Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic

ACB Booth at MidwestThe Midwest Clinic is the largest instrumental music education conference in the world that takes place in Chicago, IL each December.   The Association of Concert Bands participates in the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic as an exhibitor each year. We use our booth to spread the word about the adult concert band movement and to highlight community bands.  Many of our members also participate at the Midwest Clinic as performers, clinicians, exhibitors, and attendees.

 We have been fortunate to have accepted clinics and have sponsored others over the years.   For example:

  * Investing in Fundamentals: Recruiting, Training and Retaining Low Brass Players, Sam Pilafian [2012]
  * "You Can Do It"! Leading Students to Professional/Life Long Music Performance, Susan Slaughter [2013]

Other previous ACB-sponsored clinicians have been Col. John Bourgeois, Col. Arnald Gabriel, and a panel discussion on community bands with ACB conductors Commander Allen Beck, Gerald Guilbeaux, Gail Brechting and Don Snowden. Several of our Advisory Council members have also been featured prominently at the Midwest Clinic.


2012 Midwest Clinic with Bourgeois and VWS

Several of our member bands have been selected to perform at the Midwest Clinic.  Below is a list from recent years.

    • Kiel Municipal Band [1954]
    • Los Angeles Symphonic Winds [200?]
    • Northshore Concert Band [2011]
    • Lone Star Wind Orchestra [2012]
    • Wheaton Municipal Band [2012]
    • Utah Wind Symphony [2014]
    • Eastern Wind Symphony [2015]
    • Tara Winds [2015]
    • Central Winds [2016]
    • The Desert Winds [2016]
    • Alabama Winds [2017]
    • Fillmore Wind Band [2017]
    • Wheaton Municipal Band [2017]
    • Virginia Wind Symphony [2012, 2017]
    • Carrolton Wind Symphony [2018]
    • Cobb Wind Symphony [2003, 2011, 2018]
    • Woodlands Concert Band (2018]
    • Grand Symphonic Winds [2019]
    • Atlanta Wind Symphony [2020 - postponed to 2021]
    • Fairfax Wind Symphony [2020 - postponed to 2021]
    • Eastern Wind Symphony [2020 - postponed to 2021]
    •  The Metropolitan Music Community's Brooklyn Wind Symphony [2022]
    • Brooklyn Wind Symphony [2023]

Several of our members and Advisory Council members also give clinics.  Here are some recent examples our previous midwest booth

    • If I Knew Then What I Know Now ... , Tim Lautzenhesier [2016]
    • An Interview with Col. Arnald D. Gabriel, Tim Lautzenhesier [2016]
    • Embracing our Similarities: Sharing Concepts Across the Band and Orchestra with Erica Nedlinger (and others) [2016]
    • Brilliant Future, Illustrious Past: The Midwest Clinic By David McCormick, Tim Lautzenhesier [2016]
    • The Artistry of the March, Loras Schissel, clinician with Virginia Wind Symphony, Dennis Zeisler, director [2017]
    • Bridging the Gender Gap: Developing Strategies for Creating Equity in Ensemble Programming, Alex Shapiro (and others) [2018]
    • Exploit the Power of Arts Education, Richard Coulter [2018]
    • Nurturing the Master Teacher: Effective Rehearsal Evaluation, Timothy Holtan [2018] 
    • Community Bands Can Fill Your Void, Gary Smith [2019]