Background and History of the National Band Association, Collegiate Chapter

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire NBA Collegiate Chapter (NBA-CC) is proud to be the first NBA student chapter in the country! The NBA student initiative, which began in the spring of 2002, was led by then UWEC instrumental music education student, Timothy Doleysh.

The UWEC NBA chapter has undertaken numerous projects since its first meeting on September 5, 2002. The organization has focused its efforts on supporting local and area band programs through numerous outreach projects, assisting with area solo and ensemble festivals, and raising funds. This year, the NBA-CC will also host the Indianhead Honors Band and Wind Clinic as well as the UWEC Concert Band Clinic and WSMA Honors Project Auditions.

Members of the NBA-CC Executive Board consider it a priority to feature different guest speakers throughout the year. So far, chapter members have enjoyed presentations on marching band, woodwind instrument repair, music technology, group leadership, and first year teaching experiences. We also provide presentations on the topics concerning performing as a career. A list of topics for 2006-2007 can be found on the NBA bulletin board (right next to the choral room).

NBA collegiate chapters have been organized at colleges and universities across the country, including: Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Mexico.

Benefits of a Membership

-A one-year subscription to "The Instrumentalist" magazine

-NBA member directory

-NBA selective music list for bands

-Official NBA website access, with a large amount of resources

-Gain knowledge about your future/potential career

-Network with other band directors, performers, or band enthusiasts

-Belong to the largest professional band organization in the entire world

Current Projects and Events (2007-2008)

-Indianhead Honors Band - Various high school students from various western Wisconsin schools are selected to participate in this event. These students prepare a concert with only a day's worth of rehearsal, and work with various faculty members in sectionals to improve as instrumentalists. The UW-Eau Claire Wind Symphony also performs for these students. Members of the National Band Association assist in running this event every year.

(Browse the photo album for more photos of the event)

-National Band Association Collegiate All-Star Band - Selected students from various Wisconsin colleges are chosen to represent their university with the annual NBA Collegiate All-Star Band. UW-Eau Claire has been well represented in recent years.

(Browse the photo album for more photos of the 2006 NBA All-Star Band)

-Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) Honors Project auditions - The WSMA Honors Project is a summer music camp that high school students must audition for. Members of our chapter assist in running the day-long audition process. Find out more about the auditions here.

-Our organization sponsors speakers and organizes workshops on band related topics. 2006-2007 has featured a large variety, ranging from student panels discussing summer music camps to the director of the Ohio State University bands (Dr. Russel Mikkelson) discussing his opinions on issues with many band programs. Past documented speakers include, but are not limited to:

Dr. James F. Keene, University of Illinois (November 2005)

Andrei Strizek, director of bands and UWEC graduate, Chippewa Falls High School

Brian Grivna, clarinet and saxophone faculty member at the University of Minnesota (November 2006)

(Browse the photo album for other photos of past speakers and guests)

-Dinner and snacks were sponsored for the nearly 200 members of the Eau Claire Blugold Marching Band during one of the days of their week-long summer training camp.

(See More Photos)

-Univeristy of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Reading Band is sponsored approx. once a month, which provides secondary instrument practice, a chance at wind conducting, and the ability to increase your knowledge of band repertoire for various levels of younger bands. Highly recommended for education students, but it proves to be a fun experience for everyone!

(See More Photos)

-Music Department Sweatshirts - The organization sold a large number of music department sweatshirts this year to not only raise money for the organization, but to promote spirit within the music department.

Our organization also will occasionally:

-Lead sectionals and give master classes in area schools. Members of the NBA helped assist in some sectionals during this past year's Indianhead Honors Band Festival with faculty members.

-Service projects to area schools.

Future potential projects for the organization include:

-Creating a "Battle of the Bands" tournament between UWEC band members

-Sponsor a commissioned wind ensemble work, to promote the composition of more works for the medium

More Information

Please explore the rest of this website in order to learn more about our organization!

News - Keep up-to-date with the latest updates within our organization.

News Archive - View older updates since the website was first launched for the 2006-2007 school year.

Become a Member - Register to become a member on the official website for the National Band Association. If you choose to register this way, please inform a current chapter officer of your intentions to ensure you are registered with our chapter.

Schedule of Events - The current schedule for each semester will be posted here. Please look over it to see what we have been up to this year!

Constitution - The official constitution of our collegiate chapter.

Minutes Archive - Meeting minutes will be posted at this location. All past minutes prior to the launch of this website are archived in PDF format and can be reviewed.

Officers - View current and past officers for our collegiate chapter.

Photo Album - All photos taken, primarily by the Historian, to document the activities of our organization.

Reading Band - Information about the reading bands that our organization sponsors, along with titles of studied pieces.

Links - Links to various other related organization websites, or band-related websites.

Student Message Board - Official members can log in to the student chapter message board to network with other members across the country.

Member Resources - Various resources for members, including hand-outs and notes from speaker presentations.