Return to Lowell Mason Fellows by Year
2002 Lowell Mason Fellows
John Benham Advocate, Designated by John D’Addario
Dr. John Benham played a key role in music education advocacy during his tenure as a consultant to NABIM (The Band and Instrument Manufacturers Association). On numerous occasions, he intervened to help save music programs and institutions across the country. His plan and elements of his approach to this very significant problem have become a part of NAMM’s advocacy kit for music.
Arnold Broido Advocate – Designated by Karen Sherry, ASCAP
Arnold Broido began as a piano student at the Mannes School, studied at Juilliard, and then at Ithaca College, from where he graduated in 1941. He taught music at East Junior High School in Binghamton, New York until World War II, and then served musically in the U.S. Coast Guard, including sea duty around the world on troop transports. After the war, with no teaching jobs open, he joined Boosey & Hawkes as head of the stockroom, became editor, and so began a long series of adventures in music publishing at Boosey, Century, Mercury Music, E.B. Marks, Frank Music Corp., and Boston Music, and finally at Theodore Presser Company as President in 1969. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of both Presser and Elkan-Vogel, Inc., and actively heads the publication department of the group. Broido served on the ASCAP Board from 1972 to 1979, was re-elected in 1981, voted Treasurer in 1990, and is a Director and Treasurer of the ASCAP Foundation. His activities also include Director and Secretary of the National Music Publishers Association, Director and Secretary of the Harry Fox Agency, former President and current Director of the Music Publishers Association of the United States, Chairman of the International Confederation of Music Publishers, and President of the International Federation of Serious Music Publishers. In 1990, Ithaca College honored him with the Doctor of Music degree in recognition of his activities on behalf of contemporary music and intellectual property, and in 1998 the American Music Center awarded him their Letter of Distinction “for his significant contributions to the field of contemporary music.”
Mel Clayton Educator, MENC National President 2000-2002 – Designated by Barbara Geer & Members of Past/Present NEB
Mel Clayton is a graduate of Eastern Washington University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education, a Master of Education degree, and an administrative certification. Clayton has a background of thirty-two years in education, including experience at the elementary, junior high, high school, and college levels. With twenty years of experience as a high school/junior high band and orchestra director, he has worked as a high school administrator, and for the past ten years, he has served as coordinator of the Northshore School District near Seattle, Washington. As coordinator of fine arts, Clayton recently supervised the development of K – 12 standards for the arts in that district. In recent years, Clayton has dedicated an increasing amount of time to leadership positions at the school district, state, regional, and national levels.
Roy Edward Ernst Educator, Author – Designated by Kay H. Logan
Roy Edward Ernst, Professor Emeritus, Eastman School of Music, and nationally recognized music educator and author, established the New Horizons Program for senior adults, which has become a national and international model. He serves as a consultant/ program developer for the programs being established, and directs the week-long workshops that are held in various locations. Ernst is a truly exceptional, creative music educator whose current program focus is benefiting music education, the music industry, and a large population of people who want to participate in music – either for the first time or “getting back to it” for the first time since high school or college.
Louis Joseph “L.J.” Hancock Educator – Designated by Ian M Morrison (named posthumously)
Louis Joseph “L.J.” Hancock served for two years as an elementary and junior high school band director before taking the band director position at Norwin Senior High School in1976. He held this position until 2001, acting also as Music Department Chairman for several years, striving to improve all aspects of the Norwin Music Department. Under Hancock’s directorship, the Norwin Band rose to national acclaim, receiving numerous awards such as consistent Superior ratings at concert band festivals, three-time Grand Champions at Musicfest Orlando, four-time Bands of America Open Class National Champions, 17-time Pennsylvania State Champions, 20-time Bands of America Regional Champions, and the 1982 Bands of America Grand National Champion. The Norwin Band is the only band in America to have won Regional Championships in each of the last four decades. The band received the Sousa Foundation Sudler Shield International Award for Musical Excellence, has been featured on every Pittsburgh television station in commercials and/or documentaries, and has appeared on national TV in the Disney Happy Easter Parade. In 1983, “L.J.” Hancock a ccepted a position at Duquesne University as Adjunct Professor of Music, and in 1989 became director of the Bands of America Summer Symposium, a weeklong summer camp. Under his direction, the camp grew to its largest number of participants ever, with over 1,900 students from all across the nation. “L.J.” Hancock was awarded the Diploma of the Sudler Order of Merit by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, received a Citation for Teaching Excellence by Duquesne University, named to Who’s Who Among American Teachers and Outstanding Men of America, named the 2001 Outstanding Educator of Norwin High School, and received a “Mouseker,” Disney Corporation’s Highest Award recognizing outstanding people. Mr. Hancock dedicated his entire life to educating and creating opportunities for all students, influencing thousands of students, educators, and musicians. His example inspired many of his students to pursue careers in music.
