NEBDI 2024 Program

Session Schedule & Descriptions

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Monday, July 8

Time		Location	Event Description	Presenter
8:00	8:45	Atrium	Continental Breakfast / Visit Exhibitors & Vendors
8:45	9:00	MBR	Welcome & Opening Remarks	John Hart & Jim Robins
9:00	10:15	Session 1
		LTR	Strategies for Improving Brass Articulation	Seelan Manickam
		MTV	Symphonic Seeds: Empowering Youth as Band Composers	Elisa Saunders
		NOC	Modern Band 101	Ken Martin & Joe Mundy
10:15	10:30	Atrium	Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
10:30	11:45	Session 2
		MBR	Reading Session: Grades 1–2	Elisa Saunders
11:45	12:00	Atrium	Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
12:00	1:30	In town	Lunch in Keene (or on-campus) NHBDA Luncheon / Business Meeting Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
		ZDC
		Atrium
1:30	2:45	Session 3
		NOC	Chamber Music: Not Just an Add-On	Seelan Manickam
		LTR	Starting and Supporting Young Euphonium & Tuba Players	Legato Pesante Tuba Quartet
		MTV	Marching Band 101 & How to Use Your Band to Build Community	Joe Mundy
2:45	3:15	Atrium	Coffee & Tea Break Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
3:15	4:45	Session 4 – Plenary Session w/ Randall Standridge
		MBR	Reading is FUNdamental: Building Music Literacy into Ensemble Rehearsal	Randall Standridge
4:45	5:00	Atrium	Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
5:00	6:30	In town	Dinner in Keene
6:30	8:00	Session 5
		MBR	Reading Session: The Music of Randall Standridge	Randall Standridge

Tuesday, July 9

8:00	9:00	Atrium	Continental Breakfast / Visit Exhibitors & Vendors
9:00	10:15	Session 1
		MBR	Let’s Talk Music	Randall Standridge
10:15	10:30	Atrium	Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
10:30	11:45	Session 2
		LTR	Instrument Repair Clinic	Adam Mejaour, David French Music
		NOC	All Things Beginning Band	Bunny Saranita
		MTV	Supporting Lifelong & Community Music Making	George Robinson, John Hart, & Donna Morse
11:45	12:00	Atrium	Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
12:00	1:30	In town	Lunch in Keene (or on-campus) Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
		Atrium
1:30	2:45	Session 3
		MBR	Hands on Percussion	Kenneth Clark
		NOC	Flute 101	Meghan MacFadden
		MTV	Planning A Music Festival Roundtable Discussion: Thoughts from a Festival Coordinator	Ken Martin
2:45	3:15	Atrium	Coffee & Tea Break Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
3:15	5:00	Session 4
		MBR	Reading Session: Grades 3–5	Meghan MacFadden
5:00	5:15	Atrium	Visit Vendors / Exhibitors
5:15	6:45	ZDC	NEBDI Banquet & Awards Ceremony
		In town	OR dinner in Keene
7:00	8:30	Session 5
		MBR	Jazz Band Reading Session	Kenneth Clark
		MTV	Directors Forum: Elementary / Middle School Band Bunny Saranita, facilitator
		LTR	Directors Forum: High School Band John Hart, facilitator
8:30		Social gathering at Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant, downtown Keene

Wednesday, July 10

8:30	9:00	Atrium	Continental Breakfast, Coffee, & Socialize
9:00	10:30	Session 1
		MRB	Anatomy of a Rehearsal Cycle	Meghan MacFadden
10:40	12:00	Session 2
		MBR	Event-Based Conducting: Choreography ≠ Cheating!	John Hart
12:00		Travel Home Thank you and see you next year!
12:00	2:00	NHBDA board & volunteers move equipment back to Redfern Arts Center

Session Descriptions by Date & Time

Monday, July 8, 2024

8:00 – 8:45 am

Check-in, Registration, Continental Breakfast
Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors!
Student Center Atrium

8:45 – 9:00 am

Welcome & Opening Remarks
Dr. John T. Hart Jr., Directors of Bands, Keene State College, NEBDI Coordinator
Jim Robins, Band Director, Hampstead Middle School, NHBDA President
Mabel Brown Room

NHBDA President, Jim Robins, and NEBDI Coordinator and host, Dr. John Hart, will welcome participants to NEBDI 2024, and provide some helpful information to ensure we have a great NEBDI experience. An overview of the schedule and the layout of the Student Center, and other relevant details will be covered.

Session 1: 9:00 – 10:15 am

Strategies for Improving Brass Articulation
Seelan Manickam, Professor of Trumpet, Keene State College
Lantern Room

How to tackle teaching young brass students why articulations are important. This clinic will talk about why the tongue is not the most important thing in the articulation process and how to approach tonguing for brass instruments. Also tips to help your HS brass players to be more music through their use of articulations. This clinic will be a roundtable type discussion so please bring your tips and questions.

