Recent guidance from above has directed the closing of most online accounts, including the educational resources of Army Bands. Fortunately, most of those resources have been moved to an unofficial site. Subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/@ArmyMusicArchive to have access to these valuable resources.
Dr. Kenneth “Doc” Singleton Remembered
It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Kenneth (Ken) “Doc” Singleton, Professor of Music and Director of Bands Emeritus at the University of Northern Colorado. Ken passed away peacefully on the evening of July 31, 2026 at 78 years old.
Ken served as Director of Bands and Chairman of the Wind Conducting Program at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley from 1985 to 2019, retiring in May of that year after thirty-four years of service. Before coming to Greeley, he served as Director of Concert Bands at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces in the early 1980s. He also taught at the Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford) and Yale University.
Under his leadership, the UNC band program grew to include three concert bands and athletic ensembles, earning acclaim throughout the country and abroad. A few career highlights include the UNC Wind Ensemble performing at the 1993 College Band Directors National Association National Convention, touring China in 2011 with performances in Beijing and Qingyuan, and performing at the 2019 American Bandmasters Association annual convention.
Ken was elected to the Colorado Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame in 1998 and to the Colorado Music Educators Association Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2000 he was elected to the American Bandmasters Association, and in April 2002, he received the Distinguished Service to Music Award from Kappa Kappa Psi, national college band honorary fraternity.
Ken’s impact on music education, music scholarship, and the music profession is immeasurable. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by generations of musicians whose lives he shaped through his leadership, wisdom, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
Statement from NAMM President and CEO on Section 232 Addition of Brass-wind Instruments
The Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) notice proposing the inclusion brass-wind musical instruments and their parts and accessories within the scope of Section 232 duties on steel, aluminum and copper derivative articles will further harm the American businesses, musicians and children.
More than 25 million students participate in school music each year, supported by a network of thousands of American retailers who have imported and supplied these instruments for decades. These students feed the pipeline of American musicians who contribute to the creative economy that produces $1.17 trillion of economic activity, accounts for 4.2 percent of U.S. GDP and provides 5.4 million arts and cultural jobs nationwide according to a 2025 report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
A study published by the Peterson Institute of International Economics found that IEEPA tariffs resulted in a 27% decline in wind instrument imports in 2025. The addition of brass-wind instruments in Section 232 will further erode the pipeline and increase the costs of musical instruments that serve the American musicians who create one of America’s greatest cultural exports: our music.
There is absolutely no national security risk with musical instruments, and in fact, the opposite is true. Music making has been one of the most culturally uniting activities for thousands of years.
NAMM strongly opposes the addition of brass-wind musical instruments and parts and accessories (HTSUS 9205.10.0040 and HTSUS 9205.10.0080) in the proposed Section 232 and will be filing comments against them to the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS), U.S. Department of Commerce. NAMM has been consistent in this message, including the excerpt below from our oral testimony in the Section 301 committee hearing on excess capacity in May. We will continue to champion access to American music making for our current and future generations.