School of Music - Spring Conference General Information
General Information
General Philosophy
"To promote the performance, understanding, and composition of quality wind and percussion music."
Brief History
Western Michigan University's Spring Conference on Wind and Percussion Music was first held on April 12, 1969, when James W. Miller Auditorium was one year old. It was the brainchild of Carl Bjerregarrd, who conducted the University Wind Ensemble from 1968-76 and was Director of Bands from 1972-76. Subsequent conferences have been hosted by Eddie Green (1977-79), Richard Suddendorf (1980-91), Jeffrey Renshaw (1992-93), and Robert Spradling (1994-present). School of Music associate director Carl Doubleday coordinated logistics for the first 42 conferences (1969-2010).
Guest Composers and Conductors
A chronological listing from 1969 to the present is included on the History page.
Guest Bands
A chronological listing from 1969 to the present is included on the History page.
Conference All-Star Bands
Since 1974, the conference has featured a 120-member all-Michigan high school all-star band which is named in honor of the guest composer/conductor. An all-star high school repertory (reading) band was added in 1997. More information about these ensembles can be found on the All-Star Bands page.
Conference Events
A sample schedule for this one-day conference can be found on the Sample Schedule page.
Conference Registration
All-Star Band nomination and conference registration forms are mailed to virtually every high school band director in Michigan in early February. The forms can also be downloaded from the Conference Registration page. We recommend, however, that forms not be completed and mailed until district S/E festival ratings are known for that year’s conference.
For More Information
To be placed on the Spring Conference mailing list or for more information on the festival, contact Kevin West in the WMU School of Music at (269) 387–4681 or kevin.west@wmich.edu.