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Post by macwinlin on Jun 13, 2022 2:12:59 GMT -6
Yukon High School in Yukon, OK is now looking for a new head band director. Wait - what!? Wasn't Diana Williams still settling in? Yukon had a great year.
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Post by principalagent on Jun 13, 2022 6:58:40 GMT -6
Anyone taking over at The Woodlands yet? Nope. This should be turning into an official yes pretty soon.
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Post by Momof20613 on Jun 13, 2022 13:37:51 GMT -6
Yukon High School in Yukon, OK is now looking for a new head band director. Wait - what!? Wasn't Diana Williams still settling in? Yukon had a great year. Yes, we had an amazing year and she made so many plans for the future. Then personal tragedy struck her a couple of weeks ago. She lost someone very close to her. I think her mind and heart are understandably scrambled and it seemed like a very spur of the moment position change to us (but maybe it wasn’t 🤷♀️).
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Post by 70sguardchick on Jun 13, 2022 14:05:42 GMT -6
Some shifting at Brownsburg - 25-year director Tracy Runyon is moving to the two middle schools to help make them even better feeders to the HS band. He'll stay involved at the high school level, especially with the marching program. Chris Kaflik stays on in his 6th year at Brownsburg, and he'll be joined by Chris Paulsen, formerly director of the Lafayette Jeff Marching Bronchos (2019 ISSMA Scholastic A champs).
Source - public school board minutes.
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Post by jmike16 on Jun 13, 2022 21:11:53 GMT -6
Wait - what!? Wasn't Diana Williams still settling in? Yukon had a great year. Yes, we had an amazing year and she made so many plans for the future. Then personal tragedy struck her a couple of weeks ago. She lost someone very close to her. I think her mind and heart are understandably scrambled and it seemed like a very spur of the moment position change to us (but maybe it wasn’t 🤷♀️). Reminds me of Lumberton's former head director. He lost his wife on April 1st, 2020 from Cancer and then made the decision to leave a day before the 1st day of school later that year. Completely understandable but still devastating. Now, he is the head director of a completely new band program!
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Post by paddy on Jun 14, 2022 6:14:07 GMT -6
Avon news...
Kevin Welborn will usher Avon High School Marching Black and Gold’s tradition of excellence into a bright future Avon, Ind. – Avon Community School Corporation (ACSC) has hired Kevin Welborn as the new Director of Bands at Avon High School (AHS). Welborn comes to Avon from the University of Alabama following a nationwide search that involved administrators, AHS staff, students, and parents. Welborn replaces retiring Director, Jay Webb. “I was happy to hear that Kevin Welborn was selected as the next leader of the Avon Band program,” says Webb. “His background and experiences will be a huge benefit to an already superstar cast of teachers and instructors.”
According to Webb, “The future at Avon looks very bright.”
“I cannot express how excited and humbled I am,” says Welborn. “The tradition of excellence this band, school, and community uphold is second to none, and with that comes great responsibility.” He adds that he and his wife are excited to move to Avon to begin his new role before the start of the school year.
“Kevin was impressive throughout the interview process, sharing his vision for our program while also asking insightful questions,” says AHS Principal Matt Shockley. “He has had a successful career at the high school and college levels. His emphasis on relationships, teaching with a coaching mentality, and maintaining high expectations quickly convinced us that Kevin was the top candidate to lead our nationally recognized program. I am highly confident in his ability to continue the tradition of excellence expected in all our band programs.
Welborn will lead one of the most successful high school band programs in the US. The Avon Marching Black and Gold and related winter ensembles have amassed 55 State Championships and 16 World and National Championships over the last three decades.
“I have known Kevin Welborn for over 20 years,” says AHS Performing Arts Department Chair and Director of Orchestras Dean Westman, “and I am absolutely thrilled to have him joining us as our new Director of Bands! He is a world-class music educator and conductor, and an even better human being. I can't wait for Kevin and his amazing wife Karen to join the Avon Family!”
Welborn is pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama, where he has been Associate Director of Athletic Bands, Director of Pep Bands and Marching Percussion, and Professor of Undergraduate Instrumental Conducting since 2019. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music education at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Welborn’s start date will be in early July.
