Symphony, both Principal 2nd Violin and Principal Viola with the Lindsborg Bethany Oratorio Society and Messiah Festival Orchestra, and both violin and viola with the Lawrence Community Orchestra, Hays Symphony, Lindsborg Community Orchestra, Hutchinson Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of The Smoky Valley, and in pit orchestras for the Salina Community Theatre and Wichita Grand Opera. Deegan took advantage of the downtime during the Covid-19 crisis by studying bow repair, rehairing, and maintenance with renown American bow maker Lynn Hannings, instrument set-up with award winning violin maker Michael Daddona, and instrument repair with master luthier Paul Wiessmeyer.

Deegan currently has a private studio of 45 violin and viola students; has been on the summer music faculty for Midwestern Music Camp at the University of Kansas, High Plains Music Camp at Fort Hays State University, Summer String Camp at Kansas Wesleyan University, and Bethany Summer Music Camp and Dala Camerata at Bethany College; has conducted young orchestras at String Fling at Kansas State University; adjudicates and provides sectionals and clinics all over the region; has presented at the American String Teachers Association National Conference and at the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop; has been a volunteer Connect Champion for the online community of the American String Teachers Association; and is an active member and former president of the Salina Symphony Guild.

Irene Diaz Gill is cello instructor at Emporia State University, Director of Stringfully Academy and teaches cello from her private studio in Emporia, KS. In addition to her music duties, Irene is also Director of the ZJNU Music 3+1 Program at Emporia State University.

A native of Paraguay, Irene is a graduate of Pittsburg State University with a Music Performance degree, Illinois State University with a Master in Music, and Emporia State University with a Performance and Education Certificate. In addition, she has completed extensive Suzuki teacher training in cello. Irene has played as a soloist in Paraguay and the United States, and has been a member of several major orchestras in both countries.

Keith Dodson is currently an Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Studies at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Additionally, he is the Music Director and Conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley, a professional orchestra also based in Lindsborg. Dr. Dodson completed the PhD in Music Education with an emphasis in Orchestral Conducting at the Florida State University College of Music, where he concurrently completed the Specialized Study in Music Theory Pedagogy program.

​As a conductor, Dr. Dodson was selected to participate as a conducting fellow at the Conductor’s Institute in South Carolina under the direction of Dr. Donald Portnoy. He was a conducting participant in the College Orchestra Directors Association’s Conducting Masterclass with Bruce Hangen in Boston, Massachusetts. Since the summer of 2021, Dr. Dodson has served on the orchestral conducting faculty at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. He was a finalist for the American Prize in Collegiate Orchestral Conducting for the 2021 to 2022 academic year, and is currently a finalist for the American Prize in Professional Orchestral Conducting for the 2023 to 2024 academic year. In the fall of 2022, Dr. Dodson served as a guest conductor for the University Symphony Orchestra at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. His conducting teachers include Alexander Jiménez, Michael J. Garasi, and Joseph Kreines. As a proponent of new music, Dr. Dodson has conducted works by Michael Gordon, Victoria Bond, James Primosch, Richard Maltz, Avner Dorman, Ash Stemke, Aaron Houston, Brian Junttila, and Eunseon Yu. Prior to his career in higher education, he held secondary instrumental positions at Space Coast Junior/Senior High School and Matanzas High School in Central Florida.

At Bethany College, Dr. Dodson serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Bethany College/Lindsborg Symphonic Orchestra. This ensemble blends Bethany students, all-district level local high school students, and community members who perform in local regional orchestras. He is the founding music director of the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley (COSV). COSV is comprised of faculty members from Kansas State University, the University of Oregon, Oklahoma City University, the University of Kansas, and also personnel from the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony. Dr. Dodson is a coordinator for the adjunct instrumental faculty and is an instructor of conducting and secondary instrumental methods and materials for middle school and high school bands and orchestras. As an active clinician, Dr. Dodson has conducted the Southwestern/Northwestern Kansas Music Educator's Association (KMEA) Orchestra, the East Central KMEA Blue Orchestra, the South Central KMEA Orchestra, the Kansas City Metro District #3 String Orchestra, the Wichita All City Orchestra, and numerous middle school and high school bands and orchestras throughout the state of Kansas.

Dr. Dodson earned Bachelor's degrees in Music Performance and Music Education from the University of Central Florida, Orlando. He completed a Master’s degree in Music Education from the Florida State University, Tallahassee. Dr. Dodson is an active member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), KMEA, the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA), the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Mona Doerksen has been teaching instrumental music in the Wichita Public Schools for more than 30 years. She currently teaches 6th, 7th, and 8th grade band at Christa McAuliffe Academy and Hamilton Middle School. Mrs. Doerksen holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of Music Education degree from Wichita State University. Mona was named as the SCKMEA Outstanding Middle School Music Educator for 2018-19 and has served as clinician for USD 259 All-City Bands. She is a member of Kansas Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu International Band Fraternity, United Teachers of Wichita, and the National Educators Association.

Heather Fusilier has taught Elementary Classroom and Choral Music in the Wichita Unified School District for 16 years. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Music Education from Wichita State University with major study in viola and voice. In 2021 she earned her Master's of Science Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Emporia State University. Currently, she is completing the process required to be awarded National Board Certification.

Audrey Garvey is an elementary music teacher in the Wichita Public Schools district. She is in her sixth year at Price-Harris Elementary, and loves being a PH Eagle! A native of Oklahoma City, Audrey attended the University of Central Oklahoma for her Bachelors in Music Education and taught one year of middle school choir before moving to Wichita for graduate school. She then completed her Masters of Music Education with emphases in elementary music and choral conducting at Wichita State University, serving as the graduate teaching assistant for both Dr. Elaine Bernstorf and Dr. Michael Hanawalt; during this coursework she also completed her Kodály certification. Audrey currently teaches Pre-K through 5th grade music, and enjoys many other hats as well—mentoring student teachers, serving as a proud pro-rep for her building in United Teachers of Wichita and as treasurer for the Wichita Alumnae chapter of women's music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota, directing the 2023 Northeast Area Honor Choir for USD 259 and the Price-Harris Honor Choir, and working alongside the best specials team in Wichita to create meaningful experiences for their students.

