Student Named to National Intercollegiate Band

A Fairmont State University student has been named as a member of the flute section of the College Band Directors National Conference Small College Intercollegiate Band.

Sarah Watkins, a junior music education major from Philippi, will be part of the band, comprised of the best musicians from small colleges and universities across the United States. Of the 177 applications submitted for the ensemble, approximately 90 students were accepted. Watkins was the only student named from West Virginia.  

The ensemble will be performing for the College Band Directors National Conference Convention in Austin, Texas, during the week of March 24-28, 2009. The essence of the ensemble is that the Small College Intercollegiate Band is for students who are in programs and community colleges and colleges/universities with fewer than 5,000 total students and do not grant master's degrees in music performance. The director of the 2009 ensemble is conductor, professor, composer and arranger Virginia Allen, who is currently on the faculty at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.