Middle School Band Rehearsal Lab
Clinic Synopsis:
This rehearsal clinic will provide practical information to band directors regarding: building ensemble sound, the establishment of daily fundamentals, developing a variety of articulation, appropriate use of dynamics, establishing melodic and vertical intonation, and interpretative ideas.
Chris Gleason
- Biographical Information
Chris Gleason is the Arts and Creativity Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. He is the 2017 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, 2017 and 2022 semi-finalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award, and the first Wisconsin teacher to be named a National Teacher of the Year finalist in 50 years. In 2022, he received the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence by the NEA Foundation and was selected as a Top 50 Finalist for the 2021 Global Teacher Prize, from over 8,000 nominations from 121 countries around the world. As a 2019 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow, Mr. Gleason traveled to South Africa to study the culture and education system. In 2009, Mr. Gleason created the ComMission Possible Project, which has commissioned 21 new works for bands by renowned composers such as Viet Cuong, Kelijah Dunton, John Mackey, Alex Shapiro, Erika Svanoe, Andrew Boysen Jr, Michael Markowski, JaRod Hall, and Adrian Sims, among others. The project continues to expand, inviting schools nationwide to participate in the unique, interactive commission process. His work at the state level has led to the creation of the Wisconsin Creativity Summit and Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project, linking poets, composers, and arts educators in an annual collaborative creation.He is the Executive Officer of Beyond The Notes Music Festival, Inc., which has to date inspired more than 55,000 young musicians. His Rising Music Educators Program has impacted and inspired over 200 future music educators. He is featured in the books: Think Like Socrates (Shanna Peeples, 2018) and Rehearsing the Middle School Band (Stephen Meyer, 2018). His 2019 TEDx Talk is entitled “Lighting A Fire In Kids: Three Insightful Teaching Truths.” In his free time, he produces and participates in a below-average podcast called “Beyond ArtLess”.
Rachel Maxwell - Biographical Information
Rachel J. Maxwell is a nationally respected music
educator, conductor, clinician, and advocate for excellence and inclusivity in
band education. She currently serves as Director of Bands at Traughber Junior
High School in Oswego, Illinois, where she has taught since 1995. During her
tenure, the Traughber band program has earned sustained national recognition,
including an invitation to perform at the 2027 Music For All National Festival,
performances at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic (as a
multiple-year demonstration ensemble), the Illinois Music Educators Association
All-State Conference, and the University of Illinois SuperState Concert Band
Festival. The program has also received numerous honors from the National Band
Association, including multiple Citations of Excellence and the Programs of
Excellence Blue Ribbon Award (North-Central Region winner).
Dr.
Maxwell holds a DMA in Music Education from Boston University, an MME from the
University of Illinois, an MAEL from Aurora University, and a BME degree from
Illinois State University. She is widely recognized for her leadership in
commissioning and premiering new wind band works. She has collaborated with
many of today’s leading composers and has led large-scale consortium projects
that have expanded the repertoire for young and developing ensembles. She
founded and manages the Prairie State Middle School Concert Band Festival, a
Music for All regional affiliate festival, and has served in leadership roles
with the National Band Association, Illinois Music Educators Association, Music
for All, and the American School Band Directors Association.
An
active guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician throughout the United
States, Dr. Maxwell has worked with honor bands and festivals at the middle
school, high school, collegiate, and adult levels. She also serves as an
adjunct faculty member at Elmhurst University and teaches at VanderCook College
of Music, where her work focuses on young band pedagogy, brass education, and
inclusive instructional practices. Her research and publications explore
pedagogical creativity, teacher decision-making, and the development of the
young band sound, and she frequently presents at state, national, and
international conferences.
Dr.
Maxwell has received numerous professional honors, including the National Band
Association’s Presidential Medal of Distinction and the Illinois Music
Education Association’s Mary Hoffman Award of Excellence. She remains deeply
committed to fostering meaningful musical experiences for students, advancing
new wind literature, and supporting music educators at all stages of their
careers.
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