Wiley Housewright Educator, MENC National President 1968-1970 – Designated by Jon R Piersol
Wiley Housewright received his bachelor’s degree in music education from North Texas State University, which honored him with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 1968. His graduate studies in music and music education led to a master’s degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from New York University. He taught at the University of Texas, served as an officer in the U.S. Army, was a guest lecturer at numerous institutions, and taught in the public schools of New York and Texas. Dr. Housewright joined the faculty of Florida State University in 1947, served the School of Music as professor and conductor of the University Singers, and in 1961 was honored by the University as a Distinguished Professor. He was appointed Dean of the School of Music in 1966, a position he held until his retirement in 1979. Housewright was awarded a Fullbright Grant in 1956 for teaching and research at Doshisha University and Kobe Jogakuin College in Japan. He was a member of the Academic Music Advisory Panel of the U.S. Department of State’s International Cultural Presentations program, and in 1960 he made a field survey of South America for the U.S. Department of State. He has served on the Ford Foundation’s Advisory Board in Humanities and the Arts, and the Policy Committee of the Contemporary Music Project. He was a member of the Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies, and in 1961 was appointed to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. Through the National Education Association, he and two other authors designed programs in the arts for gifted secondary school children under a Carnegie Corporation Grant. His numerous international papers include presentations for the International Society for Music Education and the International Symposium on Music Education, sponsored by UNESCO and the Swedish National Government. Dr. Housewright also served on the Executive Board of the National Society for the Schools of Music, and was a member of the Executive Board of the College Music Society. As MENC President, Housewright was very active in the 1970 Tanglewood Symposium, including chairing the committee on “Music of our Time,” and was involved in every step of the implementation and defense of many of the findings of Tanglewood. His leading role in these activities linked him appropriately to the recent Vision 2020 project, updating and expanding the vision anticipated by Tanglewood. During “retirement,” Wiley Housewright has continued his valuable research in music, producing two definitive books, A History of Music and Dance in Florida, 1565-1865 and An Anthology of Music in Early Florida. Attributed to Jon R Piersol
Paul Lehman Educator, MENC National President 1984-1986 – Designated by John Mahlmann
As Past president of MENC, Paul Lehman has contributed immeasurably to the programs, projects and image of the National Association for Music Education. His vision as president and subsequent service in many roles has provided direction to publications, regional standards, and numerous other innovative directions benefiting music education. John Mahlmann
Bob McGrath Advocate, Entertainer, “Big Bird’s Best Friend” – Designated by David Phillips & Lockheed Martin Corporation
Bob McGrath, born and raised on an Illinois farm, was a music major at the University of Michigan and received a Master’s degree from The Manhattan School of Music. A lyric tenor, he began his professional career singing and recording with the Robert Shaw Chorale and Fred Waring’s “Pennsylvanians,” and has worked with such noted musicians and conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Pablo Casals, and Igor Stravinsky. He subsequently spent five years as the featured tenor soloist on Mitch Miller’s popular NBC television series, “SING ALONG WITH MITCH.” As a result of a Mitch Miller tour, Bob was invited back to Japan nine times, and became a major star with a teenage fan club. During his career, McGrath has appeared with more than 100 symphony orchestras. As “Big Bird’s Best Friend” and the host of the award winning PBS children’s series “Sesame Street,” Bob McGrath has educated young children through music for more than 30 years. He is innovative in exposing children to the joys of performing and creates an excitement and adventure about music and arts through “live” performances, which incorporate children from the local community in the production. In addition to his role as music teacher on “Sesame Street,” Bob is a successful author, recording artist and concert performer. For the past nine years McGrath has acted as host and consultant to the International Children’s Festival at Wolf Trap in Virginia. He is also active with the Variety Club Children’s Charity, having hosted the organization’s telethons in Vancouver for the last twenty-five years and its New York telethon for six years. McGrath has been Chairperson of National UNICEF day, served as the host at the United Nations celebration for the “Rights of the Child,” and as the annual host for World Children’s Day at the UN General Assembly. He is a member of MENC’s Advisory Council, received MENC’s FAME award in 1999, and hosted the World’s Largest Concert for MENC in 1995. Recently he was honored by the National Music Council with the American Eagle Award for his support of music education in the United States. Bob McGrath has bridged two generations of “Sesame Street” viewers as one of the original hosts. “I can’t believe I’m really meeting you” is a common response heard by Bob from kids and parents alike. He is a tireless advocate of music education, and devoted to introducing children to music and the arts. Attributed to David Phillips
Clifford Madsen Educator – Designated by Jon R Piersol
For almost 40 years, Clifford Madsen has accomplished a particularly distinguished record of research and service to the Music Education profession. A summary of his many accomplishments includes a number of books which have received considerable use in the profession for decades, a myriad of book chapters and articles in the most distinguished research journals in the profession, and a record or presentations at national and international professional meetings that is simply staggering in number and quality. The article on “Researchers in Music Education/Therapy” in the 1997 issue of MENC’s Journal of Research in Music Education speaks to his numerous awards and honors, including a Special Recognition Award for Research (SEC-NAMT), a Senior Researcher Award from MENC, the Publications Award and the Award of Merit from NAMT, the Distinguished Service to Music Medal from Kappa Kappa Psi, and most recently the MENC Hall of FAME award.