Symphonic Seeds: Empowering Youth as Band Composers
Elisa Saunders, Pelham Memorial School
Mountain View Room

This session, designed for all instrumentalists, will provide teachers with the necessary tools and techniques to effectively guide their students through the process of creating original musical works. The class will delve into the fundamental elements of composition, exploring how to craft compelling melodic lines, harmonize them with rich chord progressions, and develop rhythmic patterns that drive the music forward. Participants will learn strategies for cultivating their students’ creativity through hands-on exercises and collaborative projects, Teachers will gain practical experience in structuring composition lessons, providing constructive feedback, and fostering an environment that nurtures the unique musical voices of young composers.

Modern Band 101
Ken Martin, Director of Instrumental Music, Winnacunnet High School &
Joe Mundy, Director of K–12 Performing Arts, Salem School District
Night Owl Café

Modern Band and non-traditional ensembles are growing in popularity and can reach an entire population of students in your school that may not feel connected to traditional performance ensembles. This session will discuss how to start a modern band program and will include such topics as; scheduling, budget, curriculum, instruction, assessments and many more.

10:15 – 10:30 am

Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors!
Atrium

Session 2: 10:30 – 11:45 am

Reading Session
Reading Session: Grades 1–2
Elisa Saunders, Pelham Memorial School
Mabel Brown Room

Selecting repertoire at the beginning band and developing band levels can sometimes be a challenge, and it can be hard to know exactly “what’ll work.” Join Elisa Saunders in a reading session of repertoire that spans tried-and-true titles & composers, as well as new and exciting repertoire from popular rising composers. You’re sure to find several pieces that are excellent for teaching skills and developing artistry in your musicians. Special thanks to Murphy Music Press, C. L. Barnhouse, and the many composers on the list for donating titles to the reading session. The repertoire list and where to find each title is available on the NEBDI 2024 website.

11:45 am – 1:30 pm

Lunch

Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors! Atrium
NHBDA Luncheon / Business Meeting Zorn Dining Commons
Lunch in Keene (or on campus)
Visit the NEBDI website for directions to walk to downtown food options.

Session 3: 1:30 – 2:45 pm

Chamber Music: Not Just an Add-On
Seelan Manickam, Professor of Trumpet, Keene State College
Night Owl Café

Why is Chamber Music integral to the development of young musicians? We will discuss how a solid chamber music program will enhance and strengthen your band program. Types of Chamber Groups to employ and how to build them into your curriculum.

Starting and Supporting Young Euphonium & Tuba Players
Legato Pesante Tuba Quartet
Lantern Room

Starting young low brass players can be challenging, especially for music directors who don’t have a lot of experience playing euphonium or tuba. It may have been quite a while since the old ‘brass methods’ course. We understand, which is why in this session we provide some useful framework to better understand each conical low brass instrument from an individual standpoint. Being able to attend to the differences in each instrument’s unique characteristics will help you and your students avoid frustration, learn faster, and have a lot more fun from the very beginning.

Marching Band 101 & How to Use Your Band to Build Community
Joe Mundy, Director of K–12 Performing Arts, Salem School District
Mountain View Room

A marching band program can serve your students and your community in incredible ways. In this session we will go over all the details of developing and running a marching band program, regardless of your experience with participating in one. We will also discuss different approaches to the ensemble, including the Midwestern model, and explore some simple ways in which you can use the group to build stronger relationships with the larger school community.

2:45 – 3:15 pm

Coffee & Tea Break

Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors!
Atrium

Session 4: 3:15 – 4:45 pm

Plenary Session w/ Randall Standridge

Reading is FUNdamental: Building Music Literacy into Ensemble Rehearsal
Randall Standridge, Featured Composer & Clinician
Mabel Brown Room

Randall shares strategies to increase and improve music literacy in an ensemble setting.

4:45 – 5:00 pm

Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors!
Atrium

5:00 – 6:30 pm

Dinner

Dinner in Keene
Visit the NEBDI website for directions to walk to downtown food options.

Session 5: 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Reading Session
The Music of Randall Standridge
Randall Standridge, Featured Composer & Clinician
Mabel Brown Room

Come play and immerse yourself in the music of our featured composer and clinician, Randall Standridge. With difficulty levels spanning the full range of his catalog, you’re sure to find a piece or two (or more) that will work with your ensemble. What’s more, Mr. Standridge himself will be conducting the Institute’s participants as ensemble, sharing his thoughts and insights on the works—the genesis of the piece, salient features and compositional techniques, what makes a piece good for a certain type of ensemble—giving you added perspective to share with your students! Bring your instrument and get ready to play some phenomenal music!

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

8:00 – 9:00 am

Check-in, Registration, Continental Breakfast
Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors!
Student Center Atrium

Session 1: 9:00 – 10:15 am

Let’s Talk Music
Randall Standridge, Featured Composer & Clinician
Mabel Brown Room

Randall shares his personal metrics for selecting music and how that impacts his writing, followed by a no-limits Q&A with the composer.

