A letter from SCBDA President, Leah Cordé.
Dear SCBDA Colleagues,
Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! Whether this is your 1st year of teaching, your 21st year of teaching, or if you are one of our truly experienced educators, I hope that your drive and dedication to our profession and the students you teach are as strong as ever. With band camps and the solar eclipse behind us, I trust that you have had a smooth start to the school year and are ready for all of the challenges and successes coming your way!
I have enjoyed serving as your President-Elect these past two years and am looking forward to continuing that service as your President. Please know the SCBDA is committed to providing top notch events for the band students and band directors in our state. Please be sure your NAfME membership is current and that you update your information on Bandlink. If you have not joined NAfME, visit the SCMEA webpage (www.scmea.net) to join. You must be a member of NAfME/SCMEA in order to register and participate in SCBDA events. If you have any issues with your Bandlink registration, please contact our technology chairman, Ryan Tinker.
Both the SCMEA and SCBDA Executive Boards are hard at work to provide you and your students with amazing opportunities and experiences for the upcoming school year. Please help me welcome the newest members to the SCBDA Board:
Hunter White, Gilbert High School- Region 2 Chairman
Paul Guzewicz, Sullivan Middle School- Region 3 Chairman
Leslie Phillips, Philip Simmons High School- Adjudication Committee Chairman
Kevin Horton, Chapman High School- Awards Committee Chairman
Jerry Gatch, Newberry College- College Representative
A special thank you those that have previously served in these positions: David Hastings, Randy Grantham, Marshall Kirby, and Doug Pressley. We have been very fortunate to have these dedicated band directors serve our association exceptionally well. Their leadership, guidance, and experience have been invaluable and we all owe them a great deal of gratitude for the countless hours and resources they spent working on our behalf.
In addition to these changes, our new President-Elect, David O’Shields, has been working all summer to put together what is sure to be a stellar conference for us in February. We had another large slate of performing groups and clinics to choose from and you will not be disappointed in the selected sessions! There is indeed something for everyone.
Our Fall Meeting will be held on September 9 at River Bluff High School. Although we are not having a General Meeting, please remember that ALL directors are welcome to attend the committee meetings and the marching band draw. The Executive Board will meet at 8:30 AM, Committee Meetings will begin at 10:30 AM, the New Member Orientation and Marching Band Site Host meeting will begin at 11:00 AM, and the Marching Band Draw will take place at 11:30 AM. Please refer to Bandlink for details. If there is a first year teacher or a director new to South Carolina in your district, please encourage them to attend the New Member Orientation.
As a gentle reminder, please be mindful of our registration deadlines as the school year progresses. If you ever need help or have questions, please reach out to a member of the Executive Board so that we may assist you.
I hope you have a wonderful school year and I look forward to seeing you all at our events throughout the year.
Best Wishes,
Leah Cordé, President
South Carolina Band Directors Association