Angela Goicoechea-Conner is the music director and lead teacher at Pawnee Elementary in Shawnee Mission Public Schools where she teaches classroom general music, and after school choir, oversees the building behavioral program, and serves on the emergency response team. Previous appointments include teaching middle school choir, elementary band, and K-8th grade music throughout the Shawnee Mission district and Topeka, KS over the last fifteen years.

All of Mrs. Conner's soloists received level I ratings during her previous year of directing choir at the secondary secondary level. Mrs. Conner's after school choir at her current building has doubled in size since her arrival.

Mrs. Conner received a Bachelors of Music Education with an emphasis in clarinet and a Masters of Building Leadership both from Emporia State University. She holds a post graduate certification in a behavior management program called Behavior Interventions Support Team or B.I.S.T. through Baker University. She is a current member of KMEA and the Latinx Education Collaborative or LEC in Kansas City.

During her spare time, she volunteers for lunch duty and hosts an annual book fair at her children's school and enjoys performing jazz music on her saxophone.

Jeffrey Grogan is an internationally-acclaimed conductor and teacher, currently serving as Director of Orchestral Activities at the Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University and Artistic Director of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras. Recent work includes conducting at the Musikverein in Vienna, Sydney Opera House, Harpa Concert Hall in Iceland, and in Bangkok and Singapore. Grogan serves as a Master Educator for the Yamaha Corporation of America and also on the Advisory Committees of the Midwest Clinic and Music for All. For several summers, he was invited by the LA Philharmonic to conduct alongside Gustavo Dudamel at Disney Hall, a part of the Youth Orchestras of Los Angeles National Festival. Following his passion for performing and helping to create new music for orchestras, he has collaborated with many composers such as Omar Thomas, Amanda Harberg, Lowell Liebermann, Michael Colgrass, Eric Whitacre, Steven Stucky, and Scott McAllister – as well as soloists Richard Stolzman, Stefan Hoskuldsson, Julian Schwarz, and the Canadian Brass. Grogan worked in studio and on several projects with violinist and composer Mark O'Connor. Grogan recorded O'Connor’s March of the Gypsy Fiddler with the Ahn Trio and New Jersey Youth Symphony on OMAC Records, which is played on classical music radio throughout the country. He previously served eleven seasons as Education and Community Engagement Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and as Conductor and Artistic Director of the NJSO Youth Orchestras, the InterSchool Orchestras of New York and the New Jersey Youth Symphony. He was founding Artistic Director of two El Sistema inspired program in New Jersey, CHAMPS and the Paterson Music Project. Grogan taught for over a decade at the University of Michigan, Ithaca College, and Baylor University. He is also the former Associate Director of Bands and Marching Band Director at the University of Michigan and Baylor University.

Michael Hanawalt is the Director of Graduate Choral Studies at Florida State University, where he conducts the Chamber Choir, teaches graduate courses in conducting and choral literature, and serves as Artistic Director for the Tallahassee Community Chorus. Previous appointments include Director of Choral Activities at Wichita State University, Chorus Director at the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and Visiting Instructor of Music at St. Olaf College.

Dr. Hanawalt is a founding member of the professional male vocal ensemble Cantus, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Throughout his eleven-year tenure with the organization, he recorded twelve CDs, participated in 200 educational outreach events, and performed in or oversaw the booking of over 500 concerts, including collaborations with the King’s Singers, the Boston Pops, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. He also served for six years as Cantus’ Executive Director, overseeing its growth through organizational management, fundraising, and board development.

Active as a tenor soloist, Dr. Hanawalt is the winner of competitions held by the Schubert Club in Minneapolis, MN, Thursday Musical in St. Paul, MN, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Collegeville, MN. Recent past engagements include the Evangelist in J. S. Bach’s Matthäus-Passion with the Bethany College Messiah Festival of the Arts, as well as tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and in Mozart’s Requiem with the Tarleton State University choirs and orchestra and at Westfield State University in Massachusetts.

Dr. Hanawalt’s choral arrangements are published by Boosey & Hawkes, Colla Voce, and the Niel. A Kjos Music Company. His setting of "Amazing Grace" has been performed at two national conventions of the American Choral Director’s Association, and his arrangement of "Loch Lomond" is featured on the Cantus recording, Let Your Voice Be Heard.

Dr. Hanawalt holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from St. Olaf College, an M.M. in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in Choral Music Education from Florida State University. He is the recipient of the 2016 Mickey and Pete Armstrong Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Wichita State University College of Fine Arts.

Amelia Hancock currently teaches music for the Mission Valley Schools in Eskridge, KS. She received a Bachelors in Music Education from Kansas State University and a Masters in Music Education from Emporia State University. She has completed all three levels for Orff-Schulwerk Training. She has taught K-12 Music for the first six years and now teaches 1st through 4th Grade and Junior High and High School Choir.

Matt Harris graduated with a BM from the University of Miami and a MM from the Eastman School of Music. He moved to Los Angeles after touring, writing, and recording with jazz legends, Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich. Matt teaches combos and private lessons at California State University Northridge and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Matt is an active clinician, conductor and composer for high schools, colleges, and professional bands around the world. He has conducted the Nevada, Oklahoma, Arizona, South Dakota, Minnesota and Texas All State bands. He has been commissioned to write music from bands spanning the globe, including Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, China, Turkey, as well as numerous high schools and universities in the United States. Matt has been a guest clinician for over 30 years with topics ranging from improvisation, rhythm section, piano, arranging, composition, business of music, and creative aspects of playing jazz.

