Clinician Detail

Inspiring Leaders Through Music: A Legacy for the Next Generation

Clinic Synopsis:

Learn from the experiences and expertise of successful, veteran band directors who have dedicated three or more decades to music education. Panelists will share a wealth of knowledge on topics including personal growth, managing common challenges, and building program culture, as they continue to evolve into mentorship for the next generation of directors. Gain invaluable insights from those who have shaped countless young musicians and guided their journeys through the world of music.

Myra Rhoden - Biographical Information

Dr. Myra K. Rhoden serves on the faculty at the University of West Georgia, where she conducts the UWG Symphonic Band and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Music Education. As the founder of Athena Music and Leadership (athenacamp.com), Rhoden has created programs and opportunities to empower young women through music while equipping them with lifelong leadership skills. She frequently serves as a guest conductor for all-state, regional, and university honor bands, and is honored to have presented sessions at national, state, and regional conferences, as well as for school systems and professional development clinics. A native of Tuskegee, Alabama, Rhoden has received national recognition for her contributions to music education with election to membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity, and the John Philip Sousa Foundation Legion of Honor. She had the distinct pleasure of being a guest conductor for the United States Air Force Band and the United States Army Field Band of Washington, D.C. She has served as National Chair of the NBA Programs of Excellence and is a Conn Selmer Educational Clinician. In addition to conducting and teaching, Rhoden is the author of Through My Music: Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders (GIA Publications). She received her DMA in Conducting from the University of Southern Mississippi with Dr. Thomas Fraschillo, and her MA and BS in Music Education from the University of Alabama.

Linda Moorhouse - Biographical Information

Dr. Linda R. Moorhouse is Director of the School of Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she holds the Suzanne and William Allen Distinguished Professorship in Music. She is currently a Fellow in the University of Illinois President’s Executive Leadership Program and is a former Fellow of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program. Before assuming her current role in the School of Music, Dr. Moorhouse served for eight years as Associate Director and Director of Undergraduate Studies, following her leadership of the University of Illinois Bands program and its graduate wind conducting area. Prior to joining the University of Illinois in 2010, she spent over two decades on the faculty at Louisiana State University, where she received numerous accolades for teaching excellence. Ensembles under her direction at both institutions have earned national recognition. An active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Dr. Moorhouse has appeared throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Her distinguished service to the band profession includes leadership roles in several national organizations, including past presidencies of The American Bandmasters Association, the National Band Association, and Women Band Directors International. She currently serves as the first female Secretary-Treasurer of the American Bandmasters Association and is the first woman to lead the School of Music at the University of Illinois. 

Edna Y. Grace - Biographical Information

Retired music educator Edna Y. Grace held positions as Band Director and General Music/Chorus teacher in Charleston and Berkeley County School Districts in South Carolina. During her 36-year tenure, the bands under her instruction achieved the highest ratings at South Carolina Band Directors Association events, including Concert Performance Assessment, State Marching Championships, and the Solo and Ensemble Festival. Individual students were selected for membership in honor bands (All-County Concert Band and Chorus, All-County Jazz Band (BCSD), Region Honor Band, South Carolina All-State Band and Chorus, and the SC All-State Jazz Bands). Both the middle and high school band programs were consistent recipients of the SCBDA Outstanding Performance Award.  In addition, the College Park Middle School Band earned the honor of performance at the 2003 SCMEA conference. Edna has served the SCBDA as recording secretary and as a member of several committees. She has served as an honor band clinician and concert band adjudicator in South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and Georgia. Edna also held an adjunct faculty position at Charleston Southern University teaching the oboe studio and Music Appreciation.  Edna has received the NBA Citation of Excellence, the WBDI Scroll of Excellence, the PBM Outstanding Bandmaster Award, and been elected to the PBM Bandmasters Hall of Fame and the SCBDA Hall of Fame. Since retirement in June 2017, Edna continues to contribute to music education serving the SCMEA executive board as Retired Member Chair,  a private teacher of double reeds and other woodwinds, a band/orchestra adjudicator and clinician, a mentor to directors across the state, an artist in residence in Berkeley County School District, and as a substitute band and chorus teachers in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. Edna holds a B.S. in Music Education from South Carolina State University, a M.A. in Music from The Ohio State University, and a M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from the Citadel.

Erin Cole Steele - Biographical Information

Erin Cole Steele is the Director of the Division of Education and Senior Educational Clinician for Conn Selmer, Inc., where she supports music educators and programs through professional development, mentorship, and program advocacy across the United States. She also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Music, helping prepare the next generation of music educators. Before joining Conn Selmer and ASU, Erin dedicated 22 years to teaching as the Director of Bands at Tapp Middle School in Cobb County, Georgia (1995–2017). During her tenure, she led the Tapp Band to national recognition, including performing at the 58th annual Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. Her commitment to musical growth extended to the creation of new literature for young musicians, commissioning Robert W. Smith’s The Great Locomotive Chase, Frank Ticheli’s Simple Gifts: Four Shaker Songs, Samuel R. Hazo’s Ascend, and joining the consortium for Eric Whitacre’s The Seal Lullaby. Recognized for her dedication to excellence, Erin was named Teacher of the Year at Tapp Middle School. Erin is a sought-after guest conductor, clinician, and presenter. She has appeared as a guest conductor for Honor and All-State Bands in more than 30 states, and has presented sessions at the Midwest Clinic, as well as at state and international music conferences. She has contributed to youth music programs as a conductor for the Youth Bands of Atlanta, a conductor for the Encore Music Camp, and as the founder and administrator of the Cobb County Summer Band Camp. She continues to influence the music education community through her role as executive director and faculty member for the Conn Selmer Institute. In addition to her work on the podium and in the classroom, Erin has made significant contributions as an author. She is a contributing editor and clinician for Hal Leonard’s Essential Elements for Band and has written chapters for three editions of the GIA series Teaching Music Through Performance. Most recently, she authored a chapter in Rehearsing the Middle School Band, providing insights drawn from her decades of experience in developing high-achieving, student-centered middle school band programs. Erin earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Georgia. Erin's professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu, Sigma Alpha Iota, Arizona Music Educators Association Board of Directors, and the National Band Association, from whom she was awarded the Citation of Excellence three times. Across every stage of her career, Erin Cole Steele has combined a deep love of teaching with a mission to empower students, support fellow educators, and inspire the next generation of music educators.