March 16, 2018
The East Texas Baptist University Faculty Brass Quintet performed at the Texas Music Education Association (TMEA) Music Showcase on Friday, February 16. The convention was held in San Antonio at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Wednesday, February 14 through Saturday, February 17.
"It is an honor to have been selected as a performing ensemble at the TMEA convention. Over 12,000 music educators attended and many of the finest performing groups in the world were heard during the conference," ETBU Faculty Brass Quintet Trumpet player Douglas Lockard said. "We chose to perform music from the Texas Prescribed Music List that band directors can use with their school brass quintets."
The ETBU Faculty Brass Quintet auditioned in May 2017 and was invited to the convention. The TMEA Music Showcase included over 450 events throughout the four-day conference. During the convention, music educators have the opportunity to earn CPE (Continuing Professional Education) credits while benefiting from college division clinics, technology workshops, product showcases, and an exhibit hall with over 1,300 booths and vendors.
"My involvement in the group has allowed me to become a better musician and provided various resources valuable to my future as a music educator," ETBU Faculty Brass Quintet Tuba player Jeremy Gressman said. "I hope to influence others in the same way that I have been encouraged by the Faculty Brass Quintet members."
The group is comprised of ETBU Director of Bands Mark Crim, Coordinator of Instrumental Music Doug Lockard, Low Brass Adjunct Instructor Terry Hopkins, French Horn Performer Adam Black, and senior Music Education major Jeremy Gressman. They play for a variety of events including music department recitals, campus events, churches, Wonderland of Lights, Central Perks, and Marshall Symphony Orchestra's Meet Your Orchestra concerts. The Faculty Brass Quintet will perform in local schools throughout the spring semester and during the Spring Commencement services on Saturday, May 12.