Matt has 6 CD's of original music. Matt has written for the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Metropole Orchestra (Netherlands), Airmen of Note, Air Force Falconaires, Kluvers Big Band (Denmark), as well as high school and college bands throughout the country. He has also arranged, orchestrated, and/or performed on numerous national jingles, recordings, and live performances including Taco Bell, Home Depot, Jack in the Box, Ford, Schwab, Mariott, and many more.

Matt has played with jazz legends including Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, Bobby Shew, Lanny Morgan, Bob Sheppard, Peter Erskine, Bob McChesney, Rob Lockart, Carl Saunders, Jimmy Cobb, Joe Morello, Chuck Findley, Tim Ries, Bob Summers, John Pisano, and Gregg Bissonette.

Matt has played piano and/or written music for some of today's top jazz vocalists including Karyn Allison, Jackie Allen, Diane Shure, Dena Derose, Rosana Eckert, Calbria Foti, Kevin Mahogany, Kurt Elling, Marie Carmen Koppel, and many others.

Matt recently played at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London with the Buddy Rich Tribute Band, featuring Ian Paice. Additionally, his arrangement of "Nessun Dorma" was performed by the Roger Fox Big Band featuring Simon O'Neil in Wellington, New Zealand this summer.

Dan Hinman is Instructor of Trombone at Kansas State University where he teaches applied trombone, the KSU Trombone Choir, and other academic music courses.

Prior to this appointment he served as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies in Music at University of Mary (ND). As a performer, his experience spans a diverse spectrum. He is currently principal trombone of the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley and has been called upon regionally to perform in various organizations, including a recent performance with the Kansas City Symphony (October 2022). In high demand as a performer, he has also performed with the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony, BisMan Little Big Band, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, Opera Fayetteville Orchestra (AR), Lone Star Wind Orchestra, and Basically Basie Big Band (TX). He can be heard on the North Texas Wind Symphony albums Taylor Made, Contact!, Discoveries, Inventions, and Composer Collections of John Mackey and Michael Daugherty.

Hinman holds degrees from North Dakota State University (Music Ed.), the University of Minnesota (M.M.), and a Doctor of Musical Arts in trombone performance from the University of North Texas. His former teachers include Natalie Mannix, Tony Baker, Thomas, Ashworth, Kyle Mack, and Nathaniel Dickey.

Adelynn Hobbs is a recent graduate from Butler Community College and is currently a junior at Friend's University. She completed her Associate's degree in Music Education and is pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Music Education and minoring in Music Theater. Adelynn is the 2022-23 Kansas Collegiate NAfME President and has loved getting to work alongside collegiate board members this year. She is passionate about empowering collegiate members to unleash their potential and excited to bring a fresh perspective.

Ben Holcomb is the director of choirs at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, KS. Prior to his position at WRHS, he earned his Master's in Choral Conducting from Georgia State University and his Bachelor's of Music in Music Theory from Belmont University.

During his Master's degree, Mr. Holcomb held musical director positions at Eastminster Presbyterian Church and in the Atlanta Homeward Choir. In 2021, Mr. Holcomb worked with his colleagues to form the Voces Amicis choral ensemble, which has since enjoyed two strong concert seasons and an upcoming conference performance at the Georgia ACDA 2022 in-service workshop.

Mr. Holcomb has also worked heavily with and arranged for a variety of contemporary a cappella ensembles. In 2019 his A Cappella Group, the Belmont Pitchmen, were International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella finalists. Since then, he has remained active as an arranger for both collegiate and high school a cappella groups.

Karen Howard is Associate Professor of Music at the University of St. Thomas. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in music education, research, and matters of diversity and equity. Karen's research focuses on the impact of whiteness in education, diversification of curricula, and anti-bias music education. She is the founder and editor of a new series through GIA Publishing dedicated to the amplification of underrepresented people and music traditions. Karen's goal is to support the journeys of educators in pursuit of a more socially just music education.

(Apo) Ching-Hsin Hsu, conductor, has served as the Artistic Director and Conductor to The Women’s Philharmonic in San Francisco, Music Director and Conductor of the Springfield Symphony in Missouri, Music Director with the Oregon Mozart Players and Affiliate Artist/National Endowment for the Arts Assistant Conductor with the Oregon Symphony. Guest appearances has taken Ms. Hsu to the Americas, Asia and Russia.

In her role as Artistic Director and Conductor of The Women's Philharmonic from 1997-2001, they toured Brazil in 2001; for recordings, they released a compact disc that features the symphonic music of African American composer Florence Price.

Ms. Hsu received her Bachelor of Arts in Piano from the National Taiwan Normal University while also studying the Doublebass. Her graduate studies was completed at the Hartt School of Music in CT, with the renowned doublebassist Gary Karr for Masters of Music, and an Artist Diploma in Conducting with Maestro Charles Bruck. Ms. Hsu has worked with Murry Sidlin and Harold Farberman, and attended the Pierre Monteaux Domaine School for Advanced Conductors, the Conductor’s Institute, and the Aspen Music Festival.

Ms. Hsu has served on the faculty for both the American Symphony Orchestra League Conducting Workshops and National Youth Orchestra Festival. She has been a Music Review Panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and served on the faculty at The Conductor’s Institute at Bard College. Ms. Hsu is on the faculty at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei and enjoys seeing many of her pupils succeed in the fields of education and conducting at all levels.