10:15 – 10:30 am

Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors!
Atrium

Session 2: 10:30 – 11:45 am

Instrument Repair Clinic
Adam Mejaour, David French Music
Lantern Room

We will be diving into the wonderful world of band instrument repair. Our main session objective will be to leave with a few band room friendly repair tips and a more rounded knowledge of when to throw in the towel and become friendly with your local repair technicians! I will be providing live examples from flute down to tuba with some of the most common problems, repairs and issues I’ve seen in the last 14 years in the shop at David French Music Co. in Westborough, Massachusetts.

All Things Beginning Band
Bunny Saranita, Band Director, Brattleboro Union High School
Night Owl Café

There is a magic, honor, and responsibility that comes with beginning students on their band instruments and yet, so often, we do not have bountiful resources for improving our craft once we pass the organizational phase of “recruit-rent-schedule-assemble instruments-make first sounds.” This session will explore strategies for moving beyond the start-up days to supporting the development of a successful, confident, and joyful beginner band program. Topics will include beat awareness, pitch and rhythm reading fluency, specific instrument techniques, metacognition & mindfulness for young musicians, listening & responsiveness, practice & performance skills, and band community. Ideas may be applied to a variety of beginner band situations from the least ideal schedules, space, and groupings to the dreamiest and loftiest of settings. Participants are encouraged to bring instruments.

Supporting Lifelong and Community Music Making
George Robinson, Director of Athletic Bands, Franklin Piece University &
John T. Hart Jr. Director of Bands, Keene State College
Mountainview Room

As school music directors, we must often confront a number of assumptions about playing music. One of the most pervasive and unspoken assumptions in society is that playing music must stop at various points in our lives (e.g., transitioning to a non-music major in college; entering a new career; relocating; not being a professional musician, etc.). Recent research reveals why people continue to play their instruments after their formal education has stopped. In this session, we look at the top seven reasons people continue to play their instruments into adulthood, and what we can all do reject the old, negative assumption and to create and instill a more positive assumption that supports lifelong and community music making.

11:45 am – 1:30 pm

Lunch

Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors! Atrium
Lunch in Keene (or on campus)
Visit the NEBDI website for directions to walk to downtown food options.

Session 3: 1:30 – 2:45 pm

Hands-On Percussion
Kenneth Clark, Timberlane Schools
Mabel Brown Room

Come and review basic playing and teaching methods on percussion instruments. Drum pads and drum sticks will be provided for those wishing to play. Learn how to teach proper stick grip while revisiting some of the most important rudiments. Review tambourine, triangle, and crash cymbal techniques. Discuss ideas for keeping students engaged during rehearsals. Ken teaches the percussionists at the Timberlane Regional Middle and High schools.

Flute 101
Meghan MacFadden, Director of Bands, Smith College
Night Owl Café

Brush up on your flute pedagogy for beginners through high schoolers. Topics covered include methods for ensuring proper carriage and hand position, gadgets and techniques to improve tone production, remedies for balance and intonation issues, how to introduce vibrato in a band setting, and how to transition students to piccolo. Optional: bring a flute to experience these concepts yourself and get the most out of the session!

Planning A Music Festival Roundtable Discussion: Thoughts from a Festival Coordinator
Ken Martin, Director of Instrumental Music, Winnacunnet High School
Mountainview Room

Have you ever considered hosting a music festival at your school? How about running one for your district or even your state? State-wide music festivals can be fantastic opportunities for our young musicians and can give them that much needed push to excel. But sometimes our students might not be ready for that kind of pressure. Creating your own music festival for your town or district can be a great way to get that festival experience. With over 10 years of festival planning experience, I look forward to sharing all of the parts that have worked for me and the parts that haven’t.

2:45 – 3:15 pm

Coffee & Tea Break

Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors!
Atrium

Session 4: 3:15 – 5:00 pm

Reading Session
Reading Session: Grades 3–5
Meghan MacFadden, Director of Bands, Smith College
Mabel Brown Room

Selecting quality repertoire. This is a big topic for band and wind ensemble directors, as the repertoire you choose is your curriculum. How can you know for sure whether a piece is of the right quality for your group? The answer might be different for everyone, so it’s nice to have a little help from time to time. Join Dr. Meghan MacFadden, Director of Bands at Smith College, in reading a carefully curated list of repertoire sure to please. This reading session will explore grades 3–5 works for band by composers from diverse backgrounds, across a range of levels, and encompassing both new outstanding composers and some “old gems” that have (for whatever reason) fallen off peoples’ radar — but all pieces are most assuredly “quality literature.” Many thanks to the Smith College Performance Library, King Phillip High School, and the many publishers/composers who donated music to this session.

5:00 – 5:15 pm

LAST CHANCE: Visit the Vendors & Exhibitors!
Atrium

5:15 – 6:45 pm

Dinner

NEBDI Banquet & Awards Ceremony Zorn Dining Commons*
Or, Dinner in Keene
Visit the NEBDI website for directions to walk to downtown food options.

*Banquet tickets must be purchased during pre-registration (on-site registration is too late).