Attributed to Jon R Piersol
Don Robinson Educator, Author – Designated by Frank Crockett
Don Robinson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of North Carolina in 1947, began teaching in the Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia schools as an instrumental and choral conductor, and later served as an instructor at the University of Michigan School of Music where he earned a Master’s Degree in Music. While in Michigan, he taught in the elementary and junior high programs in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and later was an elementary and classroom music teacher in the United States Air Force Dependent Schools in Wiesbaden, Germany. In 1958, Robinson returned to Fulton County Schools in Atlanta as Director of Music Education, where he served with distinction until his retirement in 1980. There he successfully increased the number of music teachers and the emphasis on the performance of new music, and employed a string quartet in residence to perform and teach. A talented conductor, Robinson has served as Music Director of the Atlanta Boy Choir, the Atlanta Jewish Center Chorus, the Chorale of Atlanta, and the Central Presbyterian Church, and conducted groups at National, Division, and State MENC conferences, and All State Choruses in eight states. Additionally, he has published numerous articles in the Georgia Music News, Music Educators Journal, and the ISME Newsletter. In 1970, he served on the National Planning Committee on the White House Conference on Children, and has also served as chairman of the MENC Committee on International Relations, chairman of the MENC Bicentennial Committee, President and Executive Director of the Georgia Music Educators Association, President of the Southern Division of MENC, and was a nominee for MENC President in 1975. As a 46-year member of ISME, he has served as Chairman on the Commission of Schools and Teacher Education, and is a Life Member of the American Choral Directors Association. Robinson has been honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Georgia Department of Music in 1981, where he did additional graduate work, and was chosen to address the South Korean Music Educators Association in 1989. He was awarded an Honorary Life Membership in ISME in 1998, and became an Honorary Board Member of the Choral Guild of Atlanta in 2002. In retirement, Don has remained an active participant and supporter of local music groups, including the Atlanta Music Club, the Atlanta Opera, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Attributed to Frank Crockett
Will Schmid Educator, MENC National President 1994-1996 – Designated by Remo, Inc.
A native of Springfield, Minnesota, Will Schmid holds a B.A. from Luther College and a Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music. His public school teaching included general music, choral music and band, and he taught at Winona Sate University and the University of Kansas. Will Schmid is former chair of the Music Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and past-president of MENC. Schmid is the author of the best selling Hal Leonard Guitar Method (in nine languages), and over fifty other books for guitar and banjo, cassettes, CDs, and videotapes for Hal Leonard Publishing. He is also the principal author/editor of an eight-volume high school choral textbook, Something New to Sing About, published by Glencoe/G. Schirmer. His most recent publications include a student text and teacher’s guide entitled A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly, published by MENC, and contributions as a program author to Silver Burdett Ginn’s The Music Connection series. Schmid has also given workshops throughout the United States and in Australia, Canada, and Europe. During his MENC Presidency, Dr. Schmid worked to reestablish the importance of active music making in schools and in America at large. As a result, MENC created new partnership initiatives in the areas of guitar, keyboard, strings, drumming, and singing, which are exemplified by the Get America Singing…Again! campaign and the MENC/Gama Teaching Guitar scholarship workshops. After a two-year, $140,000 national pilot project, Dr. Schmid has published the World Music Drumming curriculum, which brings the excitement of African and Latin drumming and signing to middle school curriculums throughout the United States and Canada. Dr. Schmid has said that his interest in World Drumming began with his Ph.D. dissertation at the Eastman School of Music. Prior to that, he was aware of the need to expand the study of music in American schools to include folk, popular and world music, and he made solving that need a priority in the development of his career.
Attributed to Remo, Inc.
Himie Voxman Educator, Author – Designated by Herman Knoll and Hal Leonard
Himie Voxman is one of the most influential music educators of our time. Educated as an engineer, his love for music and the clarinet led him on an extraordinary journey that included teaching music in the public schools of Iowa, a full professorship in music at the Iowa School of Music, serving as Director of the School of Music from 1954 to 1980, and authoring the Rubank Advanced Band Method, which is still used in the foundational instruction of thousands of instrumental music students each year. He also wrote the Rubank Selected Studies, and compiles many collections of solo and ensemble materials that continue to be a valuable resource for instrumental study. During his tenure at the Iowa School of Music, more heads of schools of music and music department chairpersons were trained than at any other institution. Through his writings, and the many students he trained and influenced who are today’s educators, Mr. Voxman continues to influence literally thousands of instrumental students and performers each year. This year we celebrate his 91st birthday. He is still practicing clarinet an hour and a half each day and plays first clarinet in the Iowa City Concert Band.
