As of July 1, 2008, ten TMEA members take the leadership of TMEA for a two-year term. All are long-time members and experienced leaders in Tennessee music education and several have already served a term as a TMEA officer or board member.
Gary Wilkes is a native Chattanoogan and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he received his Bachelors degree in Music Education. He has a Master of Music Diploma from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Over the past thirty years, Wilkes has taught both bands and orchestras in Texas and Tennessee. Currently, he is the orchestra teacher at the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences. For the past twelve years, he has been the music director of the Chattanooga Symphony Youth Orchestras and the conductor of the Chattanooga Youth Symphony. Wilkes has professional affiliations with the MENC, TMEA, East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association, American String Teachers Association, National School Orchestra Association, International Double Reed Society, Tennessee Education Association, Hamilton County Education Association, and the American Federation of Musicians - Local 80. He was recently elected as TMEA President-Elect and is currently serving as President of the Tennessee chapter of the American String Teachers Association. He also holds membership in the Phi Beta Mu Honorary Band Directors Fraternity and was recently honored as one of Tennessee’s outstanding teachers by the Board of the Tennessee Governors School of the Arts. Wilkes serves as a bassoonist with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, as music director at First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, and as the orchestra director for Covenant College.
PRESIDENT WILKES’S PERSONAL HOPES FOR TMEA:
"Over the last twenty-eight years, I have had the privilege of teaching students whose ages range from ten to eighty and who have sung or played everything from soprano to bass drum. By my calculations, I have provided musical instruction to well over five thousand students. It is my hope that I have been able to foster a love and deep appreciation of music in each of these students. During the first half of my teaching career, I taught band and orchestra in the state of Texas. During my tenure there, I was fortunate to be elected as a regional officer and saw how pro-active that board was in fighting for established programs to be retained rather than being eliminated. It is my wish that our TMEA can become a formidable lobbying group to aid in more music classes and positions in Tennessee rather than less."
The 2008-10 TMEA State Chairs include:
The three TMEA elected officers, together with the five State Chairs and two ex-officio positions make up the TMEA Board of Directors.
The sounds of the classical music he loved were heard on Monday, July 14, when a large crowd gathered at First United Methodist Church, Murfreesboro, to celebrate the life of Dr. T. Earl Hinton, musician, educator, arts advocate and politician.
A past president of Tennessee Music Education Association, Southern Division of MENC, the Tennessee Alliance for Arts Education and member and board member of numerous other organizations, Earl devoted his energy to the promotion of music and the arts, and especially to their place in the education of all students.
A native of Clarksville, T. Earl received three degrees from George Peabody College for Teachers, now Peabody College of Education of Vanderbilt University.
From his first job as General Manager of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra where he was later timpanist for ten years, he worked to promote music as integral to the quality of life of people everywhere. He was a music instructor in Nashville City Schools until he accepted a position at Middle Tennessee State University in 1960. At MTSU he directed the music education programs of the school of music and conducted the university-community orchestra. Earl was active politically in his community as well as his profession and was both president of the Faculty Senate at MTSU and a magistrate of the Rutherford County Court.
T. Earl is survived by his wife of 55 years, the former Nora Gardner Smith of Columbia, Tennessee, sons, Kem Hinton and wife Marilyn and Keith Hinton, and a grandson, T.J. Hinton.
Earl gave energy and passion to all he did, and that is especially true when he spoke for music education. His often out-spoken positions brought numerous benefits to the profession he cherished. He was honored with numerous awards including the Lorin Hollander Award presented by the Tennessee Arts Academy.
TMEA remembers with gratitude Earl’s many avenues of service and extends sympathy to Mrs. Hinton and the other members of his family.
A bulletin board for discussion among our members has been set up on our website. Login is required to use the new site. Take a few moments and pay it a visit by clicking here!
Searching for an economical way to complete professional development credits for re-licensure? James Madison University is currently offering a 3 credit graduate-level course: “Music and Special Learners” through Outreach Programs. The course is available to anyone with Internet access (including teachers in rural communities) and may be completed without leaving home. Click here for a brochure about the program.
The Tennessee Music Education Association has entered into a seven year agreement with New Horizons Tour & Travel, Inc., continuing a similar relationship with New Horizons from previous years. The agreement provides the funding to support the commissioning of a new musical work each year for the next seven for each of the Tennessee All-State ensembles and the Treble Honor Chorus. Tentatively, it is planned to begin the cycle with a new work for the Treble Honor Chorus to be performed at this spring’s State Music Conference.
New Horizons, one of the country’s premier music group travel companies, is excited to participate in this project once again. New Horizons provides domestic and international music performance tours for students from all 50 states. This project ties directly to New Horizons’ vision of providing amazing musical experiences for students.
For more information about New Horizons Tour & Travel, Inc. see their web site at www.nhtt.com.
Effective July 1, 2008, all school booster organizations must conform to this manual. Read it now.
Please take the time to read this important document approved by the State Board of Education on Jan. 25, 2008. Click here to read.