Session 5: 7:00 – 8:30 pm

Jazz Band Reading Session
Kenneth Clark, Timberlane Schools
Mabel Brown Room

Bring your horn! Come and play some jazz band charts! We will perform selections of new music submitted by exhibiting publishers as well as new music sent by JW Pepper.

Elementary / Middle & High School Directors’ Forums
Elementary & Middle – Mountain View Room
High School – Lantern Room
Presiders: Bunny Saranita, Band Director, Brattleboro Union High School & John Hart, Director of Bands, Keene State College

Topics relevant to the modern elementary, middle school, and high school band director will be discussed in semi-moderated group roundtables. Topics to be discussed will include issues pertinent to each level taught, as well as the many challenges and opportunities band directors are presented with daily. Discussion will also include the formation of a consortium to commission a work for NEBDI from a composer we’d host as the featured clinician/composer in 2–3 years’ time: a piece for NEBDI, but playable by our students.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2024

8:30 – 9:00 am

Check-in, Registration, Continental Breakfast
Student Center Atrium

Session 1: 9:00 – 10:30 am

Anatomy of a Rehearsal Cycle:
How to Allocate Rehearsal Time Effectively from First Read to Concert
Meghan MacFadden, Director of Bands, Smith College
Mabel Brown Room

Do you feel rushed as your concert approaches? Do you struggle with an infrequent or inconsistent rehearsal schedule? This session will discuss strategies for a more effective and efficient rehearsal cycle that moves your ensembles beyond notes and rhythms and into real music making. Topics will include: methods for allocating rehearsal time, how to meet benchmarks earlier, and how to help increase student ownership of the process.

Session 2: 10:40 am – 12:00 pm

Event-Based Conducting: Choreography ≠ Cheating!
John T. Hart Jr., Director of Bands, Keene State College
Mabel Brown Room

Often, the secret to making your conducting more effective is to do less. When we strip away the need to appear elaborate and showy in our conducting, we discover the heart of effective conducting—speaking the same language as our performers. In this session, participants will identify key aesthetic elements in pieces of music, connect them to movements that make sense to young musicians, and conduct with simple, easy-to-follow gestures to maximize expressive performance. Bring your instruments and your batons!

Reading Session Lists

NEBDI 2024 Grade 0.5–2 Concert Band Reading Session

Elisa Saunders, Conductor

Title	Composer	Grade	Length	Publisher	Price
Six Note Symphony	Lisa Galvin	0.5	1:30	Barnhouse	$45
Supervillains!	Lachlan Pierce	0.5	1:30	Self	$20
Azimuth	Sean O’Loughlin	0.5	2:45	Carl Fischer	$50
HitchBOT Jr.	Alex Tedrow	0.5–1	1:50	Murphy Music Press	$50
Above The Ground	Jose Ignacio Blesa-Lull	1	2:20	Murphy Music Press	$80
Whirlwind	Jodie Blackshaw	1	6:30	Manhattan Beach	$135
Of Emerald Shires	David A Myers	1	4:30	Grand Mesa Music	$60
The Hope of Tomorrow	Naoya Wada	1.5	3:05	Barnhouse	$49
Skyward	Katahj Copley	2	3:00	Murphy Music Press	$120
Reminiscence	Kathryn Salfelder	2	3:45	B&H Windependence / Self	$65
Chasing Sunlight	Cait Nishimura	2	2:50	Murphy Music Press	$100
March in the Shadows	Ed Kiefer	2	3:50	Carl Fischer	$75

NEBDI 2024 Grade 3-5 Concert Band Reading Session

Meghan MacFadden, Conductor

Title	Composer	Grade	Length	Publisher	Price
March Bou-Shu	Satoshi Yagisawa	3	3:45	De Haske/JW Pepper	$104
Against the Rain	Roshanne Etezady	3	4:30	Murphy	$90
Terpsichorean Dances	Jodie Blackshaw	3	7:30	Manhattan Beach/JW Pepper	$195
Shenandoah	Omar Thomas	3	6:30	Self/JW Pepper	$140
Enmascarado de Plata	Oscar Alcalá	3	4:00	Valley Winds	$125
Fanfare Dissensus	Kim Archer	4	3:00	Murphy	$100
On Parade	Amanda Aldridge/ed. Bove	4	3:45	And We Were Heard	$20
Little Mexican Suite	Nubia Jaime-Donjuan	4	14:00	Randall Standridge	$85/mvmt
Salt March	Aakash Mittal	4	5:30	Murphy	$200
Magnolia Star	Steve Danyew	5	6:30	Self/JW Pepper	$199