Brett Janssen is the Music Department Chair and Division of Humanities Chair at Central Christian College, where he has taught for twelve years while maintaining an independent piano studio. He serves as president of the Kansas Music Teachers Association board and serves with the McPherson Area Piano Teachers League. Janssen is an adjudicator at area piano festivals and enjoys collaborating with local musicians. Brett holds a B.M. from Wichita State University in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, an M.A. in Music from University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a Ph.D. in Education, Curriculum and Instruction from Kansas State University.

Jennifer Kirk is an active teacher, clinician, adjudicator, and performer. She is in her 14th year teaching music in the Wichita Public Schools. She currently is director of bands at Christa McAuliffe Academy where she teaches 6th, 7th, and 8th grade concert bands and jazz band. Jennifer's bands consistently receive Superior ratings at the Wichita Public Schools' District Common Assessment. Jennifer specializes in woodwind instruction, having taught at Sterling College, Butler County Community College, and Friends University. She maintains a large private flute studio in town and plays flute with performing groups around the area. She has played with the Wichita Grand Opera and Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Jennifer holds a BM in Education and a BM in Performance from Friends University. She also holds a MM in Performance from Wichita State University. Jennifer is an active member of The Tack Flute Foundation, Kansas Music Educators Association, and Phi Beta Mu. Jennifer is currently serving as the SCKMEA middle school band chair.
Jennifer also serves as a clinician and adjudicator at music festivals. She regularly adjudicates for KSHSAA regional and state solo/ensemble festival and surrounding league festivals. She has also served as a guest clinician for the Southern Plains Honor Band, Wichita Suburban League, and USD 259 All-City Band.

Laura Leitnaker is in her ninth year at Peabody-Burns where she is the Director of Bands and Choirs. In addition, she directs the school musical and one-act play. Prior to Peabody-Burns she taught a year of elementary music in Topeka USD 501. Originally from Lincoln, NE, Laura earned her Bachelor's of Music Education from the University of Kansas where she graduated with Distinction. While in college Laura was part of the Marching Jayhawks, Horn Ensemble, and Men's and Women's Basketball Bands. She also spent four summers marching with the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps where she had the opportunity to march in President Obama's Inaugural Parade in 2009. Since 2013 Mrs. Leitnaker has enjoyed performing with the Emporia Municipal Band's French Horn Section.

G. Leayn Losh is currently a vocal music teacher, theater teacher & debate coach at Rosedale Middle School in the USD-500 school district in Kansas City, Kansas. Leayn received her undergraduate degree in Music Education & Elementary Education from MWSU in St. Joseph, Mo. She then graduated from Rockhurst University in KCMO with a Masters of Humanities and Fine Arts and is currently working on a EdD in Instructional Design from NCU. Leayn has taught music for over 35 years. Leayn owns a private piano/voice studio and is involved in many community musicals in the KC metro. Leayn's favorite project currently is teaching lyric writing workshops. Leayn also works with youth to write and present "Their Story" by writing original songs, creating videos and narrative essays which then culminates in a final presentation/performance in the arts community. This is in connection with The Greater Kansas City Writing Project. Leayn is very honored to be able share her presentation of "The Silent Singer" - Working with ELL students in the vocal music classroom.

Cyndi Mancini is a band director from Pittsburgh, PA. Her current position is in the Montour School District teaching band to grades 7-12. She has been teaching since 2006 and has held a variety of music positions. In addition to her teaching position she is the festival coordinator for PMEA District 1, on the committee for the Pennsylvania Lions All State Band and an active freelance trumpet player in the Pittsburgh area.

Brett Martinez is in his twenty-third year as a music educator. At Butler Community College he serves as Director of Bands and Chair of the Instrumental Music Department. In this capacity he directs the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Show Band, chamber ensembles and supervises all aspects of the Butler Instrumental Music program. Mr. Martinez also serves as the advisor for the Butler chapter of the Collegiate National Association for Music Education (C-NAfME).

Prior to coming to Butler, Mr. Martinez spent fourteen years as a school band director, including twelve years as the Director of Bands for Douglass Public Schools. He was responsible for all aspects of the band program from grades five through twelve. Under the direction of Mr. Martinez, the Douglass Bands consistently earned superior ratings at marching band and concert band competitions.

A native of Kansas, Mr. Martinez earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1999 from Wichita State University and his Master of Music Education degree in 2008, also from Wichita State University. He was named Teacher of the Year for Douglass Public Schools in 2007. Mr. Martinez maintains memberships in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA), and Kansas Bandmasters Association (KBA). Mr. Martinez served on the KBA board for over ten years, and is a Past-President of KBA. He is currently serving on the KMEA board as the co-advisor for Kansas C-NAfME, as well as the Southwest Division representative for the NAfME Collegiate Advisory Council. He is an elected member of the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity.

James McAllister is the Chair of the Department of Music and Director of Bands at Kansas Wesleyan University, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in Music Education, Conducting, and Music History. Prior to joining the faculty at Kansas Wesleyan, Dr. McAllister taught at Lincoln Memorial University, Garden City Community College, and instrumental music in the public and private schools in Maryland and Delaware. He has presented his research on Student Learning in Commissioning Projects and Integration of Orff-style Techniques into Large Ensemble Rehearsals at several NAFME conferences, most recently at the 2018 National Music Research and Teacher Education Conference in Atlanta, GA.

Dr. McAllister's compositions have been performed at national conferences including the 2018 International Horn Society's Summer Symposium and the 2010 International Double Reed Society's annual conference. Recently he was commissioned to compose two works, a chamber orchestra piece for the National Composers Orchestra entitled Tuesday, 3:17 am and a piece for the combined 6th grade band, orchestra, and choir of the Garnet Valley (PA) Music Educators group entitled Telephunk!

Dr. McAllister holds the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education Degree from the University of Kansas, the Master of Music in Wind Band Conducting Degree from the University of Delaware, and the Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Shenandoah University.