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Post by bandalum15 on Jun 14, 2022 8:22:43 GMT -6
Avon news... Kevin Welborn will usher Avon High School Marching Black and Gold’s tradition of excellence into a bright future Avon, Ind. – Avon Community School Corporation (ACSC) has hired Kevin Welborn as the new Director of Bands at Avon High School (AHS). Welborn comes to Avon from the University of Alabama following a nationwide search that involved administrators, AHS staff, students, and parents. Welborn replaces retiring Director, Jay Webb. “I was happy to hear that Kevin Welborn was selected as the next leader of the Avon Band program,” says Webb. “His background and experiences will be a huge benefit to an already superstar cast of teachers and instructors.” According to Webb, “The future at Avon looks very bright.” “I cannot express how excited and humbled I am,” says Welborn. “The tradition of excellence this band, school, and community uphold is second to none, and with that comes great responsibility.” He adds that he and his wife are excited to move to Avon to begin his new role before the start of the school year. “Kevin was impressive throughout the interview process, sharing his vision for our program while also asking insightful questions,” says AHS Principal Matt Shockley. “He has had a successful career at the high school and college levels. His emphasis on relationships, teaching with a coaching mentality, and maintaining high expectations quickly convinced us that Kevin was the top candidate to lead our nationally recognized program. I am highly confident in his ability to continue the tradition of excellence expected in all our band programs. Welborn will lead one of the most successful high school band programs in the US. The Avon Marching Black and Gold and related winter ensembles have amassed 55 State Championships and 16 World and National Championships over the last three decades. “I have known Kevin Welborn for over 20 years,” says AHS Performing Arts Department Chair and Director of Orchestras Dean Westman, “and I am absolutely thrilled to have him joining us as our new Director of Bands! He is a world-class music educator and conductor, and an even better human being. I can't wait for Kevin and his amazing wife Karen to join the Avon Family!” Welborn is pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama, where he has been Associate Director of Athletic Bands, Director of Pep Bands and Marching Percussion, and Professor of Undergraduate Instrumental Conducting since 2019. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music education at the University of Southern Mississippi. Welborn’s start date will be in early July. bands.ua.edu/directors/welborn/Another percussionist, Carolina Crown and SCV alum: "Kevin Welborn is the Associate Director of Athletic Bands and Director of Pep Bands at The University of Alabama. Mr. Welborn is also the director of the percussion section of the Million Dollar Band, as well as the conductor of the Alabama Concert Band. He holds both a Bachelor and Master degree in music education from The University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied under Dr. Thomas Fraschillo and Dr. John Wooton.
Mr. Welborn served as the Director of Bands for the Clinton Public School District in Clinton, Mississippi from 2015-2019. The Clinton High School Band is a perennial recipient of the state’s Sweepstakes Award which is awarded to programs that achieve superior ratings in both marching and concert seasons. Most recently, the Clinton Band has been a consecutive Bands of America regional finalist, earning first place in class, as well as first place caption awards at multiple BOA regionals for the 2018 fall season. The program has also earned many WGI color guard and percussion regional finalist appearances, as well as state, circuit, and world championship finalists and medalists.
Before the appointment of Director of Bands, Mr. Welborn was an Assistant Director/Director of Percussion at Clinton from 2009-2015. During this time the Clinton Percussion would grow to become a nationally recognized percussion program, being awarded numerous state/circuit championships as well as WGI regional championships. The Clinton Indoor Percussion Ensemble also earned the Silver medal in the 2013 WGI “Scholastic A” Class, the Gold medal in the 2014 WGI “Scholastic Open” Class, and a 10th place finalist in the 2015 WGI “Scholastic World” Class World Championships, all three being held in Dayton, Ohio. Kevin thoroughly enjoyed his time developing and directing the Clinton Percussion program alongside his wife Karen, who served as a designer and choreographer for the program.
Mr. Welborn was an assistant band director at Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Texas from 2006-2007. He also has served as an adjudicator, given clinics, and taught middle school, high school, and collegiate/university bands throughout the Southeast.
