Paula Crider
Mr. John Gary Cook
Dr. William Moody
Dr. David Gregory
Professor Paula A. Crider
October 13, 2004
Professor Paula A. Crider's tenure has encompassed an extraordinary teaching career, including seventeen years on The University of Texas faculty. Ms. Crider, "P.C." as she is known by her students and colleagues, served for four years as Director of the Longhorn Band and preceded that appointment with thirteen years of dedication as Associate Director of the Longhorn Band. She holds degrees in Music and English Literature from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Master of Music Education from The University of Texas.
Professor Crider is active throughout the United States and abroad as a clinician, lecturer, and adjudicator. She has published manuals for brass techniques and marching band, and articles in The Instrumentalist and the Band Director's Guide. Professor Crider has a resume filled with honors including membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in which she was only the third female to be included.
Ms. Crider's accomplishments began at Crockett High School in Austin, where she became the first female to direct a Class 5A band. During her 12 years as director, the Crockett Bands won 12 consecutive University Interscholastic League awards for excellence in concert, marching, and sight-reading, and was twice named "Best in Class" at the Six Flags Invitational Concert Festival. Her bands also won the Texas Class 5A State Marching Championship in 1980 and again in 1981. The 1981 Crockett band still holds the highest scores awarded at the State Contest and was selected as the "Best Band Ever" by Texas Monthly.
Highlighting her musical career is the receipt of the National Band Association's "Citation of Excellence" and the Tau Beta Sigma/Kappa Kappa Psi "Outstanding Service to Music Award." Ms. Crider was also the recipient of the 1996 "Eyes of Texas" award, presented each year to recognize outstanding teachers at The University of Texas, and the John Philip Sousa Foundation recently named her to the Sudler "Order of Merit." In addition, Tau Beta Sigma National Band Sorority named an award recognizing outstanding band directors in Ms. Crider's name. She is a member of the College Band Director's National Association, the Texas Music Educator's Association, Phi Beta Mu, Tau Beta Sigma, and has served various positions within the National Band Association." (quoted from www.music.utexas.edu)
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Mr. John Gary Cook
April 21, 2005
John Gary Cook was born May 7, 1940, in Bon Homie, MS near Hattiesburg. He began his training in instrumental music as a cornet student in the fifth grade at Century Elementary School in Century, Fl. His family moved to Sumrall, MS in 1951 where he continued his participation in the band under band director, Reed Carter.
While a junior at Sumrall High School, he moved from cornet to euphonium. As a member of the 1958 Mississippi Lions All-State band he earned the first chair position in his section.
Mr. Cook graduated with honors from Sumrall High School in 1958. In the fall of that year he enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi where he began his formal education in instrumental music. As an undergraduate, he was greatly influenced by Dr. Raymond Mannoni,
Robert Hayes, Dr. Gomer Pound, Dr. Gilbert Satre, Raymond Young, and Dr. William Moody. He received his bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 1962 and began his teaching career that same year at Carr Junior High School in Vicksburg.
In 1963, he accepted the position of band director at Petal High School. Enrollment in the band program doubled. During the ten years at Petal, his bands earned twenty-five superior ratings in contests.
He served in the Hattiesburg Public Schools as Supervisor of Instrumental Music from 1973 to 1976. His band at Blair High School received superior ratings in every event entered.
In the summer of 1976, he entered USM as a doctoral student where his duties included Assistant Director of the marching band and the Conductor of the Varsity Concert Band.
In 1977, he became Director of Bands in the Warren County Schools in Vicksburg . His responsibilities included supervision of music faculty at all elementary, junior and senior high schools and directorship of the Warren Central Marching, symphonic, and jazz bands. Cook’s Warren Central bands received superior ratings at every contest entered. He remained in this position twelve years. The Warren Central symphonic Band performed at the USM Instrumental Conductors Conference, the Southeastern United States Band Clinic in Troy, Al. and was judged “Best in Class” 5A concert band at the Festival of Champions in Panama City, FL.
Mr. Cook’s honors include: Mississippi Economic Council’s Star Teacher: Phi Beta Mu’s “Most Outstanding Director,” 1971, 1985; Director of the Mississippi Lions All State Band in 1977, 1980, 1983; the “MAC” Award, a national award in recognition of outstanding directors, 1977, 1986 National Federation’s Outstanding Music Educator in the Southeastern States, 1989; National Band Association’s Citation of excellence, 1994 and Phi Mu Alpha’s Orpheus Award, 1996; executive board of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, 1984 and served as its president, 1987-1988; President of Delta Chapter, Phi Beta Mu, 1995-1996.