James Mick is an Associate Professor of Music Education at Ithaca College in upstate New York. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in string pedagogy, orchestral rehearsal techniques, instrumental conducting, and the psychology of music teaching and learning. Additionally, he proudly serves as music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which he has led since 2015. The RPYO performs several concerts per year in various locations across the Rochester community including an annual side-by-side performance with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra at Eastman Theatre's Kodak Hall. While on tour, the RPYO has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and in 2021, the RPYO performed a newly commissioned work with Midori via her Orchestra Residency Program. Dr. Mick also frequently works with student musicians in a variety of other settings ranging from individual school events to All-State honor festivals. Recent and upcoming All-State orchestra appearances include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, and Wyoming.

Dr. Mick has given professional presentations at numerous regional, state, and national music education conferences including recent engagements with the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Conference and The Midwest Clinic: An International Band & Orchestra Conference. Dr. Mick's research interests include school string program viability, adjudication reliability, and performance perceptions. His scholarly work has been published in various journals including Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education, Contributions to Music Education, Music Educators Journal, and String Research Journal. Dr. Mick has also contributed pedagogical book chapters to The Oxford Handbook of Preservice Music Teacher Education in the United States and to Teaching Music through Performance in Orchestra, Volume 4, which he co-compiled and edited. In addition to his scholarly work, Dr. Mick serves on the editorial board of the String Research Journal and previously served as president of the New York State chapter of the American String Teachers Association.

Born and raised in Kansas, Dr. Mick previously taught elementary and middle school orchestra in Texas, and high school orchestra and jazz in New York. He holds degrees in Music Education from Florida State University, Ithaca College, and Texas Christian University.

Ramiro Miranda enjoys an active career as an orchestral conductor, violinist, and educator. An Associate Professor at Emporia State University, he teaches upper strings and conducts the Emporia Symphony Orchestra and the ESU Chamber Orchestra. He is co-founder of the ESU String Camp, and the ESU string academy "Stringfully." Additionally, he is a frequent guest conductor with the Midwest Chamber Ensemble in Kansas City, as well as university orchestras and middle and high school honor orchestras.

As a violinist and chamber musician, Miranda has given solo recitals in the United States, Latin America, and China. In addition to performing the standard solo and chamber music repertoires, he enjoys improvisatory genres, and is a member of the Switchgrass String Quartet and the trio String Daze, ensembles specialized in new music, popular, and improvisatory genres. He has performed in ensembles supporting Eugene Friesen, Chris Howes, Jason Anick, Howard Levy, Glenn Velez, Mike Marshall, and Darol Anger. Recently he has shared the stage with internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Berta Rojas, performing music by Agustin Pio Barrios and Hector Villa Lobos.

A native of Asunción, Paraguay, Miranda came to the United States to pursue a Bachelor's degree in violin performance at Pittsburg State University. Miranda also holds Master's degrees from Illinois State University in violin performance and orchestral conducting, and a Doctoral in Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, including a grant to attend the prestigious European American Musical Alliance's Nadia Boulanger Institute at the historic Schola Cantorum in Paris. He continues to pursue studies in counterpoint and composition and is currently working in collaboration with Kansas poets on a project called Spoken Sonatas (spokensonatas.org).

Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin is Director of Wind Band Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Penn State University. In addition to conducting the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, overseeing the graduate wind conducting program, teaching courses in wind band literature and wind conducting, she oversees all aspects of the concert band programs at Penn State. Her appointment at PSU follows three years as Assistant Director of Bands and Associate Director of Athletic Bands at the University of South Carolina. Prior to her time at UofSC, Mitchell-Spradlin taught at Valdosta State University as Director of Athletic Bands, and was Director of Bands at Chamblee High School in Chamblee, Georgia for four years.

Mitchell-Spradlin has a diverse background as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator, educator, and speaker. She is a Conn Selmer educator and frequent guest conductor with performances for several regional honor bands, Allstate bands, summer camps and clinics, and residencies at public schools and collegiate institutions. She is active in the teaching of conducting, recently serving as clinician for the UMKC Conducting Symposium and the President's Own Marine Band Conductor Training Program.

As a presenter, Mitchell-Spradlin speaks often about programming, forming a connection with musicians, building culture, musical leadership, and inclusivity in the band medium. She has shared musical and pedagogical ideas on several music podcasts including Everything Band, Conn Selmer's Backstage with Dr. Tim, The Bandroom, and the Ictus Podcast. Presentations include invited sessions at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, College Music Society, the College Band Directors National Association, keynote presenter for the NAfME Northwest conference, and the South Carolina Music Educators Association Conference. Her international speaking engagements include presenting the keynote for the Maryborough Music Conference in Australia and a session on Joan Tower's Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman for the International Society for the Advancement and Promotion of Wind Band Society (IGEB) in Oberwölz, Austria.

A proponent for advancing the wind ensemble medium, she led the consortium and premiere of Aaron Perrine's Beneath a Canvas of Green for wind ensemble and percussion quartet which was also the source of her doctoral dissertation. Additionally, she is active in a number of premieres and consortiums for new music. Most recently, she premiered and recorded The Hardscrabble, a work by Steven Rice for wind ensemble and 12+ double reeds which will be released on Neuma records in 2023. The Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble is currently preparing Evan Ziporyn's Impulse Control - concerto for drumset and wind ensemble, to be recorded featuring PSU percussion professor Lee Hinkle.

Mitchell-Spradlin served as the National Vice President of Professional Relations for Tau Beta Sigma: National Honorary Band Sorority for two years. She also holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, College Music Society, PMEA, National Association for Music Education, Black Women Band Directors Association, and Women Band Directors International.

