WHAT IS A CONN-SELMER "MEVIP," AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
Many people are mighty curious about the new MEVIP from the Conn-Selmer Division of Education, aren't YOU? It is nothing more than a combined acronym recognizing one of the profession's highly recognized: Music Educator: Very Important Person. As opposed to WHAT DOES IT DO, more appropriately, it identifies WHO IT IS.
Charlie Kunz, Director of Bands, Fishers High School, IN
Kevin Klee, Director of Bands, Snider High School, IN
Dick Karkosky, Director of Bands, Carroll High School, IN
John Papandria, Director of Bands, Ben Davis High School, IN
Chris Harmon, Director of Bands, Lake Central High School, IN
Brian Caldwell, Director of Bands, Western High School, IN
Keith Whitford, Director of Bands, Western High School, IN
Daniel Healton, Director of Bands, Western High School
Bill Stultz, Director of Bands, Columbus North High School, IN
Keith Burton, Director of Bands, Columbus North High School, IN
Scott Spradling, Director of Bands, Concord High School, IN
Tim Carnall, Director of Bands, Elkhart Central High School, IN
Tim Cox, Director of Bands, Decatur Central High School, IN
Tom Cox, Director of Bands, Goshen High School, IN
Randolph Johnson, Director of Bands, Delaware State University, DE
Glenn Northern, Director of Bands, Penn High School, IN
Richard Saucedo, Director of Bands, Carmel High School, IN
Kurt Weimer, Director of Bands, Elkhart Memorial High School, IN
This new found program is best understood by reading the follow-up thoughts of Tom Cox, Director of Bands at Goshen High School. After his recent DAY AT CONN-SELMER, Mr. Cox shared the following reflection:
I was invited to tour the plants and speak with "the bosses" and let me tell you I was impressed from the moment I entered the building to the time I left!
I thought I was going to get the "hard-sell" on all of the great instruments Conn-Selmer is offering, but that did not happen. Instead, I was asked how Conn-Selmer could help me be a better teacher and how they could help my kids succeed. I was a little shocked at first that the President of Conn-Selmer would want to know how HE could help me. I found out that he and his team are committed to music education, not just selling instruments.
My day started by touring the two main plants. First was the Bach plant. I did not really know what to expect, but what I saw was amazing. There were "old school" guys beating a one piece bell to a trombone at one turn and then a $400,000.00 machine at the other producing mouthpieces. I saw men and women painstakingly going over every inch of a newly buffed Stradivarius and I saw the secret kilns that make a Bach sound like a Bach. I then toured the woodwind plant and saw even more detail work being done on the student flutes that my kids play at Goshen. I met a former jewelry maker that was so proud of his work that he stopped what he was doing so that I could get a better look at his work. It was truly a mix of old-world hand made work and the super modern 3D prototypes that are done on CAD machines. I plan to bring my kids on the tour so that they can see real people working in the music business and that they do not have to go to Julliard to work in the music field.
But the best part of the visit was that all of the department heads wanted to know how they could serve me a local band director. I told them that we need to connect more, not just get an email blast. I want them to visit us, share the newest products, and bring out their guest artists so that my kids can see live people playing their instruments. What is amazing is that Conn-Selmer said "sounds like some great ideas. Let's get started!"
Thank you, Mr. Cox for your wonderful words. Our Conn-Selmer Division of Education is committed to working closely with the outstanding music educators across the country and around the world. We are here to serve YOU and YOUR students in creating the most positive partnership possible.