He has served as marching and concert adjudicator in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Tennessee. His professional affiliations include: Mississippi Association of Educators, Mississippi Bandmasters Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Beta Mu, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Kappa Phi, and Pi Kappa Lambda.
In the summer of 1989 he became Director of Bands at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. There his duties included conducting the Wind Ensemble, the Marching Band and supervision of student teachers. Mr. Cook retired from teaching in June of 1996. Presently he serves as adjunct brass instructor at Pearl River Community College and Jones County Junior College.
In 1997 Mr. Cook was appointed Manager of the Mississippi Lions All-State Band. During his teaching career, his students have been selected for every section represented in the Lions Band.
He currently resides in Sumrall with his wife Hanna, daughter Whitney, two cats and a dog.
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Dr. William Moody
October 13, 2005
Co-Conductor of the Palmetto Concert Band, Dr. Moody is a Distinguished Professor of Music Emeritus at the University of South Carolina. He was Director of the School of Music at the University of South Carolina from 1973-1990. He has previously served as a public school music teacher, Director of Bands at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Director of Bands and Vice Chairman of the Department of Music at the University of Texas-Austin.
He has served as a clinician, conductor, and adjudicator throughout the United States. Currently, he is the secretary-treasurer of the American Bandmasters Association and is Editor of the ABA Journal of Band Research. He is a Past-President of the National Band Association.
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Dr. David Gregory
February 9-12, 2006
David Gregory, Conductor of Tara Winds, an all-adult symphonic band, and recently appointed Associate Professor of Music/Conductor of the Wind Ensemble at Reinhardt College has conducted elementary, junior high, high school, community college, university, and professional bands. A former director of bands at Hardaway High School in Columbus (GA), Forest Park High School in Forest Park (GA), and the University of Florida in Gainesville, (FL), and former Clayton County (GA) Coordinator of Instrumental Music, Dr. Gregory served as Assistant to the Superintendent in that school system for twelve years until his retirement from public school work in January 2003. Dr. Gregory currently is serving as Immediate Past President of the National Band Association and is a nationally recognized clinician and speaker through his “Art of Leadership” workshops.
Bands under Dr. Gregory’s direction have received invitations to perform at virtually every music conference of regional and national significance, including the National MENC Convention, the American School Band Directors Association National Convention, the Mid- East Instrumental Music Conference, the University of South Carolina Band Clinic and Conductors’ Symposium, the University of Southern Mississippi Conductors’ Conference (2x), the University of Georgia High School Music Festival (4x), the CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference (3x), the Atlanta International Band and Orchestra Conference, the Southern Division MENC Convention (3x), the American Bandmasters Association National Convention (2x), GMEA state conferences (9x), and the Midwest Band Clinic (3x). Gregory continues to make numerous appearances as conductor, clinician and presenter at regional and national music conferences as well as all-state and honor band events throughout the United States. Tara Winds was the 1996 recipient of the Sudler “Scroll of Honor,” and his Hardaway High School Band was honored by the John Philip Sousa Foundation as one of the nation’s most outstanding high school programs for the decades 1960-1980.
Many personal and professional awards, recognitions, and appointments have been awarded Dr. Gregory during his career. He has received the MAC Outstanding Bandleader award for the state of Georgia, the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic Citation of Excellence, the National Band Association Citation of Excellence in 1978, 1984, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003, and 2005, the Phi Delta Kappa Excellence in Leadership Education Award, and the Sudler Foundation “Order of Merit.” In 1998 he was inducted into the Phi Beta Mu “Georgia Bandmasters Hall of Fame” and in 2003 received the Phi Beta Mu “Outstanding Bandmaster Award” for the state of Georgia. Dr. Gregory was featured on the cover of The Instrumentalist magazine with the lead article for the April 2003 edition of that publication.
Maintaining a regular schedule of appearances, Dr. Gregory has received invitations to serve in thirty-one states and has been asked to conduct all- state bands in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Alaska. He has served as clinician and lecturer throughout the country, and his band activities have taken him across the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and the European continent where twice he has appeared as guest conductor of La Banda dell’Esercito of Rome, Italy. Currently he serves as a member of the John Philip Sousa Foundation “Legion of Honor” and “Sudler Scroll” Selection Committees. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Band Association and was elected to the offices of first vice-president and president of that organization. His past and present professional affiliations include Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, Phi Mu Alpha, Phi Beta Mu, the National Band Association, Music Educators National Conference, College Band Directors National Association, Georgia Music Educators Association, American School Band Directors Association, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Phi Delta Kappa, the Florida Bandmasters Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and the American Bandmasters Association.
July 2005
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