MSBOA Bulletin Volume XV, Issue 1 Winter 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year Issue Each year MSBOA recognizes a Teacher of the Year for Band and a Teacher of the Year for Orchestra. The process begins in the Spring with each of the MSBOA Districts able to nominate a candidate in each classification. The Executive Board reviews all of the candidates and selects up to three in each area to submit to the entire active membership. In this Bulletin are statements about each candidate and the ballot for active members to select their choice in each category. MSBOA congratulates each of these fine instrumental music educators for their nomination to this honor. BAND NOMINEES: MATTHEW L. BISHOP is currently in his 27th year of teaching, the last 12 years for the students of the Crawford Au Sable School District, Grayling. He also taught in Alpena, Au Gres-Sims, Kinde-North Huron, Byron, Fowlerville, and Camden-Frontier Schools. Bands under his direction have earned first-division ratings at both district and state levels. Individual students annually perform at District and State Solo and Ensemble Festivals, as well as various honors band and camps throughout the state. Students have also earned performance opportunities with the MSBOA All- State Band and Orchestra, as well as the Michigan Youth Arts Festival Band. Band students have experienced Toronto, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington DC, and Disney World. His students perform every month of the year, including the Independence Day Parade, The Au Sable River Festival International Canoe Race, and the Lovells Bridge Walk. Service to the profession includes the following: District 3: V-P Jazz (2 years), V-P Solo-Ensemble (2 years), V-P Band and Orchestra (1 year). District 9: President (2 years), V-P Adjudicator and Treasurer (1 year). District 2: HS District Honors Band (6 years). Music Education Workshop (4 years, 2 as State Chair) and chaired the Elementary Music Workshop (2 years). He has presented at the Elementary Music Workshop, the Survival Camp, and the Marshall Music New Teacher Workshop. One of his favorite activities includes adjudicating student performances at Solo and Ensemble, as well as Band and Orchestra Festivals. He has hosted district and state band and orchestra festivals, district solo and ensemble festivals, honors bands, as well as a site chair for state band and orchestra festival. He actively performs with his friends in the East Shore Wind Symphony (Standish) and with the Roscommon Adult Steel Drum Band. He also was a member of the Encore Wind Symphony (Traverse City), where his band also served as guest artists for one concert. His love for amusement rides brought the carnival to Grayling as a band fundraising activity which has also provided additional benefits to the community. He lives in Grayling with his two dogs, Drummond and De Tour.
SHELLEY ROLAND is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University where she studied conducting with Thomas Tyra and clarinet with Armand Abramson. Ms. Roland is completing her tenth year of teaching in the Clarkston Community School District. Her responsibilities include directing 4 bands and 1 choir at Sashabaw Middle School, serving as an assistant director of the High School Marching Band, and directing the CHS Clarinet Choir. The bands at Sashabaw Middle School consistently earn top ratings at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Festivals. In 2003, the Seventh Grade Symphonic Band performed at the Michigan Music Conference. For nineteen years Ms. Roland served as the director of Instrumental Music in the Marlette Community Schools where her ensembles at both the High School and Middle School level consistently received Ist Division ratings in MSBOA Festivals. Ms. Roland has served in numerous offices in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association including President of District III and District IV. Ms. Roland was twice named Teacher of the Year in District III and was also the Marlette Community Schools Teacher of the Year and the Tuscola County Friend of Youth. Shelley Roland was named as a finalist for the Clarkston Foundation Teacher of the Year in 2008. Ms. Roland has served as State MSBOA coordinator for the Michigan Youth Arts Festival, an annual event featuring the outstanding student musicians from the State of Michigan and served as Chairperson for the MSBOA Survival Camp held annually at CMU from 2007-2011. In addition to her work in the Clarkston School District, Ms. Roland enjoys adjudicating, guest conducting, and playing the clarinet. Ms. Roland works with a large studio of