Kevin is an alumnus of the Carolina Crown and Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps, playing snare drum for both organizations. He was on the percussion staff at The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2016-2018. Prior to that, he served as the percussion caption head for the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2009-2012, a percussion staff member for the Troopers in 2007 and 2008, as well as Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle corps in 2004 and 2005. Kevin enjoys spending time and designing/teaching alongside his wife, Karen, who has an extensive national color guard background."
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Post by das88 on Jun 16, 2022 10:18:43 GMT -6
Some shifting at Brownsburg - 25-year director Tracy Runyon is moving to the two middle schools to help make them even better feeders to the HS band. He'll stay involved at the high school level, especially with the marching program. Chris Kaflik stays on in his 6th year at Brownsburg, and he'll be joined by Chris Paulsen, formerly director of the Lafayette Jeff Marching Bronchos (2019 ISSMA Scholastic A champs). Source - public school board minutes. I have enjoyed Brownsburg’s upward trajectory the past few years. I’m not seeing any reason to believe that will change.
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Post by 70sguardchick on Jun 16, 2022 12:53:09 GMT -6
Some shifting at Brownsburg - 25-year director Tracy Runyon is moving to the two middle schools to help make them even better feeders to the HS band. He'll stay involved at the high school level, especially with the marching program. Chris Kaflik stays on in his 6th year at Brownsburg, and he'll be joined by Chris Paulsen, formerly director of the Lafayette Jeff Marching Bronchos (2019 ISSMA Scholastic A champs). Source - public school board minutes. I have enjoyed Brownsburg’s upward trajectory the past few years. I’m not seeing any reason to believe that will change. I agree - they continue to build strength on strength....The kids so far really like Mr. Paulson (sorry for the previous incorrect spelling) and there is a lot of excitement for this season.
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Post by statechamp1239 on Jun 18, 2022 16:32:07 GMT -6
Sparkman HS (AL) got an new head director of bands, Mr. Nash.
"While in college, Mr. Nash was involved with Drum Corps International. In 2015, he marched baritone with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps from Denver, Colorado. The Blue Knights had a historic season that year, finishing 6th place which was the highest placement in corps history. In 2016, he marched euphonium with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps from Canton, Ohio for his age-out season. That summer, the Bluecoats won their first DCI World Championship, also winning the Donald Angelica General Effect Caption Award. Additionally, Mr. Nash was awarded Brass Rookie of the Year by the Bluecoats Brass Staff. After aging out, Mr. Nash was on staff with Music City Drum and Bugle Corps during the summer of 2017, serving as the assistant visual caption head as well as a low brass tech for the corps."
"Mr. Nash spent his first year at Oak Mountain Middle School as the Assistant Band/Choir Director. He then took over as the Head Band Director at Winfield City High School in Winfield, Alabama. Mr. Nash has been at Winfield for the last 3 years." from Sparkman HS band page.
Ola HS (GA) is losing their first head director, Mr. Manson, since working when the school opened in 2006 and would be taking another job in another county.
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Post by LeanderMomma Fan on Jun 19, 2022 0:12:52 GMT -6
Weiss HS has a new head band director, Ian Young, previously an assistant band director at Burnet HS.
The question is, where will the previous Weiss head director, Branden Hill go? I think some of y’all wood know where he lands.😉
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Post by statechamp1239 on Jun 19, 2022 16:18:27 GMT -6
American Fork H.S. has done a lot of switching and hiring of roles for their creative team for nats: " 1.) Jess Slabaugh taking on some new responsibilities as our new Program Coordinator/ Artistic Director. 2.) John Meehan, has been a music arranger for American Fork since the early 2000's. In this new role, he will be helping as a Music Coordinator. 3.) Peter Bates will return as Visual Caption Head but will also be taking on new opportunities as a visual designer for the 2022 season. 4.) John Escalante has been with the band for nearly 5 years as a dance instructor and movement expert. He will retain this position but will also be helping as a Design Consultant. 5.) Michele Alger and Bix Hollenbach will be returning as Woodwind Caption Head and Brass Caption Head respectively. 6.) Jaycee Wilson will return as a Colorguard Coordinator and Choreographer 7.) Dana Slabaugh, Director of Percussion at American Fork High School, will continue his responsibilities as Battery Arranger and Percussion Caption Head. 8.) Leon May back for drill designer Etc." Really excited for AFHS www.americanforkband.com/
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jun 20, 2022 13:27:00 GMT -6
The Woodlands has FINALLY made their formal announcement. ♥️♥️
Carter Frederick has been hired to replace (the irreplaceable) Joni Perez at TWHS. Mr. Frederick comes to The Woodlands from Jersey Village HS which is nearby in the Cy Fair district so the transition shouldn’t be too difficult!
