Our clinic presents the results of a two-year study examining the high prevalence of food insecurity (FI) in the Kansas State University marching band as compared to the University, and the effects of establishing a food pantry in the rehearsal hall. The audience will learn about FI in this population, the significant toll it takes on well-being and academic performance, how we recognized and approached the problem, and steps that can be taken to identify and alleviate FI in their performing groups.
Frank Tracz
- Biographical Information
Dr. Frank Tracz is Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Kansas State University. He earned his B.M.E. from The Ohio State University, M.M. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Ph.D. from the Ohio State University. He has public school teaching experience in Wisconsin and Ohio and has also served as Assistant Director of bands at Syracuse University and Director of bands at Morehead State University. Dr. Tracz has served as an adjudicator, clinician, speaker in various schools and conferences and has conducted All-State and Honor bands across the United States as well as in Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand.
At Kansas State, he directs the Wind Ensemble and the Marching Band, teaches graduate conducting, acts as an advisor to the Band Ambassadors, and administers and guides all aspects of a large BIG XII comprehensive band program. Ensembles under his direction have been invited to perform at numerous State conferences, MENC, two CBDNA regional conferences, The Larry Sutherland Wind band Festival at Fresno State, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and the American Bandmasters Association Conference. The marching band was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy in 2015. The Wind Ensemble has also performed at the International Convention of the American Bandmasters Association in 2019 in Loveland, CO.
Dr. Susan Williams, MD, is a physician scientist on staff in the department of Endocrinology at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. She earned her undergraduate degree in music education from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Rhode Island, and served as an officer and nutrition professional in the U.S. Air Force. She then went on to study clinical and academic medicine at Wright State University, completed her residency at the Kettering Medical Center, and then completed a post-doc fellowship in clinical nutrition and metabolism at the Cleveland Clinic. Her research interests include the effects of parathyroid disease on the skeleton, bone loss after bariatric and other intestinal surgery, imaging modalities to quantify bone quality and resistance to fracture, and vitamin D deficiency. As a result, she has an extensive list of publications, has lectured nationally and internationally, and remains a well-respected author and speaker in her field. Over the past decade, she has dedicated her free time in service to Kansas State University. She has served as president of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Arts & Sciences. She has been actively involved in establishing endowed scholarships for the Kansas State University Marching Band and helped to establish and endow the food pantry in the recently dedicated Tracz Family Band Hall. And when she can temporarily hand off her clinical responsibilities, she continues to serve as the volunteer physician for the KSUMB.