Travis Johnson, KBA President
What an AMAZING week this has been for the Kansas Bandmasters Association. Our 47th Annual Summer Convention was a success and exceeded expectations for everyone involved. We registered 218 participants for the convention and currently have 394 active members, 66 retirees, 11 first year, and 26 collegiate members. All of our numbers are up significantly, and we have picked up incredible momentum heading into the next school year. Thank you for attending and for being a part of our virtual convention!
I want to thank anyone that helped prepare our virtual convention. Everything was built from the ground up, and it was no small task. A special thank you to the KBA Board of Directors, our clinicians, and to our sponsors. We learned a lot along the way, and it will make us a stronger and more diverse organization moving forward.
Four individuals also deserve a personal thank you. If you see any of them, be sure to tell them that you appreciate their time and effort. Erik Stone’s work on social media and the KBA Middle-Level Honor Band was phenomenal. Dr. Carl Rowles contributed to almost every element of the convention and was always willing to jump in to help wherever we needed. Dennis Kerr did some outstanding video work to recognize our KMMA Members. Finally, Dr. Frank Perez gave us a vision for what our convention could be, and his work on our convention booklet truly set the conference apart.
Be sure to save the date for KBA 2021. Our convention will be held on July 14-17, 2021, at the DoubleTree Hotel (Near Wichita Airport). We have already started planning for next year. A few of our highlights include: Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, Mickey Smith, Andrew Cherry, 35th Infantry Band, Delano Wind Ensemble, Middle Level and Required List Music Reading Sessions, and corporate sponsorship by Yamaha. We are always looking for clinic ideas. If you would like to do a presentation at KBA, become a part of the team! You may submit your clinic at the following web address: https://kansasbandmasters.com/apps/clinics/?page=proposal
It is with great regret that our KBA Board announces the cancellation of our 2020 KBA Marching Championships. We will greatly miss the opportunity to see the hard work, excellence in music and artistic productions in their full potential. We will be back in 2021 and look forward to seeing everyone at a date to be determined.
In these challenging times, adaptability and perseverance are key. One of the benefits of current events is that KBA now has a GoToWebinar subscription to use throughout the year! We are looking into the possibility of launching a monthly webinar series for this upcoming school year. More information will be coming soon regarding this new webinar series..
We will start taking nominations for the 2021 Outstanding Bandmaster, Young Director, and Contributor Awards at the end of this month. This is a new function on our web site, and all KBA members may nominate someone they believe should be recognized. Our nomination page can be accessed after logging in to the Members Page. Criteria for each award are listed on the site. Please contact us if you have any questions about the nomination process.
Another first for KBA was the Band Director Boot Camp that was held on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. A huge thank you goes out to the team of collegiate directors that helped with the planning and support materials. We had nine new directors in attendance and four second-year directors that made up the discussion panel. We welcome our new colleagues to the profession and wish them the best of luck in their first year of teaching.
Finally, I have a HUGE favor to ask of everyone. Please follow us on social media if you don’t know how just ask one of your students. Yes, they will laugh at you… but then you will know how to do it. Our social media links are below, or you can search for Kansas Bandmasters on your favorite site. This seems like a small thing to do, but it is HUGE for our presence on social media.
LIKE US ON Facebook @ Kansas Bandmasters Association
FOLLOW US ON Instagram @ksbandmasters
FOLLOW US ON Twitter @ksbandmasters
Great things are happening for KBA, and I am so glad you are a part of it.
All the best,
Travis Johnson, President
Kansas Bandmasters Association