Marcia Neel has served as a public school music educator of 22 years and Secondary Fine Arts Coordinator in the Clark County School District (Las Vegas, NV) for an additional 14 years. Under her leadership, the secondary music elective program grew to over 55,000 participants in 56 middle schools and 38 high schools by focusing on the development of creative recruitment and retention strategies.

In 2016, Marcia was named Senior Director of Education for Yamaha Corporation of America and subsequently, a Yamaha Master Educator. She serves as Education Advisor to the Music Achievement Council, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to assist directors in recruiting and retaining students in instrumental music programs through effective professional development programs and related complimentary materials. Neel also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Percussive Arts Society.

Courtney Nottingham is a music educator in Northeast Kansas, currently serving as the Director of Orchestras at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, Kansas. Prior to this position, she worked as an orchestra teacher in the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools District, where she worked in eight different schools as an elementary orchestra teacher and string collaborator for middle and high school programs in the KCK District.

Nottingham holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Kansas (KU) and a Master's degree in Music Education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). During the summers, Nottingham works as the Ensemble Manager for the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. In this position, she serves as the liaison between students, faculty, and guest conductors and is responsible for executing all logistical tasks for the high-caliber ensemble. She has worked with top-tier professional orchestra conductors such as JoAnn Falletta (Buffalo Philharmonic), Cristian Macelaru (National Orchestra of France), Mei-Ann Chen (Chicago Sinfonietta), among many others.

Nottingham is also a clarinetist, who originated in band instrumental education. She became intrigued by string pedagogy in college due to the visual nature of the subject while also loving string repertoire and the sound of the instruments. She student-taught in both band and orchestra, and has held positions in string teaching since graduating from college.

Steph Nusbaum is the accompanist at Northeast Magnet High School in Bel Aire, KS. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a minor in piano performance and has played for shows and ensembles throughout the Wichita and Manhattan communities.

Frances Oare holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and has training in the Suzuki and Kodály methods. She has taught for 36 years in Hawaii, Washington, Michigan, and Kansas and has presented workshops for KMEA, ASTA, and the Mid-West Clinic in Chicago. Mrs. Oare was chosen as the 2013 Distinguished Middle School Teacher for the Wichita Public Schools and received the 2016 Certificate of Merit from the Kansas chapter of the American String Teachers Association.

Chad Pape is in his seventeenth year of teaching choir at Manhattan High School, his Alma Mater. After graduating from Kansas State University with his Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music (Vocal Performance) in 2000, Chad has taught at the high school and college levels for 22 years. During his time at MHS, he has presented at KMEA 4 previous times, plus brought choirs to KMEA as featured performers three times. Currently, Chad is rebuilding his program post-covid, just like all of us.

Jim Papoulis composes in many genres and is known for work that combines contemporary, classical, and world sounds. Papoulis has made significant contributions to choral music by revitalizing the choral repertoire with songs whose roots are classical and world, with voicing that incorporates lead vocalists with choirs, vocal percussion, and world rhythms. His choral work often is sung from the perspective of the singer, and is constantly inspired by the work he does through the foundation for small voices. He firmly believes that music can heal, educate, celebrate, and empower the lives of children. Through the Foundation for Small Voices he has conducted songwriting workshops with choirs from the United States, China, Japan, Tanzania, Mexico, Kenya, Dominican Republic, Haiti, England, Norway, Canada, Spain, Italy, Kenya, Uganda, France, Ireland, Bosnia, Jordan, Australia, Holland, Dubai, and Greece. He has worked with choirs and ensembles on all continents and from all walks of life, and has also worked with: Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Beyonce, the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, London Boys Choir, London Symphony, Beijing Children's Choir, Faith Hill, Natalie Cole, Snoop Dogg, Tokyo String Quartet, Moscow Philharmonic, Portland Symphony, New World Symphony His music has recently been featured at: Beijing Olympics; Give Us Hope exhibit at the 9-11 Museum in New York; 9-11 10th Anniversary Concerts throughout the world including New York, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing, London, Oslo, Paris, Shanghai, Rio, Rome, Salzburg, St. Petersburg, Dubai, Delhi, Oslo, Paris; 2008 Presidential Inauguration; Pope visit televised nationally at Yankee Stadium; World Cup South Africa 2010.

Amber Dahlén Peterson is an Associate Professor of Music and the Mazie Barnett Kilmer Chair for Strings Education at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. Through this position, she conducts the South Kansas Symphony, instructs violin and viola students, and teaches music education, history, and theory courses. Dr. Peterson completed her Ph.D. in Music Education, with a cognate in Music Cognition and Psychology, at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She also holds music education degrees from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She completed the Suzuki Violin Teacher Training program at the Cleveland Institute of Music and has earned additional graduate credit at The Ohio State University and University of Iowa. Some of her influential teachers include William Bauer, Lisa Huisman Koops, Kathleen Horvath, Lisa Boyko, Deborah Dakin, and Nobuyoshi Yasuda.

Dr. Peterson has performed with many semi-professional and community symphonies, pit orchestras, and chamber ensembles throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and
Ohio. She currently plays with the Delano Chamber Orchestra and the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony. Prior to beginning her doctorate, Dr. Peterson taught orchestra in Moline, Illinois, teaching at the elementary, middle and high school levels. She has also served on the staffs of the Cole Family Summer Music Festival, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Illinois Summer Youth Music, Illinois Ambassadors of Music, and the Cleveland Music School Settlement. She has held leadership positions in the Illinois Music Education Association and American String Teachers Association. She currently co-chairs the KASTA Solo Competition.

Dr. Peterson’s research has primarily focused on music teacher education and music cognition. Her work has appeared in American String Teacher, Contributions to Music Education, Arts Education Policy Review, and Visions of Research in Music Education. She has presented sessions for state music education conferences in Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri, as well national conferences of the American String Teachers Association, the American Educational Research Association, the Symposium on Music Teacher Education, and the National Association for Music Education.

