YEA! Welcomes Music Education Veteran Scott McCormick to USBands

By SBO+ Staff

ALLENTOWN, PA (March 13, 2016) – USBands is adding one of the top leaders in the band world to its team just as registration for the fall band season gets under way, George Hopkins, the chief executive of Youth Education in the Arts, announced today. Scott McCormick, a veteran of Bands of America and Music for All, will guide USBands through 2016.

More details from Youth Education in the Arts (www.yea.org):

“With his experience and success, garnered over decades of work with Bands of America and Music for All, Scott brings a wealth of knowledge regarding the world of scholastic music,” Hopkins said. “His insight, his knowledge, and most important his commitment to the students and directors of today’s school music programs, make all of us at YEA! and USBands thrilled that Scott will join our team as we grow the quality and scope of our scholastic offerings”

After just one week, more than 250 bands have already committed to participate in one or more of the 130 fall marching band programs planned for this year by USBands, a program of YEA!. The 2016 program for USBands is called “March Forth.”

“My career has been based on creating positive, life-impacting experiences for young people. My goal is to bring my 30 years experience to USBands and build even more excellence for band students and teachers across the country,” McCormick said.

As interim director of USBands, Scott will be on the road visiting directors and attending events while also working from both the YEA! office in Allentown, Pa., and from his home office in Indianapolis. McCormick will continue his roles as president of the National Association of Music Parents and as an executive producer for the film documentary “Marching Beyond Halftime.”

The Director of USBands plays an integral role in the leadership and mission of YEA!. More than 725 ensembles participated in USBands’ programs last year across 20 states, spanning marching and concert band, winter guard and indoor percussion lines.

As interim director, McCormick will supervise 10 full-time staff and dozens of part-time and volunteer staff as well as help in identifying and mentoring a full time director, expected to come on board this Fall. Scott will also provide valuable insight into recruitment, event production, event marketing, communications and promotion in order to deliver experience for bands, students and directors in 2016. He will also offer suggestions and an approach to the planning of the 2017 season to fully maximize the potential for that season.

“USBands has been riding a wave of success in recent years. As we expand our programs and impact, Scott will be critical to achieving our goals,” Hopkins said.

Founded in the fall of 1988, USBands serves as an event manager for scholastic band programs nationwide and prides itself in providing world-class performance venues and the best adjudication in the marching arts to tens of thousands of students each year. Today, USBands boasts membership of over 725 participating high school marching bands and hosts over 150 indoor and outdoor performance opportunities annually. In the fall, member bands compete in twelve different classes from based on total number of performing members (Groups I – VI) and also based on competitive skill level ranging from least to most competitive (Festival, A Class, Open Class) In 2016, USBands celebrated the seventh season of its indoor circuit, USBands Winter, with nearly 100 participating units.

Also beginning in 2014, USBands launched the USBands Concert Series with the premier event at Verizon Hall at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and this season there are festivals in Boston, Philadelphia, and New Jersey.

For more information on USBands go to www.usbands.org.