NEBDI 2024 Featured Composer Reading Session

Randall Standridge, Composer & Conductor

Title	Composer	Grade	Length	Publisher	Price
Blizzard’s Fury	Randall Standridge	0.5	1:48	RSM	$55
Ele(mental)	Randall Standridge	0.5–1	5:12	RSM	$60
Scream	Randall Standridge	1.5	2:10	RSM	$60
Heartland March	Randall Standridge	2	2:23	RSM	$65
Infinite Possibilities	Randall Standridge	2	2:45	RSM	$65
Stay	Randall Standridge	2	4:27	RSM	$70
Sirens	Randall Standridge	2.5	4:01	RSM	$70
Son of Santa the Barbarian	Randall Standridge	2.5	4:58	RSM	$70
Animation	Randall Standridge	4	6:45	RSM	$95
Columbia	Randall Standridge	4	4:52	RSM	$95
Havana Nights	Randall Standridge	4	6:22	RSM	$85
Symphony No.1 – Mvt. 2	Randall Standridge	5	7:30	RSM	$85
Symphony No.1 – Mvt. 3	Randall Standridge	5	5:45	RSM	$100

NEBDI 2024 Jazz Band Reading Session

Kenneth Clark, conductor / Mike Adams filling in

TITLE	COMPOSER	ARRANGER	STYLE	GRADE	Notes
Intro to Art	Bret Zvacek		Shuffle Funk	M	Open drums
Ace of Hearts	Ryan Erik Adamsons		Latin Rock	E
Mamacita	Joe Henderson	Alan Baylok	Straight 8th	M
Tu Valor (Your Value)	Michele Fernandez		Cha Cha Cha	E	Open 4 solos
Cinema Paradiso		Mark Taylor	Latin Ballad	ME	Flugel Feature
Strike Up The Band	Gershwin	Mark Taylor	Fast Swing	ME	Ten/Trp/Alto
My Favorite Things	Rodgers/Hammerstein	Michele Fernandez	Fast Swing 4/4	M	4/4 then 3/4 afro
Lester Left Town	Wayne Shorter	Mark Taylor	Fast Swing	M	Ten/Bone
The Pink Panther Mambo	Henry Mancini	George Nielsen	Straight 8ths	E	Alto/Trp
Song For My Father	Horace Silver	Paul Murtha	Latin	E	Alto/Trp
Low Bridge	Thomas Allen	Kris Berg	Swing	MA	Bass Bone
Get Your Groove Back	Dean Sorenson		Driving Rock	VE
Little Sun Flower	Freddie Hubbard	Mike Story	Latin	E	Trp/Ten
Filling in for Buddy	Doug Beach		Swing	VE?	Drum Feature
Furioso	Michele Fernandez		Cut Time Latin	MA	Open Solos
Share Your Gift	Drew Zaremba		Second-Line Swing	ME	Ten/Trp/Bone
Cross Roads	Kris Berg		Swing	M	Trp/Alto/Bari
My Funny Valentine		Rick Hirsch		M	Alto Feat
Rollin’ In Rhythm	Paul Baker		Easy Swing	ME	Alto/Trp/Bone
Soul Chicken	Kris Berg		Rock	ME	Alto Feat
Neon Green	Paul Baker		Funk	M	Open 4 solos
Blues For Fanglord	Chris Sharp		Swing	M	Tr/Ten-Band soli
Later	Craig Skeffington		Swing	M	Sax-soli
Carismatica	Michele Fernandez		Sassy Latin	M	Open All
Groove Chico	Christopher Artau		Funk	M	Open All
Billie’s Bounce	Charlie Parker	John Wasson	Swing	M	Alto/Trp/Ten
Kickin’ The Can	Terry White		Slow Swing	E	Ten/Trp-Blues
Wade in the Water		Zachary Smith	Slow Rock	VE	Ten/Trp 1&2

Clinician Biographies

Randall Standridge, Featured Composer & Clinician

Randall Standridge (b.1976) received his Bachelor’s of Music Education from Arkansas State University. During this time, he studied composition with Dr. Tom O’Connor, before returning to Arkansas State University to earn his Master’s in Music Composition, studying with Dr. Tom O’Connor and Dr. Tim Crist. In 2001, he began his tenure as Director of Bands at Harrisburg High School in Harrisburg, Arkansas. He left this post in 2013 to pursue a career as a full-time composer and marching arts designer.

Mr. Standridge’s music is performed internationally. He has had numerous works selected for the J.W. Pepper’s editor’s choice. His compositions Snake Charmer, Gently Blows the Summer Wind, and Angelic Celebrations have been included in the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series. He has had numerous works performed at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. The Arkansas State University Wind Ensemble premiered his work Art(isms) at the 2010 CBDNA conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and his work Stonewall: 1969 was premiered at the National LGBA conference in 2019. His Symphony no.1: A Ghost Story was premiered in 2023. In addition, Mr. Standridge’s “unBroken Project,” a musical initiative about mental health, has received widespread acclaim for its musical content and for providing opportunities to normalize discussions about mental health for music students and audiences.

In addition to his career as a composer, Mr. Standridge is the owner and editor of Randall Standridge Music, LLC and Grand Mesa Marching. He is in demand as an arranger/designer for the marching arts. He lives in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with his husband, Steven, and their very, very spoiled pets.

Kenneth Clark

Ken is the past president of the New Hampshire Band Directors’ Association and is on the board of the New Hampshire Music Educators’ Association where he is in his 21^st year as Chairperson for the NH Jazz All-State Music Festival.

