Clinician Detail

Musical Nourishment: Designing Your Daily Instructional Menu

Clinic Synopsis:

Middle School Band is where students begin the foundational development that supports their musical journey. This session will focus on the ways we organize our instructional time – are we stuck in a rigid and linear approach or do we foster an environment that encourages flexibility with a 3-dimensional array of choices? Attendees will have the opportunity to reimagine ways to allow for creativity within the structure of each class for optimal musical nourishment.

Asa Burk - Biographical Information

Asa Burk is recently retired from a 30-year career where he taught in middle and high schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  He is excited to be entering the next chapter of his career in music education supervising student teachers through the University of North Texas.  He received his Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude from Howard Payne University.  He later earned his Master of Music Education from the University of North Texas.  Mr. Burk has been named Teacher of the Year three times on three different campuses.  Mr. Burk has collaborated to commission new compositions for the band repertoire.  He is an active clinician, consultant, mentor, and adjudicator throughout Texas.  Over the years, his bands have been recognized at the local, regional, state, and national levels.  His bands have been state finalists in the TMEA Honor Band selection process in 2004 and 2008.  In 2011, the Cross Timbers MS Honors Band was a featured performer at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.  He is one of the authors of the beginning band method book, Musical Mastery.  He has served as the TMEA Region 24 Middle School Band Chairman and the ATSSB Region 2 Band Chairman and was on the UIL Prescribed Music List Selection Committee.  Mr. Burk is a member of Phi Beta Mu (Alpha Chapter).  He and his wife, Alicia, reside in Fort Worth with their cat, Lucy.

Kathy Johnson - Biographical Information

Kathy Johnson, Adjunct Professor of Woodwind and Brass Techniques at the University of North Texas, has led a distinguished career of 40 years teaching music education in Texas. Highly respected clinician, adjudicator, and conductor, Mrs. Johnson serves as Artistic Director of the Dallas Winds Honor Band and is the UIL Region 2 Executive Secretary. Dedicated to music education and developing the individual young musician, Mrs. Johnson co-authors Musical Mastery for Band. Bands under the direction of Kathy Johnson have been selected as TMEA Honor Band, performing at the TMEA Conference, have performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, have been the UIL State Marching Band Champions on multiple occasions, were awarded the Outstanding Band Program Award by the Texas Chapter of the American School Band Director’s Association and were selected as an Exemplary High School Band Program by the Texas Bandmasters Association. A member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, Mrs. Johnson serves on both the Ostwald and Educational committees. Her other professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu International Band Fraternity, where she is on the board representing the small schools of Texas, the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Association of Texas Small School Bands, Women’s Band Directors International and the Texas Music Adjudicators Association. This past summer Mrs. Johnson received the Meritorious Achievement Award presented by the Texas Bandmasters Association.

Chris Meredith - Biographical Information

Chris Meredith is currently the Director of Bands at Lewisville High School in Lewisville, Texas. Prior to his position at Lewisville, Mr. Meredith served as Director of Bands at Shadow Ridge Middle School in Flower Mound, Texas for thirteen years. In addition to his graduate degree in Music Education from Southern Methodist University, Mr. Meredith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas. Mr. Meredith’s bands Shadow Ridge Middle School were consistent sweepstakes award winners at UIL and invitational festivals. They had been selected by the Foundation for Music Education as a National Winner in the National Wind Band Honors Project (2010-2018), and were official performers at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL in 2012 and 2018. Additionally, Honor Winds had placed as a top 5 Finalist in the Texas CC Honor Band Contests multiple occasions and was awarded the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Cup in 2017. Meredith has been a multiple recipient of the Lewisville Education Foundation’s “Foundation Award”, honored with the Texas PTA Lifetime Member Award, and was the 2012-2013 Teacher of the Year at Shadow Ridge Middle School. Mr. Meredith is an active adjudicator, guest clinician and lecturer, and is honored to have professional affiliations with Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and Phi Beta Mu. Current projects include the Musical Mastery Beginner Band series with Asa Burk, Alicia DeSoto, Kathy Johnson, and Dominic Talanca.

Dominic Talanca - Biographical Information

Dominic Talanca is Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Dr. Talanca conducts the Symphonic Band and teaches courses in conducting and woodwind techniques. He is also the conductor of the Wilmington Symphonic Winds and the OLLI New Horizons Band. Talanca received his Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Wind Conducting degrees from the University of North Texas, where he studied conducting with Eugene Migliaro Corporon. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting degree at Northwestern University, where he studied with Mallory Thompson. Dr. Talanca taught for ten years in Lewisville, Texas and served as the Associate Director of Bands at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas, during which time the student musicians were recognized for their performances in concert and marching activities - including four Texas 5A State Marching Championship Awards. Talanca is co-author of a beginning band method entitled Musical Mastery. Additionally, Dr. Talanca has contributed articles to the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series, published by GIA Publications. He has recorded over 450 significant works in the wind band repertoire on the Mark Custom, Klavier, Naxos, and GIA recording labels. Dr. Talanca is an active conductor, masterclass clinician, and adjudicator. His professional affiliations include Pi Kappa Lambda, the College Band Directors National Association, North Carolina Music Educators Association, and he is an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.