This year, the Wisconsin Concert Band Association is hosting its 40th Anniversary Convention. The WCBA was born in 1980 when some senior bandmasters from Wisconsin got together at Lakeland College near Sheboygan, WI, to organize what became known as the Wisconsin National Band Association.
The first Wisconsin NBA Chapter State Chairman was Alden J. Hoefer. Also involved in the early development of the Wisconsin NBA Chapter were Dr. James Neilson, Dr. Lewis Schmidt, Harvard Erdman, Dr. Edgar Thiessen, Cal Olson, and Don Griebenow. These men determined that their goals were to establish a state newsletter on a regular basis, exhibit at the Wisconsin State Music Educators Convention, and organize the band clinics for the state MENC Convention. Clinics at the state MENC convention never materialized; however, their other goals were realized.
From these early efforts grew a very successful state band organization that strives to serve the needs of its members. The original board of a half dozen men has grown to a group of twenty men and women who gather four times a year to organize the WCBA’s yearly projects. Since Covid, three of these meetings are held via Zoom, with an in person meeting in January following the convention. Each member of the Board of Directors is responsible not only for membership recruitment, but also for organizing various activities for the state convention and other organization activities.
When the Wisconsin MENC dismissed the Wisconsin NBA Chapter’s efforts to sponsor and organize clinics for the state MENC Convention, the board decided to organize their own convention. The board selected January as the ideal time of the year to hold the convention. The first convention was held in 1985. It was hosted by Dick Alnes at the Mead Inn in Wisconsin Rapids. The convention featured guest band performances and clinics. The convention also featured the first All-State High School Band, which was conducted by James Smith from the University of Wisconsin.
Conventions over the years have seen the addition of the All-State Junior Band in 1992 and the All-Star College Band, now known as the Intercollegiate Honor Band, in 2003.
Other major projects sponsored by the Wisconsin Concert Band Association include the establishment of College and University Chapters. The Alpha Chapter of College NBA was started at UW–Eau Claire in September 2002. Dr. Richard Mark Heidel was the founding advisor of the group. Dr. Heidel, along with former NBA Collegiate Representative Tim Doleysh, has worked to spread the word about NBA College Chapters around the country. Many other colleges and universities across the country have started chapters.
Over the years, the name of the organization changed from Wisconsin National Band Association to National Band Association – Wisconsin Chapter. In 2022, the group separated from the National Band Association, and the organization’s name was changed to Wisconsin Concert Band Association.
WCBA exhibits annually at the Wisconsin MENC Convention in October. Each year, members of the board of directors volunteer to staff the booth and answer questions about the WCBA.
WCBA also sponsors an annual Reading Clinic. The clinic is scheduled in mid-September and is co-sponsored by Heid Music, which provides music to sight-read. The emphasis is on elementary and middle-level band literature. Reading Clinic participants are encouraged to offer comments about the playability of the selections.
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The Wisconsin Concert Band Association has also been involved in several commissioning projects. The first commission was a work by John Zdechlik. It was composed for the All-State High School Band and was premiered at the 2000 Convention. “Fox River Valley Overture” is a Grade IV work which is published by Kjos.
Wisconsin composer, Pierre LaPlante, composed the organization’s second commission project. “The Voyageurs” is a Grade II work for middle-level band and was published by Daehn Publications and is available from Barnhouse Music.
WCBA’s third commission is a work by Larry Daehn, entitled “Drammatico Overture.” It received its world premiere in a performance by the WCBA All-State Junior Band in January 2008. WCBA’s most recent commission is a work titled Bolerobot, composed by Erika Svanoe. It was premiered in January 2025 by the WCBA Intercollegiate Honor Band.
One of WCBA’s proud accomplishments is the establishment of our website. It can be accessed at www.wisconsincba.org. Members can access membership forms, honors band applications, and convention registration forms. We publish our state newsletter three times a year. It serves to inform our members and help keep them abreast of WCBA activities. Our editor, Sierra Sargent, has worked tirelessly to continually improve the content and quality of the WCBA Newsletter, which is sent to members via email.
In 2024, the WCBA established a new set of awards. The first two honor conductors. The Outstanding Young Conductors Award was presented to Tyler Schuster, and the Outstanding Band Director Award was presented to James Aerts. The WCBA’s top awards are the Harvard Erdman Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to Dr. Kristin Tjornehoj, and the Dr. Edgar P. Thiessen Distinguished Service Award, which was presented to Henry Clark.
After forty years of conventions, the Wisconsin Concert Band Association continues to develop new programs and services to meet the needs of its members. Whether the member is a college student, a freshman teacher, a veteran teacher, or simply a person with a love of band music, WCBA is here to serve them.