Oakland County clarinetists. She spends her summers teaching at several camps including Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and the Clarkston Project Summer Band Day Camp. Ms. Roland also serves as director for the Clarkston Community Band. She has three children, Bayne (Sarah), Megan (Greg), and Meredith (Tim), and grandchildren, Gabe, Lily, Isabel, Madison, Lawson, Andie, Sophie, Will, and Sawyer. DAN ROOT is in his nineteenth year of teaching and sixteenth year as Director of Bands at Pentwater Public Schools in Pentwater, Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from Grand Valley State College and his Master of Music from the University of Louisville. Dan has served as MSBOA District One Solo and Ensemble Vice President, District One President, MSBOA State Vice President for Solo & Ensemble and MSBOA State Vice President of Music Selection. He is included in the 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 editions of Who s Who Among Americas Teachers. Dan is a member of the American School Band Directors Association. He was selected as a regional finalist for Michigan Teacher of the Year in 2006. Dan was elected MSBOA District One Teacher of the year in 2007 and 2009. He was a finalist for MSBOA State Band Teacher of the Year in 2007and 2009. Mr. Root conducted the Blue Lake International Southern Winds during their European tours in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. He was conductor of the West Shore Community College Concert Band in 2008/2009. Dan is an active adjudicator for MSBOA Band and Orchestra and Solo and Ensemble festivals. The Pentwater Junior High and High School Bands consistently earn first division ratings at MSBOA District and State Festivals, as well as, participating annually in MSBOA District and State Solo and Ensemble Festivals. At Pentwater Schools, over 60% of students, grades 4-12, are enrolled in the instrumental music program. The Pentwater High School Band performed at the MSBOA Music Education In-Service Conference in Ann Arbor in January 2004. The Pentwater High School Band performed at Carnegie Hall in March 2005 and 2009 at the National Band and Orchestra Festival held in New York City. He also coaches Pentwater Varsity Baseball. Mr. Root lives in Pentwater with his wife of 32 years, Teresa. They have three children, Will, Daniel and Madeline..
ORCHESTRA NOMINEES: JOHN ROBERTSON is Director of Orchestras for Berkley High School and Norup International School. He also serves as conductor for The Royal Oak Symphony, The Detroit Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and the Orion Chamber Music Society summer camp, a program which attracts talented young musicians from around South East Michigan. Mr. Robertson holds a Bachelors Degree in Violin Performance from Connecticut s Hartt School of Music and a Masters Degree in Orchestral Conducting from Oakland University. His instructors include Dr. Gregory Cunningham, Mitchell Stern of the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble, Eugene Drucker of the Emerson String Quartet, and renowned conductor and violinist Sydney Harth. As a performer, he has received many honors and awards and his orchestras consistently earn top ratings at national and state competitions. John began his career in 1996 with Anchor Bay Schools teaching band, choir, and general music. During that time, he also maintained a private violin studio and performed with various orchestras such as the Livingston Symphony, the Rochester Symphony, and the Ann Arbor Summer Symphony. In 2001, he began teaching orchestra for the Berkley School District which boasts a healthy and growing string program. Mr. Robertson currently teaches six orchestras with ages ranging from 6 th to 12 th grade. For the past 11 years, the BHS Symphony Orchestra has received all-ones at MSBOA s District Festival and has taken firstplace in three national competitions. This past season, they performed the American premiere of My Name is Anne Frank, a cantata sponsored by The Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, and will be performing at Carnegie Hall in March of this year. John was recently interviewed for a University of Washington dissertation as being one of the most successful orchestra directors in the U.S. and along with his passion for music and teaching, practices martial arts and enjoys spending time with his wife and five children. DAN SCOTT is Director of Orchestras at Jenison High School where he currently directs high school orchestras, the 6th grade orchestra, and assists with the 5th grade orchestra. While at Jenison the orchestras have grown from 4 ensembles in 5th through 