GREENVILLE – The College Band Directors National Association selection committee named two Greenville University band students to the North Central Intercollegiate Band. The committee chose Meghan Garmon of Hillsboro, Illinois, and Kennedy Gerton of Springfield, Illinois, both freshmen at GU.
The two clarinet players, along with more than 70 other collegiate band members from the north central part of the United States, will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, in April, to rehearse and prepare a concert for the College Band Directors National Association Conference.
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Greenville University Band Director Alex Kirby says band directors across the country nominate students based on sight reading, tone, and overall musicianship. The selection committee then chooses a balanced ensemble and students audition at the conference for their chair placement within the section.
“Membership into the intercollegiate band is hard to come by, especially for schools like GU which may not have some of the resources a larger institution may have,” Kirby says. “This is a huge honor for these two young adults to have been selected as freshmen and I know they will represent the band program and Greenville University well!”
According to Kirby, while students rehearse at the Collegiate Band Directors National Association Conference, he and other band directors from across the country attend clinics and round table discussions on advancements in the band world, newly published music, rehearsal techniques, and more.
“It’s exciting to find out what other schools are doing repertoire-wise, and to share about recruitment and retention strategies for students,” Kirby says.
The North Central Division College Band Directors National Association Conference takes place April 7-9, 2022.
Greenville University is an accredited Christian liberal arts university with more than 1,100 students, including traditional undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree completion students. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, the University is located in Greenville, Illinois, 45 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri. Visit www.greenville.edu.
