14th Annual Waynesburg University Conducting Symposium

“Building a Successful Band Program in the 21st Century” with guest clinician Len Lavelle, Director of Bands at North Hills High School.

This year’s symposium will focus on helping music educators to grow their band programs while getting local communities excited about music.  Participants will workshop rehearsal techniques, recruitment strategies, and how to inspire young people to engage in music at a high level.

The symposium will take place Friday, January 26, from 5 to 9:30 p.m., and Saturday, January 27, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Marsh Center. The guest clinician will be Mr. Len Lavelle, Director of Bands and Music Department Curriculum Leader at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has taught instrumental music from the elementary through the college level and served as conductor of Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra Wind Symphony.

Since 2011, Mr. Lavelle’s bands have been featured five times at the PMEA All-State Convention, five times at the NAfME All-East Convention, and at the National Concert Band Festival, all in different years. In his first five years at North Hills, enrollment in the marching band and orchestra programs nearly doubled, reaching their largest numbers in school history while overall school enrollment was at a historical low. His bands have been recognized by the National Band Association as a Blue Ribbon Program of Excellence and received the 2021 American Prize. This spring, the North Hills Wind Ensemble will make their Carnegie Hall debut while giving the world premiere of a new work by James David.

During his tenure as Music Department Curriculum Leader at North Hills, the district was recognized for the first time as one of NAMM’s “Best Communities for Music Education” and became one of only six schools in the nation to be accredited by The Middle States Association as a “Program of Distinction.” The MSA now uses North Hills as a case study for other aspiring school districts. Mr. Lavelle has been invited to present professional development at conferences and universities, including the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.

There are three ways for musicians to participate in the Conducting Symposium. As a Conducting Fellow, you will have the opportunity to conduct the Symphonic Band during the clinic, receive coaching from Mr. Lavelle, and leave the clinic with a professionally recorded video of your sessions with the band. Adult Observers will have the chance to play in the band and observe all sessions and lectures.  High School Band Students can participate in the band and attend all sessions.

Conducting Symposium Repertoire:

• Chaconne from First Suite in E-flat by Gustav Holst, edited by Colin Matthews
• God of Our Fathers by Claude T. Smith
• Nettleton by Johnny Vinson
   

Deadline to Register is January 22, 2024.