Sheldon, Iowa — A Sheldon music educator has been chosen as President-Elect of the Iowa Bandmasters Association, an organization of instrumental music instructors from across the state.
Sheldon Middle School Band Director Jeana Larson was chosen by her peers to help lead the statewide organization. Larson tells us how the process began.
(As above) “In the fall, we have our district meeting so there are six districts in Iowa Bandmasters Association, and each district picks a candidate that they’re going to submit for president-elect, and I was chosen this year to represent northwest Iowa.”
Larson says that once each district selects their candidate it becomes much like a political campaign.
(As above) “It’s kind of like how our political system works, in that you have your campaign statement and the membership can see it. We don’t go out and campaign, of course, and all that but we have your your position and then in March here, the Iowa Bandmasters body voted on the election, and I was fortunate to be chosen.”
She says the President-Elect post with the Iowa Bandmasters Association is much the same as the Vice-President in some other organizations.
(As above) “It’s kind of like a vice president then becomes president sort of position. So the first year, next year, I will be the president-elect and my main job there is to assist the president with any duties that they have, attend meetings and things like that, and then there are certain aspects of the conference that I would attend to organizing a luncheon and helping to choose the bands that perform at the conference.”
In the second year, Larson says she will become the organization’s president.
(As above) “The following year I would be the president of the organization and that’s the big job. That person organizes the entire Iowa Bandmasters conference, they oversee all operations of the Iowa Bandmasters Association, run meetings and things like that, so their job is really to serve as an advocate for music education in the state of Iowa.”
Larson says the quality of the student-musicians in the Sheldon Community School District is second to none, and that rich tradition has put Sheldon on the map statewide, She credits those students, and the school system that fosters the tradition of excellence, for being partially responsible for making her only the eighth northwest Iowan chosen to lead the organization in its 93-year history, and only the second in the past 40-years. Larson also noted that she will be only the fifth female in IBA history to become president of the organization.
She says she is very humbled by the confidence shown in her by her peers from across the state who elected her to the position, and takes the honor very seriously. Larson says her goal is to represent music education well over these next two years.
