HSMPA represented at SC Music Educator’s Conference

In early February, students from the Horton School of Music and Performing Arts attended the South Carolina Music Educator’s yearly conference in Columbia.

The SCMEA is a corporation that hosts South Carolina music educators that advocates and encourages for quality music education for all students, according to SCMEA’s website. The yearly conference includes performances, masterclasses, sessions and honor bands from music educators. 

CSU had 27 total students and five professors attend the conference. Seventeen of those students were selected to perform in South Carolina’s Intercollegiate Band, which is produced by the South Carolina Chapter of the College Band Directors National Association according to Dr. Marshall Forrester, chair of HSMPA. 

The students selected were handpicked to represent the HSMPA in the ensemble, which is made up of other college students.

The remaining CSU students who attended the conference were music education majors, who made connections and attended sessions to develop their skills further for their future career. 

“I was able to learn more about my profession and ways to improve skills with games,” said Samual Downing, a sophomore music education major who took part in many of the SCMEA conferences sessions and masterclasses.

CSU also had a booth at the conference to recruit new students and reconnect with alumni. There were roughly 50 music teachers attending who are CSU alumni, Forester said.

The intercollegiate band members performed on Feb. 9 under the direction of Kevin Sedatole who is director of music and bands at Michigan State University.

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