Select students from the music department traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, to participate in the Kentucky Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference and play in the KMEA Intercollegiate Band, Choir and Jazz Band.

The KMEA conference occurs once a year. Students are nominated by their ensemble professors and applied teachers for the opportunity to participate. 

Junior instrumental music education major Jacob Glatczak said it was an honor to perform at KMEA with Michael Colburn, the 27th director of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, as the conductor. 

“I was pleasantly surprised and excited to be selected to perform with the KMEA Intercollegiate Band,” Glatczak said. 

KMEA, affiliated with the National Association for Music Education, advocates and serves as a voice for Kentucky’s music educators and to enrich the lives of students through music.

Eric Swisher, professor with expertise in trumpet, said it was a great opportunity for students to be able to participate in KMEA. Students from multiple universities including Murray State, practiced together for a few days, then performed in concert at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, he said. 

“We are very proud of these students for representing Murray State in this ensemble,” Swisher said. 

To be selected to attend the Intercollegiate Band, students must be nominated and ranked among fellow Murray State students. Once nominated, students must prepare for auditions at the University of Louisville, where they are then ranked among other students across the state. Once students are placed, they are required to attend four three-hour rehearsals to prepare for their musical performances. 

After the performances, students are allowed to attend an array of workshops, masterclasses and events. 

“Due to COVID-19 and the weather from last year, it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to make the trip to Louisville. I would label this experience as both rewarding and highly educational,” Glatczak said.

Four students received respective principal chairs in the band: senior Chloe Perry, trumpet; junior Gabe Cowles, tuba; senior Luke Weatherly, trombone; and junior Jacob Glatczak, alto saxophone. 

The bands performed four pieces: a world premiere of “Over the Moon” by Frank Ticheli, “Nobles of the Mystic Shrine” by John Phillip Sousa, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach and “One Life Beautiful” by Julie Giroux. 

Glatczak said these pieces were very difficult, but he was honored to be offered a brief solo in the Ticheli piece. 

“What made this music difficult were the different aspects of a musician that each piece required,” Glatczak said. “The Sousa march required technicality, dynamic awareness and style precedents given by the way the United States Marine Band performs it. The hardest of all of the pieces was the Ticheli piece. The 2023 KMEA Committee actually commissioned this piece for the Intercollegiate Band, so we were the first to ever see and premiere this piece.”

Outside of performing and attending their choice of workshops and events, the KMEA conference offers students the opportunity to network and encounter professional development opportunities. 

Murray State’s National Association for Music Education-Collegiate (NAfME-C) chapter fundraises and organizes the trip to the conference every year. 

Luke Weatherly, senior music performance major, said everyone put on a great performance of a demanding concert that night. 

“After another day of rehearsal, we put on a concert Thursday [Feb. 9] … that was well attended, with Kentucky All-State high schoolers, parents and directors,” Weatherly said. 

One of the students selected for the Intercollegiate Jazz Band, senior music major Aaron Beach, said he had been super excited to attend.

“The experience was phenomenal,” Beach said. “Getting to meet new people that have the same passion for music was refreshing, and I learned a lot. …Performing in the KMEA Intercollegiate Jazz Band was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my college experience.”

Music Education-Collegiate (NAfME-C) chapter fundraises and organizes the trip to the conference every year. 

Luke Weatherly, senior music performance major, said everyone put on a great performance of a demanding concert that night. 

“After another day of rehearsal, we put on a concert Thursday [Feb. 9] … that was well attended, with Kentucky All-State high schoolers, parents and directors,” Weatherly said. 

One student selected for the Intercollegiate Jazz Band, Aaron Beach, said he had been super excited to attend.

“The experience was phenomenal,” Beach said. “Getting to meet new people that have the same passion for music was refreshing, and I learned a lot … Performing in the KMEA Intercollegiate Jazz Band was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my college experience.”

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