January 15, 2019 To Whom It May Concern: Music has the ability to inspire, educate, motivate, and bring people to new heights of emotional awareness and understanding. For all of these reasons, music performance and education is the passion of my life. Music has taught me to have determination, commitment, and a hard work ethic in every aspect of my life. It is through music performance and education that I am able to inspire these qualities in others. In my professional career, I have taught both high school and college bands. I am currently serving as the Assistant Director of University Bands at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Yet before holding any of these positions, I had the honor of serving bands as an active member of the Eta Omicron chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Since then, I have served as a chapter sponsor at two different universities in different districts, and I was initiated as an honorary into Tau Beta Sigma. At the last National Convention, I was gifted a Life Membership into Kappa Kappa Psi. While I am able to continue serving bands both personally and professionally, I believe it is incredibly important for all members of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma to have the opportunity to perform musically and serve bands throughout their entire lives. These beliefs, as well as the knowledge, skills, and qualities I have acquired professionally, qualify me to be a candidate for and to continue serving on the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association Board of Directors. In addition to my professional qualifications as a college band director, I have served on the AABOD for the past two years. As a band director and a brother, it has always been important to me to encourage lifelong participation in music for my students and alumni. Therefore, when I joined the board, I wanted to bring those goals to the forefront of my service. Initially, I was named the Outreach Director which allowed me to focus on connecting our alumni brothers with community bands and alumni bands. Due to some departures from the board, I have spent the majority of the past two years as the Musicianship Director but with much of the same focus. It has been the perfect role for a college band director that is able to communicate with many different constituents such as alumni brothers, university band directors, and others in the larger band community. One organization that we have partnered with is the Association of Concert Bands which promotes community bands across the country. Since we have common goals, the AABOD and the ACB have been contributing articles to each other’s publications, promoting resources on each other’s websites, and most recently I met with two of their board members in person at the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic to discuss future plans and goals. Another exciting upcoming program for the AABOD is the Max Mitchell Grant Program which is encouraging Local Alumni Associations to contribute grant money to assist musicians traveling to perform with the National Intercollegiate Band at National Convention. I formulated essay prompts for those auditioning for the ensemble to submit in consideration for grant money, and I will be forming a Musicianship Committee to help in evaluating the grant essays. I am proud of what I have contributed to the AABOD in the past two years, but I also feel like the work has just begun. As I have built relationships with alumni and other organizations in this role, I look forward to continuing on the board in any director capacity. It has been and would continue to be an honor to be selected to serve on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. The application materials I have provided include a professional curriculum vitae, a fraternal resume, a statement of candidacy, a biographical statement, a head shot, and letters of recommendation. If there is any additional information I can provide or questions I can answer, please contact me through email ([email protected]). I look forward to the prospect of continuing to serve on the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association Board of Directors for the next biennium. AEA, Erin Colleen Cooper Statement of Candidacy Erin Colleen Cooper As a current member of the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association Board of Directors, I am proud of all the board has accomplished in the current biennium, and I have many ideas and recommendations for the upcoming board that will be installed at our centennial. The focus of the AABOD should always be on keeping alumni brothers engaged in the fraternity. Engagement could be evident in many forms whether that be through continued membership, forming and maintaining Local Alumni Associations, providing quality programming at District and National Conventions, communicating through social media, honoring through traditions and awards, outreach and mentorship, or participation in community and alumni bands. While the latter has been my passion in this biennium, the current board has worked well together in promoting the goals of each director which has helped us all be successful and serve our constituents. Some recommendations for the future board would include initiatives we have discussed but not yet implemented such as a Composition Competition as a companion to our current Solo Competition, expanding the Max Mitchell Grant Program to include more donations and more awards, and continued collaboration with the Association of Concert Bands and create new relationships with the National Alumni Bands Association and other similar organizations. There have been alumni brothers I have met at conventions that have not only wanted to form Local Alumni Associations but also start new community bands. Through my own experiences playing in community bands and our new relationship with the Association with Concert Bands, the AABOD could certainly aid our alumni in achieving such goals. There are so many initiatives that have been successful for the current board, and I would look forward to continuing that trend with the board in the next biennium. As previously discussed, there are many current initiatives as Musicianship Director that I would love to be able to continue. However, the needs of every board are different, so I would feel confident serving in any of the director roles that might be needed. As a band director, I have a great deal of experience with recruiting much like our annual membership drives. At the Texas Music Educators Association Convention and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, I have encouraged many alumni that have been interested in forming Local Alumni Associations. As far as programming for conventions is concerned, I have organized many festivals and events in my professional career and am extremely organized in administrative roles. Social media presence is incredibly helpful for the board to communicate with constituents, and I have done the same with my students and alumni in the bands I have directed. Awards are not only considered by that committee, but our new Musicianship Committee will be awarding grants. Finally, outreach is the area in which I began the biennium and feel quite comfortable. Therefore, I could see myself serving on the board in any director capacity, and it would certainly be an honor to be selected to serve. A native of Maryland, Erin Colleen Cooper is currently serving as the new Assistant Director of University Bands at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In this role, Dr. Cooper assists with the Marching Tar Heels and directs the Women’s Basketball Pep Band. She also directs the Symphony Band and teaches music education courses. Prior to arriving in Chapel Hill, Dr. Cooper taught at Central Connecticut State University, the University of Missouri, and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. During these appointments, she directed the marching bands, pep bands, and concert bands as well as taught graduate and undergraduate courses in music education, conducting, wind literature, marching band techniques, and flute pedagogy. Cooper earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting with a secondary concentration in Flute Performance from the University of Alabama. While there, she also served as Assistant Conductor of the Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra. Dr. Cooper also enjoyed a career as a public high school teacher for five years in both Florida and Maryland. She received her Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting Performance degree from the University of Delaware and her Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree (Magna Cum Laude) from James Madison University. Since 2002, Dr. Cooper has spent her summers teaching at the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy. She travels around the country each summer teaching marching, conducting, and leadership skills to high school students. Dr. Cooper has professional affiliations with the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, Pi Kappa Lambda (National Honor Society for Musicians), honorary membership in Tau Beta Sigma (National Honorary Band Service Sorority), and is a Life Member of Kappa Kappa Psi (National Honorary Band Service Fraternity) for which she serves as the Musicianship Director on the National Alumni Association Board of Directors. In addition to her musical pursuits, Erin is passionate about coffee, the beach, reading, cooking, Pilates, and cuddling with her cats, Rhett Butler and Lily. Erin Colleen Cooper 3743 SW Durham Drive, Apt. 101, Durham, NC 27707 Phone: 301-213-3949 Email: [email protected]