Friday, October 12, 2012

RESTON, VA (October 10, 2012) –The National Association for Music Education announced that Daniel Kirk, Director of Bands ad Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas, is the recipient of the 2012 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 10, 2012.

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 Daniel Kirk with this year's honor."

A member of NAfME and the Kansas Music Educators Association, Daniel Kirk has grown his program by nearly 30% over the last two years, and is described as incredibly dedicated to his students. His teaching responsibilities include the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Honors Music Theory, and Music

theory. He administers and coordinates all aspects and staff members of the Red and Silver Brigade Marching Band. He assists with Concert Band and Freshmen Band. He is a graduate of Missouri Western State University with a B.S.E. in Instrumental Music Education with a Piano Performance Emphasis, and attended conducting symposiums and institutes coached by Mallory Thompson, Craig Kirchhoff, Steve Davis, Eugene Corporon, James Jordan, Michael Haithcock, and William Wakefield. His professional memberships include KMEA, MTNA, NAfME, MMTA, Alpha Chi Honors Society, and Kappa Delta Pi.

For more information, visit www.nafme.org.



National Association for Music Education, among the world's largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century.



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