Dr. Alex Wimmer, President, Kansas Bandmasters Association
Marching Championships Update:
I wanted to thank and congratulate everyone who participated in our KBA 2025 Marching Championships! There were incredible performances at our Small Schools Championship on October 11 and our Open Class Championship on October 18. Thank you to Washburn University and Emporia State University for hosting and supporting these events. Dr. Anya Pogorelova (Washburn) and Dr. William Woodworth (Emporia State) went out of their way to ensure that everything ran smoothly, so thousands of students could have an exceptional performance experience. Special thanks to our sponsors, and the Kansas Music Merchants for sponsoring our awards. Regardless of placement, everyone won!
I also want to thank my KBA colleagues who were involved in the planning and running of our Marching Championships: all of our volunteers (Washburn and Emporia State students, fellow band directors, and community members) organized by Madison Hines Schmoll; our Competition Suite Manager Tyler Kemp; our Social Media Team consisting of Erik Stone, Olivia Bazanos, and Crystal Strawder for celebrating everyone’s success online; our Executive Director Randy Fillmore for handling everything involving finances; KBA Presidents (Frank Perez and Shawn Knopp) for being on-site and doing whatever was needed; and finally our Marching Championships Co-Chairs Jayme Malsom and Patrick McCarty who spent countless hours planning everything. We are grateful for these folks who dedicated their time and demonstrated incredible leadership, thank you making all this possible!
Kansas Intercollegiate Band Nominations Open:
For our collegiate colleagues, nominations for the Kansas Intercollegiate Band (KIB) are open! Students will rehearse and perform at the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop on February 27. 2026 under the direction of Dr. Coutney Snyder (Associate Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University of Michigan). Nominations close on November 30!
Jazz Championships Update:
Registration for our Jazz Championship is open and we are excited for the fourth year of this event! This year’s championship will be at Wichita State University on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Our Jazz Championship Chair is Adam DeVault and newly appointed Co-Chair Alex Toepfer, are doing incredible work in preparing for this year’s championship. Please email Adam or Alex (jazz@kansasbandmasters.com) if you want to be part of this incredible performance opportunity or with any questions you might have!
Concert Band Festival Update:
KBA is excited for our second year hosing a Concert Band Festival on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at MidAmerica Nazarene University! This is a supportive, educational event designed to help your band grow through performance, written feedback, and an in-depth clinic from one of our outstanding guests:
- Luke Johnson, Director of Bands at MidAmerica Nazarene University
- Melissa Sawyer, Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Kansas
- Brian Silvey, Director of Bands at the University of Missouri
Your band will receive: an opportunity to play your program on stage, written feedback, and a live clinic following your performance. No scores will be given; this will be purely an opportunity for your band to grow and gain confidence prior to KSHSAA and Spring concerts. Participants will also be encouraged to attend other groups’ performances and clinics.
High school and middle school bands are welcome to attend. Cost will be $150 per ensemble, and registration is due by March 1st. Please use click here to register and to find more information. Please email Concert Band Festival Chair Andrew Chybowski (achybowski@pittstate.edu) if you have any questions!
2026 Summer Convention Session Proposals Open:
We have started working on our KBA 2026 Convention and are excited to be back at the Double Tree by Hilton Wichita Airport on July 15-18, 2026! Clinic proposals can be submitted by clicking here!
Up to two proposals can be submitted by January 9, 2026. We want to encourage anyone to submit (or recommend someone else to submit) a clinic proposal. There are so many great teachers in our state and surrounding areas with incredible ideas. Please consider sharing them with folks who both want to support you and grow in their own understandings!
We are also accepting nominations for our Hall of Fame Awards! Nominations can be made now through Monday, December 1, 2025.
KBA thanks you for your support of our students, band directors, and music education. It is through your support that we can continue to offer our youth the best possible musical experiences.
Take care and thank you for “Building Better Bands!”
Alex
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