Ken has been teaching middle and high school bands in the Timberlane schools in Plaistow, NH since 1992. He was chosen to receive the first Outstanding Young Band Director award by the New Hampshire Band Directors’ Association in 1995. Ken has adjudicated for and conducted the Maine Jazz All State Jazz Bands and Jazz Combo. He has conducted the Maine District II Middle School Concert Band and Jazz Band as well as the Southern Maine Sixth Grade Festival Band. In 2009, he also conducted the Massachusetts Northeast Middle School Honor Band and jazz band and also the NH Middle School South Central Honors Concert Band.

In addition, he has adjudicated for the New Hampshire All-State, Jazz All-State, and Solo and Ensemble music festivals. Ken has presented workshops for the All-Eastern Music Festival (Baltimore), the New Hampshire and Rhode Island music educators’ conventions, The University of NH, Keene State College, as well as for the New England Band Director Institute. He has taught percussion, concert band, jazz band, and jazz improvisation at UNH’s Summer Youth Music School for 27 years.

John T. Hart Jr.

Dr. John T. Hart Jr. serves as Associate Professor of Music at Keene State College, directing the Concert Band and co-coordinating the Music Education program. He also coordinates the Music Department’s woodwind, brass, and percussion areas; and leads the low brass studio. Dr. Hart is also on the trombone & tuba faculty for the renowned LA Phil’s YOLA National Festival. Dr. Hart has performed with and conducted many of the Northeast’s top ensembles, including the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Hartt Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Hartford Opera Theatre, the Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra, Winchendon Winds, Valley Winds, and TUNDI Opera Productions. As an active clinician, he has conducted festivals and workshops throughout the Northeast. He especially enjoys working with living composers and is a strong advocate for the creation of new wind ensemble music to better represent marginalized populations.

Dr. Hart also designs, publishes, and presents empirical research on music teacher education and conducting methods. His publications appear in Music Educators Journal, Contributions to Music Education, and Journal of Music Teacher Education. He has presented at the state, regional, and national levels. Dr. Hart received a Ph.D. in Music Education and a Master of Music Education from The Hartt School, and a B.A. in Music from Gettysburg College. He is a member of NAfME, NHMEA, SMTE, AERA, Conductors Guild, CBDNA, College Music Society, and the academic music honor society Pi Kappa Lambda. Dr. Hart performs on S.E. Shires Custom trombones, Besson euphoniums, and Eastman tubas. He plays euphonium with the Legato Pesante Tuba Quartet.

Legato Pesante Tuba Quartet

The Legato Pesante Quartet is a New England-based tuba-euphonium quartet composed of passionate performers and music educators. Performing a diverse array of styles and genres, new and old, classic and contemporary for recitals, masterclasses and clinics, professional functions, outreach, graduations, weddings… their mantra is that “any occasion could be made better with just a little more tuba!”

Michael Fahrner, euphonium, serves as Adjunct Professor of Euphonium at Rowan University and brass faculty of Rowan Community Music School, as well as maintaining a private studio virtually around Philadelphia. Michael has also served as Assistant Director of the Atlantic Youth Brass Band, brass faculty of Settlement Music School’s Music Education Pathways program. He is currently pursuing his DMA in Euphonium Performance at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Dr. John T. Hart Jr., euphonium, serves as Assistant Professor of Music at Keene State College, directing the Concert Band and co-coordinating the Music Education program. He also coordinates the Music Department’s woodwind, brass, and percussion areas; and leads the low brass studio. Dr. Hart is also on the trombone & tuba faculty for the renowned LA Phil’s YOLA National Festival.

Danielle Kendall, tuba, grew up in Niagara Falls, New York. She completed her undergraduate degree in Tuba Performance and Music Education from SUNY Fredonia in 2016, summa cum laude, and was awarded a Performer’s Certificate in tuba that Fall. She completed her Master of Music in Tuba Performance at the Hartt School in May, 2019. Danielle is currently the Operations Manager for the Handel Performing Arts Center and Tuba-Euphonium Faculty for the Hartt School Community Division at the University of Hartford.

Dr. Steve Wilkinson, tuba, is a founding member of the Legato Pesante Quartet, as well as a core member of Amity Street Brass Quintet in Westborough, MA. He has performed with Sonic Brass, Bala Brass, Symphoria, and the New England Symphony Orchestra (now the Worcester Symphony Orchestra). A licensed K-12 educator in Massachusetts, he currently teaches low brass for Natick Public Schools, Tantasqua Regional School District, and Leominster High School; and is the Tuba Instructor at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. Dr. Wilkinson earned his doctorate at The Hartt School, his Master of Music Performance at Ithaca College, and a dual degree in Music Performance and Music Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Steve composes and arranges much of Legato Pesante’s repertoire under Low n’ Slow Publishing Co. (ASCAP).

