D-B's Cook named president-elect of Tennessee Music Education Association

The veteran band director was chosen by the group’s membership of one,700 music lecturers from across the state. Cook can serve a biennial term as president elect and so 2 years as president. He can transition into the workplace of president-elect on June eight, serving a biennial term as president-elect followed by 2 years as president in 2018-2020.

“We area unit blessed to own such outstanding musical direction at Dobyns-Bennett and area unit happy that man. Cook’s abilities area unit recognized at the state level,” Superintendent Lyle Ailshie same weekday. “For a few years, students, families, and also the entire Kingsport community have benefited from his visionary leadership. {it can|it'll} be exciting to visualize however he will absolutely have an effect on music education across Tennessee during this role.”

Cook has been a highschool band director for twenty five year and is in his nineteenth year because the director of the D-B program. Cook has 3 youngsters. he's married to Heather Cook, UN agency handles communications and PR for the town of Kingsport. throughout Cook’s tenure at D-B, the band program has full-grown from concerning a hundred and eighty students to quite 350.

“Programs like Dobyns-Bennett’s don’t expertise important and long-run success while not ablaze and victorious leaders UN agency ne'er stop learning,” D-B Principal Chris Hampton same. “This leadership chance speaks to man. Cook’s disposition to be told through an energetic network of music educators and professionals across the state and country. I even have little doubt that he can lead TMEA with constant vigor as that that he leads the Dobyns-Bennett band. consequently, I expect that organize can thrive likewise.” The mission of TMEA, a voluntary organization formally found in 1945, is to market the advancement of prime quality music education for all.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Cook was conductor of the Pride of the South walking Band and a graduate assistant with the academic department. He then schooled at E.C. Glass highschool in urban center, Va., for 6 years before coming back to D-B. His teaching responsibilities at D-B embody guiding the symphonic band, the walking band and administering the 350-member band program. He is also supervisor of the band programs at Sevier and Robinson middle faculties.

Here may be a video, by Kelly Hrivnak, of the walking band's soccer intermission show from the autumn of 2015:

He conjointly has served 2 terms on the board of administrators of the Kingsport Ballet. Cook presently is a liaison with town government concerning enhancements in Kingsport’s arts and recreation infrastructure and atmosphere, a part of the One Kingsport movement.

D-B’s symphonic band has performed at various conventions as well as the school Band administrators National Association and National Band Association Southern Regional Convention in 2002; the Tennessee Music Education Association Conference in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016; the Bands of America’s National band competition in 2006; and also the geographical area International Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2002 and 2009.

The D-B Symphonic Band was the recipient of the toilet prince composer Foundation’s 2005 Sudler Flag of Honor recognizing international excellence together band, and D-B won the 2015 Sudler defend for international excellence in walking band, creating D-B one among solely fourteen faculties across the nation to attain each awards. last the band received letter of invitation to perform at the 2017 yank Bandmaster’s Association aboard 3 body bands and also the “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band.

Under Cook’s direction, the walking Band has appeared in 3 Tournament of Roses Parades, 2 Macy’s feast day Parades, The Lord politician of London’s Parade, the feast Bowl Parade, The Presidential Inaugural Parade and has been a Band’s of America Grand Nationals contender 5 times.

Here may be a YouTube video of Cook operating with a “mega” single-reed instrument in 2012:

In 2006, 2007 and 2013 the Dobyns-Bennett Band was honored to receive the Tennessee Governor’s Cup at the center Tennessee State University’s Contest of Champions. In 2011, Dobyns-Bennett Band was invited by the University of Tennessee to perform at intermission of a Tennessee game, the primary highschool band to try to to therefore in fifty years.

Cook may be a past state band chair for the Tennessee Music Education Association, past president of the Tennessee Bandmasters Association, president of the East Tennessee Band and Orchestra Association and may be a former member of the Board of administrators for the National Band Association. Cook may be a four-time recipient of the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence and was honored by the toilet prince composer Foundation as a Sudler Flag of Honor Laureate. He was named “Aide First State Camp” to the Governor of the State of Tennessee in 2005.

His skilled and unearned affiliations embody the National Band Association, Tennessee Music Education Association, East Tennessee Band and Orchestra Association, National Education Association, alphabetic character Beta letter of the alphabet and alphabetic character letter of the alphabet Alpha Sinfonia. Cook was inducted within the prestigious yank Bandmasters Association in 2009 and at the time was the organization’s youngest member and one among solely thirty highschool band administrators within the 300-member organization.