Congratulations to TWHS band members and to Mr. Frederick for the job opportunity of a lifetime.
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Post by jmike16 on Jun 20, 2022 14:58:36 GMT -6
Lumberton has a new guard director. The 3rd one since 2020. It's the band director's wife.
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Post by marimba11 on Jun 24, 2022 9:14:05 GMT -6
Katie VanDoren promoted to Head Director at Vandegrift
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Post by marimba11 on Jun 24, 2022 9:14:51 GMT -6
I doubt, once again, Vandegrift will skip a beat
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Post by statechamp1239 on Jun 26, 2022 11:17:53 GMT -6
Arkadelphia HS (AR) received 1 new band director, and 2 new assistant directors. One of the assistant director was an Percussion director for Union City HS (TN) and the other director just graduated in 2020 from UCA.
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Post by hewhowaits on Jun 26, 2022 11:42:32 GMT -6
Arkadelphia HS (AR) received 1 new band director, and 2 new assistant directors. One of the assistant director was an Percussion director for Union City HS (TN) and the other director just graduated in 2020 from UCA. Union City has participated in BOA competitions every year since 1995. A new assistant director at Arkadelphia from a program that consistently participates in BOA is a good sign that they may be joining us soon.
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Post by principalagent on Jun 27, 2022 8:33:57 GMT -6
Apparently Mansfield HS's (TX) band director, his contract will not be renewed next year, so he lost his position. Will be hiring an new band director for the 2022 year until he renews his contract. A lot of students and parents are angry and sad. Is this correct? I’ve heard nothing to this effect from my sources.
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Post by statechamp1239 on Jun 27, 2022 10:00:31 GMT -6
Apparently Mansfield HS's (TX) band director, his contract will not be renewed next year, so he lost his position. Will be hiring an new band director for the 2022 year until he renews his contract. A lot of students and parents are angry and sad. Is this correct? I’ve heard nothing to this effect from my sources. Lol. It was Mansfield HS from Massachusetts not Texas. Oops.
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Post by principalagent on Jun 27, 2022 10:09:18 GMT -6
Is this correct? I’ve heard nothing to this effect from my sources. Lol. It was Mansfield HS from Georgia not Texas. Oops. Double check schools! There are about 25,000 public high schools in the country—some of them share names!
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Post by statechamp1239 on Jun 27, 2022 10:12:51 GMT -6
Lol. It was Mansfield HS from Georgia not Texas. Oops. Double check schools! There are about 25,000 public high schools in the country—some of them share names! True Sorry. Well at least we know Mansfield from MA is getting an new director.
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Post by principalagent on Jun 27, 2022 12:43:17 GMT -6
Weiss HS has a new head band director, Ian Young, previously an assistant band director at Burnet HS. The question is, where will the previous Weiss head director, Branden Hill go? I think some of y’all wood know where he lands.😉 I don’t think this ended up being correct. The second spot went to a director from Dickinson HS.
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Post by Momof20613 on Jun 27, 2022 15:35:40 GMT -6
Yukon High School has a new director from just up the road:
Yukon Public Schools (YPS) is both excited and proud to announce James Rivera as the district's new band director for the Pride of Yukon. Rivera comes to YPS after serving as the director of bands at Piedmont Public Schools.
During his time at Piedmont, Rivera led their marching band to an OBA 5A State Championship and also led their wind ensemble to OSSAA Sweepstakes Awards. After graduating from Florida State University, Rivera’s teaching career began in Melbourne, Florida, where he started as a Director of Instrumental Music at Palm Bay High School. His first job as director of bands came in 2014 at Eau Gallie High School in Florida.
The YPS School Board approved the hiring of Rivera today. Congratulations once again to Rivera, and welcome to YPS.
