Friday, November 4, 2011

RESTON, VA (November 3, 2011) –The National Association for Music Education announced that Peter Boonshaft, Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, is the recipient of the 2011 George N. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education. He will receive the award at the Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis on Saturday, November 12, 2011.

Developed by NAfME and Music for All, the award is named for George N. Parks (1953–2010), director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1977 until his death. Considered a national authority on drum majoring, he led the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy, a summer workshop program for high school drum majors.

"The George N. Parks Award honors an exemplary music educator who embodies the characteristics and leadership that Mr. Parks showed his students every day," said Michael A. Butera, executive director of NAfME. "The recipient must have a collaborative spirit, dedication to knowing the students as people, perseverance and enthusiasm, and an ability to instill qualities in students beyond the musical. We are greatly pleased to present Peter Boonshaft with this year's honor."

A member of NAfME and the New York State School Music Association, and considered one of the most exciting and exhilarating voices in music education today, Peter Boonshaft has been invited to speak or conduct in every state in the nation and around the world. He holds Bachelor of Music (Summa Cum Laude), Master of Music Education in Conducting, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. He is Conductor of the Hofstra University Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, professor of conducting and music education, and Director of the graduate wind conducting program. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Boonshaft was on the faculty of Moravian College and the University of Hartford. He was Founder and Music Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Honors Concert Band and the Connecticut Valley Youth Wind Ensemble. In addition, he held the post of Music Director and Conductor of the Metropolitan Wind Symphony of Boston. He is the author of numerous books and articles on music education, active as a guest conductor, clinician and speaker for conferences, festivals, concerts and workshops nationally and internationally, and the recipient of numerous honors in the music education field.

For more information, visit www.nafme.org.

National Association for Music Education, among the world's largest arts education organizations, marked its centennial in 2007 as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. Through membership of more than 75,000 active, retired, and pre-service music teachers, and with 60,000 honor students and supporters, NAfME serves millions of students nationwide through activities at all teaching levels, from preschool to graduate school. NAfME's mission is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. Since 1907, NAfME has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. NAfME activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.

For more than 35 years, Music for All, through its Bands of America and Orchestra America programs, has been a destination and set the standard for scholastic music ensemble performance and music education advocacy. A 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational organization, MFA uses its national profile programming to recognize, model, showcase and provide individual, teacher and organizational examples of music performance excellence and achievement. MFA's programs include 20 annual events, including the Bands of America Grand National Championships and Regional Championships for marching band, the Music for All Summer Symposium camp for students and teachers and the Music for All National Festival for concert bands, orchestras and percussion ensembles. Music for All's programmatic model is designed to mirror and supplement the classroom and performance model adopted in most American scholastic settings. Music for All's efforts are supported through sponsorships, including current partnerships with National Presenting Sponsor, the Yamaha Corporation of America; Official Uniform Sponsor, Fred J. Miller, Inc.; Official Equipment Sponsor, Wenger Corporation; Official Student Travel Partner, Music Travel Consultants; Corporate Sponsor, Remo, Inc.; Strategic Advocacy Partner, NAMM; Associate Sponsors, Vic Firth, Inc., Vandoren and SmartMusic®; and Program Sponsor, Center X Productions. Music for All is also supported by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis, by the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission and by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.Follow NAfME on Twitter (twitter.com/nafme) and on Facebook (facebook.com/nafme).