A letter from the President
of the SCBDA, Tom Finigan.

Other Letters

"Ms. Paris Made a Difference"

It is with much sadness that my report has to start with announcement of the passing of Ms. Lorraine Paris. What can I say? Ms. Paris was an icon in our state association. She was truly a legend. Her entire life was so much a part of SCBDA. She was a pioneer as a women band director starting back in 1948. She taught at Newberry High School for 47 years. She has touched so many lives. She sacrificed and labored for this association and for that, I and all of SCBDA will never forget her. Ms. Paris made all of us “better people and better band directors.” She was a person of few words but when she spoke to our association it was with love and concern. Remember this quote from her “Live your life so that when you are gone, you will have made a difference.” Ms. Paris definitely made a difference and for that we are thankful. Remember her message to all of us: “I love you, be good and please cash your checks!” God Bless Lorraine Paris.

Special thanks to Mr. Glenn Price, Mr. Pat Wylie and Mrs. Debbie Jordan for speaking at the memorial service for Ms. Paris. Your insightful comments and thoughts made the service so remarkable and were truly appreciated. I would also like to express thanks to Mr. Jed Thomas and Mr. Scott Barnstead for organizing and planning the memorial service for Ms. Paris.

Congratulations to Michael Foxworth for running his first band division conference. Michael did a wonderful job with the convention and handled a hard weekend for our association.

Unfortunately due to winter weather, three of our five region bands were unable to hold their clinic/concerts. We are still very proud of our students receiving this honor and recognition. A tremendous amount of hard work goes into making the Region or All-State band and I wish we could have had “Mother Nature” on our side. Hopefully in the future we can possibly have an inclement weather date designated on our state calendar.

Our All State Jazz Clinic will be held March 4-6 at Newberry College. Our Annual Jazz Band Festival will be held in conjunction with this event on March 6.

We will honor two of our fellow band directors at the All-State Band Clinic with their induction into the SCBDA Hall of Fame. This years Class of 2004 is James K. Copenhaver and Dr. Thomas R. Thornley. Both of these directors have made a huge impact in the Band world in South Carolina. Congratulations to these gentlemen on their fine careers as music educators in our state.

An added bonus to this year’s All-State Band Clinic is that we televise the concert live on SCETV on Sunday, March 14, 2004. Jeff and Donna Thompson have been instrumental in the producing of this LIVE broadcast. We hope this will promote and honor our student musicians into every home and school in South Carolina.

March is a very busy month for SCBDA. We have nearly 280 bands performing at State Concert Festival on two separate weeks and eight different sites. We also will host our second annual State Winter Guard Championships later in March. We look forward to April, as it will bring Solo and Ensemble Festival.

In closing, I must stress to you how important it is to get involved with your local state legislators. Let your representative know what you think of the S.C. Education & Economic Development Act – “Pathways to Prosperity”. This legislation can adversely effect every music program in the state. If you wait for someone else to speak up, it may be too late. Get involved and let your voice be heard.

Good luck this spring and for the remainder of the school year!

Tom Finigan, President
South Carolina Band Directors Association