CWU Wind Ensemble To Perform At National Conference

April 9, 2004

Contact: Larry Gookin (509-963-1916/fax 509-963-1239/e-mail: gookinl@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash.-- Central Washington University's symphonic wind ensemble is one of just four university bands selected to perform at the 59th national conference of "MENC: The National Association for Music Education" in Minneapolis on Saturday, April 17.

The CWU ensemble received a personal invitation to perform from Dr. Willy Hill, MENC president, who heard the ensemble in concert at the Northwest MENC division conference in Portland last year, according to Larry Gookin, CWU director of bands.

A free, public preview performance of the MENC program will be held Wednesday, April 14, at 8 p.m. in Hertz Auditorium. The group will depart for Minneapolis the next day.

For more information about that performance, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (509) 963-1216, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.

Other wind ensembles slated to appear at the national conference are from St. Olaf College, University of Kansas and University of Oklahoma. In addition, the conference will include other performances by Michael McDonald, the Ramsey Lewis Trio, James Galway, Leonard Slatkin and the Minnesota Orchestra, Jimmy Jam, Garrison Keiller and 40 public school and university choirs, jazz ensembles, orchestras, bands and ensembles from throughout the U.S.

Founded in 1907, MENC's membership has grown to more than 100,000 including active music teachers, university faculty and researchers, college students preparing to be teachers and high school honor society members.

Formerly the Music Educators National Conference, the association's name was changed in 1998 to MENC: The National Association for Music Education to better reflect its stated mission of "To advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all."

More than 10,000 music educators are expected to attend the Minneapolis conference April 14-18, which will focus on the importance of music education.

In addition to the performances, more than 200 workshops and educational sessions will be held, devoted to a wide range of music education issues, including early childhood music education, curriculum building, assessment strategies for performance ensembles and new technology.