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Post by realjsnacks on Jun 27, 2022 16:29:14 GMT -6
Yukon High School has a new director from just up the road: Yukon Public Schools (YPS) is both excited and proud to announce James Rivera as the district's new band director for the Pride of Yukon. Rivera comes to YPS after serving as the director of bands at Piedmont Public Schools. During his time at Piedmont, Rivera led their marching band to an OBA 5A State Championship and also led their wind ensemble to OSSAA Sweepstakes Awards. After graduating from Florida State University, Rivera’s teaching career began in Melbourne, Florida, where he started as a Director of Instrumental Music at Palm Bay High School. His first job as director of bands came in 2014 at Eau Gallie High School in Florida. The YPS School Board approved the hiring of Rivera today. Congratulations once again to Rivera, and welcome to YPS. As a Piedmont alum, I must say this came as a surprise to me, especially after their win last year. But, even all that said, Mr. Rivera is an amazing leader and Yukon is in great hands with him! I'm excited to see what happens for their future, as well as Piedmont's future!
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Post by Momof20613 on Jun 27, 2022 16:41:39 GMT -6
Yukon High School has a new director from just up the road: Yukon Public Schools (YPS) is both excited and proud to announce James Rivera as the district's new band director for the Pride of Yukon. Rivera comes to YPS after serving as the director of bands at Piedmont Public Schools. During his time at Piedmont, Rivera led their marching band to an OBA 5A State Championship and also led their wind ensemble to OSSAA Sweepstakes Awards. After graduating from Florida State University, Rivera’s teaching career began in Melbourne, Florida, where he started as a Director of Instrumental Music at Palm Bay High School. His first job as director of bands came in 2014 at Eau Gallie High School in Florida. The YPS School Board approved the hiring of Rivera today. Congratulations once again to Rivera, and welcome to YPS. As a Piedmont alum, I must say this came as a surprise to me, especially after their win last year. But, even all that said, Mr. Rivera is an amazing leader and Yukon is in great hands with him! I'm excited to see what happens for their future, as well as Piedmont's future! I was definitely shocked to hear who is was. Apparently Ms. Williams met with him to ask him to consider the position. He is her hand picked successor. Looks like the district likes him as well. I definitely hate that Piedmont is now in the position we were in though, looking for a new director at the 11th hour.
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Post by realjsnacks on Jun 27, 2022 17:02:08 GMT -6
As a Piedmont alum, I must say this came as a surprise to me, especially after their win last year. But, even all that said, Mr. Rivera is an amazing leader and Yukon is in great hands with him! I'm excited to see what happens for their future, as well as Piedmont's future! I was definitely shocked to hear who is was. Apparently Ms. Williams met with him to ask him to consider the position. He is her hand picked successor. Looks like the district likes him as well. I definitely hate that Piedmont is now in the position we were in though, looking for a new director at the 11th hour. It is definitely unexpected, but knowing them, this is far from their first director change, and I know they'll push through this one, just like they have all the other ones before! Piedmont is truly an admirable group - never letting the performance go down even with the whirlwind of staff changes a few years back!
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Post by srv1084 on Jun 27, 2022 20:47:54 GMT -6
Is this correct? I’ve heard nothing to this effect from my sources. Lol. It was Mansfield HS from Massachusetts not Texas. Oops. Being local, this is a strange one for me. The former band director (I believe he's also been with the Spartans for several years) built the program up a bit during the 2010s. In particular, their percussion program saw quite a bit of success in WGI's concert classes and eventually became marching class finalists for a few years. The former director left and a new one (this one you mention) was hired for the most recent school year, and then halfway through the year the former band director was brought back to the school as the assistant principal. He's also the person to contact for the new job opening. I have no intel, but I wonder if he had any say in the lack of contract renewal. The kids and parents really seem to like him, which is always a bummer when decisions like this are made.
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Post by Marching Observer on Jun 29, 2022 18:18:31 GMT -6
Westfield (TX) has a new associate director. They've hired Katie Zolvinski. She got her bachelor's degree from Ball State and just got her master's from Sam Houston St.
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Post by jmike16 on Jun 29, 2022 23:54:41 GMT -6
Lumberton HS (TX) just had 3 directors leave the program at once. This is just insane.
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