Meghan MacFadden

Meghan MacFadden is a musician and educator based in Amherst, Massachusetts. She is the Director of the Wind Ensemble at Smith College, Assistant Conductor of the Valley Winds and the Metropolitan Wind Symphony, and Staff Accompanist at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. Previously, Meghan taught instrumental music at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Clark University, and Tufts University. She is a passionate champion of new and diverse wind band music and is a recipient of the CBDNA Mike Moss Grant for conducting study. Meghan works to facilitate discussions and progress on gender dynamics in music and music education, and has given presentations on the subject for CNaFME and at the MMEA state conference. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Illinois and received her Master of Music in Conducting from Sam Houston State University.

Seelan Manickam

A native of Canada, Seelan received his BMus. at the University of Victoria and has also finished his Graduate work in trumpet performance at The Boston Conservatory. Additional studies have been with Jens Lindemann and Charles Schlueter.

As a soloist Seelan has appeared with the Boston Chamber Orchestra, Cambridge Choral Society, South Coast Community Chorale, The University of Massachusetts Orchestra, The Firelands Symphony Orchestra, The Keene State Wind Ensemble and Chorus Pro Musica.

Other professional experience has included playing principal trumpet with The Indian Hill Symphony, New Hampshire Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, Thayer Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, Taipei Sinfonietta and Cape Ann Symphony. A founding member of the award winning Bala Brass Quintet, Seelan has toured the globe appearing in Japan, Canada, Thailand and the US.

An advocate of music education, Seelan has given master classes and clinics at the nation’s top conservatories and schools, including the University of Connecticut, SUNY-Purchase, Shenandoah Conservatory, Wisconsin Lutheran College, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Bridgewater State College, Salem State College and Phillips Academy.

Currently, Seelan is adjunct trumpet faculty at Keene State College and is the Director of Brass Chamber Music and the Keene State Brass Ensemble. Seelan is an XO Brass Artist and plays exclusively on XO instruments.

Kenneth Martin

Ken Martin graduated from Rhode Island College in 2005 where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. Ken returned to New Hampshire in 2005 where he was the Band Director and Music Teacher for the Goffstown School District in Goffstown, NH. While in Goffstown, Ken taught General Music for the 3^rd through 8^thgrade classes, Beginning Band, Intermediate Band, Jazz Band and 7^TH/8^TH Grade Band for 9 years. In 2015, Ken made the move to Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, NH where he took the role of Director of Instrumental Music. His teaching responsibilities include Concert Band, Jazz Band, Marching Band, Guitar Ensemble, Music Theory, Piano, Orchestra, and Modern Band. Ken served on the NHMEA Executive Board from 2010 to 2021 as the chairperson for the Large Group Festival and is currently the chairperson for the Middle School District Festival. Ken lives in Merrimack, NH with his wife, son and dog and runs a private saxophone lessons studio out of his house.

Adam Mejaour

Adam Mejaour enjoys being immersed in the world of music from almost every angle. By day, he is the head technician and repair department manager at David French Music Company in Westborough, MA, specializing in wind instrument repair. He has been enjoying his time working alongside the French family since 2010. There, he also doubles as a music educator, teaching a thriving private studio of local trumpet students that have ranged from 10 to 76 years of age. With his remaining time, he enjoys an active freelance trumpet playing career, performing in idioms across the musical spectrum. Whether in chamber ensembles, pit orchestras, jazz bands or wind ensembles, Adam “Hot Lips” Mejaour finds himself at home.

He earned his Bachelor’s in Music Education and Trumpet Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2015. This is also where his current group, Amity Street Brass Quintet was initially founded and graciously guided by music department faculty: Greg Spiridopoulos (trombone), John Bottomley (tuba), Laura Klock (horn), and Eric Berlin (trumpet).

If he’s not doing any of the above things, you’ll likely catch him cooking some amazing meals at home, hanging with his two cats Simba and Bagheera, out enjoying a nice hike, or kayaking.

Donna Morse

Donna is currently the founder and director of the Monadnock New Horizons Band in Keene, NH, the musical director for the Nelson, NH Town Band, the jazz instructor at the New England Adult Music Camp, a private teacher, and free lance musician. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the New Horizons International Music Association(NHIMA).

Donna started playing in the Nelson Town Band(NTB) in 1996 and began conducting the band around 2003. NTB is a community band that performs both concerts and parades all around the Monadnock region. While attending the New England Adult Music Camp in 2013 Donna learned about the New Horizons program, a lifelong learning music program for adults. She returned to Keene and started the Monadnock New Horizons Band(MNHB) in the Fall of 2014. MNHB focuses on learning and fostering community. The band is going strong with more than 40 members.

Donna is a founding member and plays lead saxophone in the Keene Jazz Orchestra and has also performed with the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band, Boston’s White Heat Orchestra, East Bay Jazz Band, the Temptations, and the Les DeMerle Big Band on a Caribbean cruise, as well as many classical, jazz and pit orchestra gigs in the northern New England area. She was a guest conductor at the New England Adult Music Camp in 2022, two recent New Horizons camps in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, and Cincinnati, OH, and the NHBDA flute ensemble in 2023. She plays clarinets, saxophones, flute, piccolo, and piano. Her private students have auditioned and have been accepted for NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles, NH All-state, NH Jazz All-State, VT All State, New England Music Festival, NH Honors Band, and the MA Central District Music Festival.