Larkin Sanders is a native of Branson, Missouri, and currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri where she is the clarinet instructor at Washburn University, owns the Clever Clarinetist (a clarinet specialty store), is the Executive-Artistic Director of the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, is the utility clarinetist for the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and performs frequently with a variety of other ensembles. Dr. Sanders is also endorsed as an Artist by Henri Selmer Paris, D'Addario & Co., Silverstein Works, and Brian Corbin Clarinet Products. In addition to her activities as a clarinetist, teacher, and administrator, Dr. Sanders is also a composer and author of several books and self-publishes her original compositions and clarinet methods.

Jen Slaght currently teaches K-4 music at Santa Fe Trail USD-434 in Carbondale. She has 7 years experience teaching general music spanning grades K-8. Jen earned her Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance (2014) and her Music Education Licensure (2016) at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. Jen is certified in Level II Orff and Level 1 Music Learning Theory.

Jen’s teaching style is fast-paced and energetic, and she strives to keep her sessions informative, lively, and interactive. She loves to share her knowledge with others and often posts teacher tips, classroom games, and satirical content on her social media platforms.

Josh Southard is the Music Specialist at Smoky Row Elementary School in Carmel, IN where he teaches K-5 music. He is a past recipient of the Smoky Row Teacher of the Year and Indiana Elementary Music Teacher of the Year awards. He has served as President for the Indiana Orff chapter, the Board of Trustees for the American Orff Schulwerk Association, and is currently President-Elect for AOSA.

Josh is a featured presenter at Orff workshops around the country, state and national conferences as well as Level I, II, and III Basic Pedagogy at various teacher education summer courses. He has had articles published in the Orff Echo, and is the author of the book "Sing and Play, Stories All Day" from Beatin' Path Publications.

Katy Strickland is in her ninth year as Director of Athletic Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Northwest Missouri State University, where she directs the Bearcat Marching Band, Northwest Pep Band, and Symphonic Band, and teaches coursework in Music Education and Conducting. In August of 2017 Dr. Strickland was awarded the Governor's Award for Excellence in Education, an award sponsored by the Missouri Council on Public Higher Education and presented annually to "an outstanding faculty member of each of Missouri's four-year public institutions." In the fall of 2022, she was named the Dennis C. Dau Endowed Professor of Instrumental Music.

Prior to her appointment at Northwest, Dr. Strickland taught instrumental music in the South Louisiana public schools for thirteen years along with serving on the Louisiana Music Educators Association Board of Directors. While in Louisiana, Dr. Strickland led marching, concert, jazz and percussion ensembles that consistently earned superior ratings at the district and state levels.

Dr. Strickland earned her Bachelors, Masters and PhD in Music Education at Louisiana State University, where she worked as a Graduate Assistant with the LSU Bands and Music Education area. She has presented her music education research and led clinics at the state and national levels, served as Missouri State Chair of the National Band Association and Chair of Fine and Performing at Northwest Missouri State, and is an inductee of the Phi Beta Mu International Band Masters Fraternity.

Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor who has served as Professor of Music at three universities (an Endowed Professor at two), conducted 47 all-state choirs, and directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall and 16 times at Chicago Orchestra Hall, among other American venues.

Internationally, Randall has had recent conducting engagements in Hong Kong, Rome, Barcelona, Singapore, Canterbury, Berlin, Salzburg, Vancouver and Dublin. He performed music for mass at the Vatican at least once every year since 2008. He is the Artistic Director for two summer music festivals in Europe and taught composition/conducting for the Italian Choral Directors Associations (FENIARCO and ANDCI) five summers of the last six years, as well as teaching composition in Singapore.

Randall’s composition teachers were Cecil Effinger and Normand Lockwood, both students of the famous French teacher/composer, Nadia Boulanger (student of Gabriel Fauré). Randall has 190 choral works in print, including commissions for orchestras, soloists, choral ensembles, and works for combined forces. Recent commissions include the Raffles Singers (Singapore), Michigan Choral Conductors Consortium, Arlington Master Chorale, West Point Military Academy, Müller Chamber Choir (Taiwan), among others. Recordings of his works can be heard on Spotify, YouTube and his website (www.zrstroope.com).

Randall guest conducts full-time, and composes from his home studio on Merritt Island, Florida and in Sandia Park, New Mexico. Most of all, his priority is just making a difference in his corner of the world, loving creating music with others, and serving his family in the best way he can.

Michael Sweeney is currently Director of Band Publications for Hal Leonard LLC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of the largest publishers of printed music in the world. Michael is directly responsible for the development, production, recording and marketing of new publications for school bands. In addition, he contributes as a composer and arranger in all instrumental areas, and is particularly known for his writing at the younger levels for concert band and jazz. Since joining the company in 1982, Hal Leonard has published over 500 of his compositions and arrangements.

Mr. Sweeney is a 1977 graduate of Indiana University (Bloomington), where he earned a bachelor's degree in music education and studied composition with Bernard Heiden, John Eaton and Donald Erb. Prior to working for Hal Leonard he was a band director in Ohio and Indiana, working with successful concert, jazz and marching programs at all levels from elementary to high school.

A winner of multiple ASCAP awards, Michael's Ancient Voices (1994) and Imperium (1992) are featured in the acclaimed Teaching Music Through Performance series by GIA Publications. Other works such as Black Forest Overture (1996), The Forge of Vulcan (1997) and Distant Thunder of the Sacred Forest (2003) have become staples in the repertoire for middle school bands. He has received commissions ranging from middle school and high school bands to the Eastman Wind Ensemble and the Canadian Brass. His works appear on numerous state contest lists, and his music is regularly performed throughout the world. He is also in demand as a clinician and conductor for honor bands and festivals.