12th grade to 9 ensembles totaling over 500 students. The orchestras have consistently earned 1st division ratings at all levels of the program at both District and State MSBOA Festivals. In 2004 the Jenison Symphony Orchestra performed at District X Jazz festival earning a 1st division rating. The Jenison High School Symphony Orchestra performed at the Michigan In-service for Music Educators in 2000 and the Jenison Junior High 8th Grade Orchestra performed at the Michigan Music Conference in 2010. Jenison Public Schools has been named a NAMM Best Community for Music Education for 13 years and Jenison High School was named a Grammy Signature School in 2000, 2002 and 2004. Dan has served on the board of the Michigan Chapter of ASTA for 15 years as director of the MASTA String Camps. In addition to his work with MASTA, he served 4 years as Vice President of Band and Orchestra Festival for District X and currently serves as Vice President of Orchestral Activities on the MSBOA Executive Board. Dan has a heart for developing young teachers and has interned 20 student teachers during his career. He has also presented seminars to music education majors at Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, and Grand Rapids Community College. In the hopes of furthering string education, Dan has presented numerous sessions at the Michigan Music Conference and worked with orchestras throughout Michigan both individually and as a MSBOA Middle Level String Clinic conductor. Dan currently serves as orchestra conductor for the Seminar Music Camps at Western Michigan University and has conducted orchestras at Knollcrest Music Camp, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and the MASTA String Camps. Dan is married to his wife Diane for 17 years, and is most proud that his 2 daughters Laura (13) and Emma (11) are both members of the Jenison Orchestra program.
Sean R. Smith received his Bachelor s degree in Music Education from Wayne State University and is currently completing his Master s in Education Administration also from Wayne. Sean has been the orchestral director at the Detroit School of Arts high school for the last 5 years. Previously he taught at Boynton M.S. where he developed, from scratch, a thriving music program consisting of two orchestras, two concert bands, a marching band and a general music program for the entire school. During this time he was selected as Teacher of the Year and was a panelist for Successful Urban String Programs during the ASTA national conference in 2007. In his current position Sean has developed 3 performing string groups, two of which consistently earn high ratings at district and state festivals. The orchestral program was a semi-finalist for the Grammy Signature Schools award in 2012 and just recently the symphony orchestra was selected to perform at Carnegie Hall for the National Band & Orchestra Festival for 2013. Sean has also been the District 15 VP of S/E for the last 3 years. As a cellist Sean has performed with the Disney Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra Summer Institute, as a concerto soloist and with several community orchestras and local ensembles.
Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association Ballot for 2014 Teachers of the Year Please cast your vote by mail, fax or in person at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids. Ballots cast by mail/fax/email must be received at the State Office by noon on Tuesday January 14, 2014. All in-person ballots must be turned in by 5:00 pm Friday January 17, 2014 at the MSBOA booth at the MMC. Vote for one candidate for Band Teacher of the Year and one candidate for Orchestra Teacher of the Year. Please mark an X in the box next to the name of your choice. BAND TEACHER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES: MATTHEW BISHOP SHELLEY ROLAND DAN ROOT ORCHESTRA TEACHER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES: JOHN ROBERTSON DAN SCOTT SEAN SMITH To vote by mail, send your ballot to: MSBOA Teacher of the Year 3965 Okemos Rd. Suite A3 Okemos, MI 48864-4206 To vote by email, send the ballot to msboa@msboa.org and include TOY Ballot in the message area. To vote by FAX, fax your ballot to: 517-347-7325 To vote in person: Bring your ballot to the MSBOA Booth located in the Exhibitor s Area of the DeVos Place before 5:00 pm on Friday January 17, 2013. IN ORDER FOR YOUR VOTE TO BE TALLIED, YOUR BALLOT MUST BE SIGNED IN THIS BOX Only current Active Members may cast a ballot. Those holding Individual, Associate, Commercial Sustaining, Non-Profit Sustaining, Honorary and Emeritus Memberships are not permitted to vote. Print Your Name Signature