Her music education beginning in Miami more than 50 years ago(yikes!) with piano lessons. She started clarinet in 6th grade and played in Florida All-state festivals, district festivals, and three years in the Orange Bowl parade. After graduating from Bucknell University, Donna expanded her woodwind playing to flute and saxophone, studying flute with Shirley Gilpin and Julie Armstrong, studying saxophone and applied jazz harmony with Scott Mullett, John Mastriani, and Mark Pinto and studying jazz piano and harmony with Eugene Uman of the Vermont Jazz Center.

Donna, who loves playing music, traveling and sewing, lives in Keene, NH with her husband, Dave, and her ridiculous cat Chili.

Joseph Mundy

Joe Mundy is the director of performing arts K-12 in the Salem School District in Salem, New Hampshire. Prior to that he worked as a high school band director and music teacher in numerous districts throughout New Hampshire, including Pelham, Londonderry, and Souhegan. Following four years of high school drumline, Joe graduated from Michigan State University where he spent four years marching in the Spartan Marching Band and MSU Competitive Drumline. He has worked as a staff member with many Michigan & New Hampshire high school marching bands and has a wealth of experience with different groups and approaches. Joe currently lives in Sandown, NH with his wife Sarah and their two dogs, Noodles and Koa.

George Robinson

Since arriving in Keene in August 2008, George has immersed himself in the local music community and is actively involved in a variety of musical and educational organizations. In addition to leading jazz, rock, funk, and cover bands that perform across the region, he has served as the drummer of the Keene Jazz Orchestra since 2009. With the KJO, a 501c-3 nonprofit organization whose mission is performing and perpetuating American Big Band music and promoting jazz education in the region, he has performed with world-class musicians such as Gordon Goodwin, Gary Smulyan, Frank Greene, Steve Davis, Bill Prince and Matt Glaser. George has coordinated and hosted weekly live jazz series and other music performances in several locations in the Keene NH and Brattleboro VT area, and frequently plays with local big bands including the KJO, The Vermont Jazz Center Big Band, The Amherst Jazz Orchestra, The Jeff Holmes Big Band, and the Compaq Big Band.

George graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a Masters of Music Degree in Drum Set Performance in 2018, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education at Keene State College in 2012. George has gone on to study privately with some of the premier drummers in New England and New York, including Joe Farnsworth, Clarence Penn, Francisco Mela, Bob Gullotti, John DiSanto, and Tom Giampietro.

As an educator, George has worked with students of all abilities and ages, covering everything from basic skills and techniques to All-State and college audition materials. He serves as the Jazz Artist in Residence and Assistant Marching Band Instructor at Keene Middle School, works with jazz students at Keene High School, directs the Pep Band at Franklin Pierce University, and currently teaches private lessons at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, VT, at Keene State College, and at his home studio in Keene, NH. On the collegiate level, George served as a teaching assistant for jazz history classes at UMass Amherst, and has substituted for music theory and music improvisation classes, as well as jazz combo and jazz ensemble rehearsals at Keene State College.

Bunny Saranita

Bunny Saranita taught instrumental music and band in the Merrimack, New Hampshire school district for nearly twenty years. She specialized in beginner instrumental music at James Mastricola Upper Elementary School for eighteen years before becoming the high school band director at Merrimack High School in 2022. Bunny is now the Director of Bands at Brattleboro Union High School in Vermont.

Bunny is past president of New Hampshire Band Directors Association and remained active with the association through her role as membership chair and as a committee member for the NH All State Chamber Music Festival. Bunny also served on the NH Jazz All State Committee for 15 years. NHBDA awarded Bunny the NH Outstanding Young Band Director Award in 2001 and the Outstanding Band Director Award in 2022. Passionate about the science of learning, Bunny has been a clinician for the Merrimack school district and for NHMEA.

Bunny earned degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Louisville, studying trumpet with Walter Chesnut and Michael Tunnell. Prior to teaching in Merrimack and Brattleboro, Bunny taught courses in music education at the University of Louisville (KY) and at Rivier University (NH), instructed trumpet for the Performing Arts Division at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and directed the instrumental music programs in several public-school settings, including the Union 38 School District in Massachusetts and the Winnisquam, Auburn, and Manchester school districts in New Hampshire.

Elisa Saunders

For over twenty years, Elisa Saunders has been teaching public school music. She is currently the band director at Pelham Memorial School, and the trumpet instructor and brass ensemble director at Plymouth State University. Previously, she taught in Illinois for 9 years, teaching not only middle level band but also beginning and high school band, marching band, jazz band, concert choir, show choir, and theater, as well as K-8 general music. She is a graduate of Illinois State University with a Masters of Music in Trumpet Performance, and of PSU (well, PSC way back then) with a BS in Music Ed.