Band Section

Welcome to the Band Section of NCMEA.
We are glad that you have visited our site and hope it will be of value to you as you strive to provide quality music education in your schools. Please search through the site where you will find our constitution and by-laws, information on our fall conference and State Honors Band, news, announcements and awards. Feel free to go to the Share Fair link where you will find ideas submitted by teachers across North Carolina for you to try in your classrooms. It is our goal to foster a close relationship among music teachers throughout North Carolina and to provide resources that will assist you in teaching Band at all levels. Thank you again for visiting our site and we hope you check in often for new information and ideas. For complete information please visit the Band Section webpage at www.ncbandmasters.org

Purpose Statement: NC Bandmasters Association
The North Carolina Bandmasters Association's primary purpose is to advance the cause of band education in the state of North Carolina. The North Carolina Bandmasters will provide:
  • Concert Music Festivals for Middle and High School bands
  • Solo & Ensemble Festivals for ensembles and individual musicians
  • North Carolina All State Honors Bands for the outstanding musicians throughout the state
  • Performance opportunities for concert bands at the annual state convention
  • North Carolina Bandmasters clinics and workshops to upgrade their teaching skills.
The North Carolina Bandmasters will be genuinely involved with the aesthetics of music and the appreciation of music through performance, repertoire, interpretation, trained hearing and response.
The joy of hearing young people create music of lasting beauty and watching young members of the band become leaders in their society are satisfactions worth the effort that the North Carolina Bandmasters wish to provide for all of the band students in North Carolina.
The following is the speech presented by NCMEA President Fran Page to the audience attending the 1999 North Carolina All State Band Concert on Sunday, April 25:
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Good afternoon.
If you want to talk about something good happening in our schools - about whatís right with our youth in America - Look on this stage!
This is the "Cream of the Crop" from our schools!
And now I have some statistics to prove it!
This group of festival students was asked to complete a survey. Here are the impressive stats. (Fasten your seatbelts!)
All of these young people are involved in music in a variety of ways.
All of them play other instruments, such as the handbells, bass guitar, guitar, synthesizer, accordion and strings.
Forty-five play the piano.
Sixty-four take private lessons, and average 6 years of study.
These young people perform with their: bands, marching bands, jazz bands, orchestras, choral ensembles, church choirs, pit orchestras, all-county bands, all-district bands, honors orchestra percussion ensembles, rock & roll bands, handbell groups, and North Carolina Honors Band.
They have had lead roles in: Crazy for You, Fiddler on the Roof, Scrooge, Wizard of Oz, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, and many, many more.
Thirty-Five students are here for the second time.
Twenty-one, are here for the third time.
Eleven are here for the fourth time.
The majority of these students are in the top 10% of their high school classes academically. The average SAT score of the musicians (old enough to have taken the SAT test) is 1310. While not all schools tell their students their class rank, of just the musicians who knew theirs, 24 are in the top 5% of their class and 9 are ranked number one in their senior class!
Eighty of these students make the honor roll most marking periods.
Fifty-two are in the Honor Society.
In leadership rolls these students are: student government officers, leaders in clubs, athletic team captains, and church leaders.
Numerous students have received Honors and Awards such as:
Sixteen have been to Governors School, 31, to Boys and Girlsí State Eleven have been to All State Orchestra and 2 to the Tanglewood Music Festival. They have been guest soloists with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Wilmington Symphony, The Charlotte Orchestra, and the Illinois Youth Orchestra. Many, many have earned scholarships to music camps around the state Twenty-Two students are recognized in Whoís Who.
Musicians are Athletes too you know - they compete in: track, cross country, football, basketball, baseball, softball, sailing, paintball, and soccer. Many are cheerleaders and lifeguards and quite a number of members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Other activities that mean a lot to them - Besides Music: Many work in nurseries in their churches.
In school, theyíre on math, quiz bowl, and history bowl teams. Theyíre in Oddessy of the Mind, Spanish Honor Society. They serve on yearbook staffs and student council. Five are merit scholars.
These students were asked to name the person who has been the most important musical influence.
Number One Answer: band director (19)
Other teachers were a close second.
Parents and other family members barely edged out private teachers.
They perform in Community Ensembles - including: community bands and youth orchestras, pit orchestras in musical productions, church choirs and handbell choirs.
I’M ALMOST DONE!!!

Musical Accomplishments that meant the most to them:
One student plays organ at church. Another is an All State cellist, and many teacher private lessons to middle school students. Iím hoping that these young people will be our future music educators!
And My Favorite Answer: "If I had a chance, Iíd play my horn, morning, noon, and night.!"
Seniors have been accepted to: Oberlin College, University of Kentucky, Duke, Indiana University, University of Georgia, Duquesne University, NC School of the Arts, Norfolk State University. One has a full scholarship to Manhattan School of Music, and one, to Northwestern University. Many will attend NCSU, UNC-G, ECU, ASU, Iím glad to say, Meredith College, and various community colleges!

They plan to major in:
25 in music education
13 in music performance
5 in education
art history
computer science
math
computer science
biomedical engineering
aerospace engineering
biostatistics
chemistry
5 prelaw
5 premed

Many of these students are driven by a personal desire to achieve and the love of music. They have stated that they have been influenced by many Music Teachers and have developed these skills and a strong work ethic from their School Music Programs!

86% of these students plan to use their musical skills after High School and Graduation! They know that:
  • Music is a lifetime experience!
  • Music is important to our lives!
  • Music is important in our Schools!
And these young people bear witness to this fact. Ladies and gentlemen, join me in recognizing these truly extraordinary young people and young musicians that we have performing for us today!
Thank you.
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To contact current NCBA Officers, see http://ncbandmasters.org/officers.html.