Bill Thomas is the Performing Arts Coordinator for the Shawnee Mission School District while still serving as the Director of Bands at Shawnee Mission West High School. He was awarded his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Baker University in November of 2019. He completed his Master of Music Education from Wichita State University in 2000, and a Bachelor of Music Education from Pittsburg State University in 1989. Bill has taught his entire career in Kansas; fourteen years in Dodge City, three years in Wichita Public Schools and sixteen years in Shawnee Mission. He has directed honor bands and adjudicated marching bands in Kansas and Missouri. He has served on the staff of the Kansas Music Ambassadors on three occasions. While at Shawnee Mission West, the West Pride Marching Band has been selected to perform for the New Year’s Day Parade in London, England on five occasions. They most recently performed in the Hollywood (CA) Christmas Parade in 2022.

Katherine Todd earned her Bachelors of Music Education in 2012 from Kansas State University. She continued her education by pursuing a Masters of Music Education degree at her alma mater, graduating in 2017. Todd is in her tenth year of teaching and currently teaches in Maize USD 266.

Music is the medium and helping students feel seen and valued is the goal. This is the fuel behind Maize Elementary School teacher Katie Todd's music instruction to kindergarten through fourth grade students. She teaches private oboe lessons, is a New Teacher Mentor, and collaborates with Kansas universities to support new and future elementary music teachers at the Kansas Music Education Association Workshop. Todd uses her passion to connect to relevant examples of musical careers through her performance research projects. Students at Maize Elementary School have collaborated with active artists from across the country who have won awards from Creative Child Magazine, Parents' Choice Foundation, and Independent Music Awards. Todd's students even learn from two-time Grammy Award winner Lucy Kalentari!

Todd hopes that the joy and personal confidence gained through music education will be an encouragement to her students, both now and in all their future endeavors.

Lynn Tuttle, CAE, serves as Executive Director and CEO of the American String Teachers Association, the nation's premiere service organization for string educators in schools, in private studios, and in higher education.

Prior to coming to ASTA in June 2021, she served as the Director of Public Policy, Research, and Professional Development for the National Association for Music Education (2015-2021), overseeing all in-person and virtual professional development, the creation and dissemination of six publications, and the association's federal grants portfolio. She also led the association's policy work at the federal and state levels.

Ms. Tuttle has also served as the Director of Arts Education for the Arizona Department of Education (2003-2015) and is a founding member of the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE). She co-led the creation of the 2014 National Core Arts Standards, and is the guest-editor for the Arts Education Policy Review focused on COVID-19 and K-12 arts education.

Ms. Tuttle holds a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in the humanities and world history from the Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She continues to teach, study, and perform as a flutist and singer. She currently serves on the board of the National Dance Education Organization and the Advisory Council of the Arts Education Partnership.

Meghan Wald is currently finishing her master's degree in Special Music Education at Wichita State University, where she is a graduate teaching assistant. She currently teaches music at Envision Child Development Center, The Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation's Adult Day Program, band at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, and private music instruction Garten's Music. This year, Meghan received a mini CODA Grant to start a music library on behalf of the bands at Blessed Sacrament. As part of her degree, Meghan has completed research on Autism and Music, focusing on the family unit. Her research has centered on the autistic individuals and their siblings, as well as and how music education can serve allistic siblings and autistic siblings together.

Alex Wimmer is currently serving as the Assistant Director of Bands at Kansas State University. His duties include directing the Wind Symphony, Cat Band (basketball pep band), Volleyball Band, Pub Crawl Band, Assistant Marching Band Director for the Pride of Wildcat Land (KSUMB), arranger and drill designer for the KSUMB, and instructor of undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting, arranging, and marching band techniques. During the summer he coordinates the K-State Summer Music Camp and K-State Leadership and Auxiliary Camp, and serves as one of the Assistant Directors of the Manhattan Municipal Band. Prior to his appointment at Kansas State University, Dr. Wimmer was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Kansas State University Bands. He assisted with all concert and athletic ensembles, undergraduate conducting courses, and Percussion Ensembles. His research interests include undergraduates conducting with expressivity and qualitative research.

Originally from Gretna, Nebraska, Dr. Wimmer received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, his Master of Music degree in Education with an emphasis in Wind Conducting from Kansas State University, and his Doctorate in Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Kansas State University. Dr. Wimmer was the Director of Bands at Gretna High School and the Assistant Director of Bands at Gretna Middle School. He was a recipient of the Jack R. Snider Young Band Director Award in 2011 and served on the Nebraska Music Educators Association Leadership Academy from 2011-2012.

Dr. Wimmer is in demand as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator as well as a percussion specialist. His professional affiliations include the Kansas Music Educators Association, the Kansas Bandmasters Association, the National Association for Music Education, the College Band Directors National Association, the Percussive Arts Society, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Kappa Lambda. He was recently voted president-elect (2021-2022) of the Kansas Bandmasters Association and will eventually serve as president (2023-2024). He also co-chairs the New Band Director Bootcamp during the Kansas Bandmasters Association's summer convention.

MacKenzie Wright (Ohio Wesleyan University, B.M., Piano and Organ Performance, California Institute of the Arts, MFA, Performer-Composer) started her career as a concert pianist, church organist, and composer. She transitioned to vocal coaching while residing in Los Angeles, primarily working with adults with limited formal music backgrounds. After relocating to Kansas City in 2015, MacKenzie began studying comedic theatrical improvisation ("improv") and quickly became a sought-after accompanist for musical improv. She currently teaches musical improv around the KC metro and coaches Bye Bye Birdies, the musical improv house team at The Bird Comedy Theater. As an instructor, MacKenzie firmly believes that anyone can sing, and sing joyfully.