The Minnesota Brass Board of Directors has set the Annual Meeting for 7 PM on Sunday, November 5th on Zoom. The Annual Meeting is open to all who wish to attend. For meeting details and Zoom information, please refer to the MBI Meetings calendar or get in touch with me.
Upon the conclusion of the meeting, the Zoom meeting will remain open for those who wish to linger and chat.
Hope to see you there!
The Minnesota Brass Board of Directors has set the Annual Meeting for 7:30 PM on Tuesday, October 18th on Zoom. The Annual Meeting is open to all who wish to attend. For meeting details and Zoom information, please refer to the MBI Meetings calendar.
Upon the conclusion of the meeting, the Zoom meeting will remain open for those who wish to linger and chat.
As of May 2022, Minnesota Brass, Inc. has added two new members to the Board of Directors, Paul Terry and Bridger Herman.
About Paul Terry:
Paul Terry is the director of bands at Brooklyn Middle STEAM School, where he directs three Concert Bands, The Bulldog Jazz Band, and teaches Introduction to Band. Paul also instructs the Park Center Senior High Pirate Marching Band, and Grove Area Percussion (GAP) where he serves as a visual instructor.
Paul began his drum corps career in 2005 in the DCA circuit with Minnesota Brass Drum and Bugle Corps. In his time with the corps, he helped lead them to three high-brass titles and a DCA world championship in 2011. In 2014 and ’15, Paul was also a low-brass technician for the Colts of Dubuque, Iowa. Paul spent 2019 as the Visual Caption Head of the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps, where he helped lead the corps back to a semi-finals performance.
In his time off Paul loves playing golf with his daughter Shea, and taking their Greyhound Vicki, for (short and fast) walks. Paul is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, with a degree in music education, and holds a master’s degree in music education from Boston University.
About Bridger Herman:
Bridger Herman has been with Minnesota Brass since 2015, participating as a member of the winter drumline front ensemble. Since aging out of indoor drumline, he has continued to work with the organization as a summer marching member, front ensemble instructor, audio engineer, and fleet manager. He is also a Ph.D. candidate and graduate student instructor at the University of Minnesota, studying and teaching computer science and data visualization.
Bridger’s top priority as a board member is building a solid operational team to ensure the safe and timely transportation of equipment that enables Minnesota Brass’s ensembles to function.
Minnesota Brass, Inc. is honored to announce it has been inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. This esteemed award recognizes MBI’s 75 years of excellence across multiple ensembles and an undeniable contribution to Minnesota’s music scene. MBI’s legacy now joins local legends such as Prince, Judy Garland, and John Denver at the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame museum located in New Ulm, Minnesota.
The induction ceremony took place on April 22nd, 2022 and the award was accepted by MBI representatives Kurt Schiebel and Roger Grupp.
To learn more about the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, visit their website at mnmusichalloffame.org.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Becky Rucker Pritchard, who passed away January 6, 2022, due to complications from Covid-19, multiple sclerosis, and a minor stroke.
Becky joined MBI in July of 1986 for the DCM Championships in Dekalb, IL, and was a marching member through 1992. She played French horn and mellophone, was a mellophone soloist, was part of the legendary and infamous lady-mid Gabline, and served as drum major her last year with Ron Haselius and Lori Maxwell. She was the 1987 Hornline Rookie of the Year and served on the Board of Directors. She was an integral part of recruiting University of Minnesota Marching Band members to join MBI. She was a founding member of the Classic Brass Inc. quintet, which was made up of MBI members and alumni.
Becky completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota and graduate work at Boston University. She spent several summers at Tanglewood located in Lenox, MA, first as a student, and then returning as a teacher and coach in the B.U.T.I. brass quintet seminar. Along with her husband, Joe, Becky established Pritchard Music-Kentlands in 2009. She was the Director of Music Education, overseeing 250 students while keeping an active teaching schedule herself. Becky coached several chamber ensembles, including the Powerhouse Brass, an award-winning brass quintet that performs at national festivals and competitions.
Becky was a strong advocate for funding music and arts in the schools. She and Joe worked with the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation and members of Congress on the wording of the ESEA bill that was signed into law in December 2015. This bill makes music and arts a core requirement for all students to receive a well-rounded education. Becky served on the board of directors for the Gaithersburg Arts and Monuments Funding Corporation (GAMFC), The Patriot Brass, and was on the board of the Montgomery Philharmonic Orchestra.
Becky loved what she did. She loved teaching music and LOVED coaching the Pritchard Music ensembles. She leaves her husband Joe, her stepdaughter Olivia, and J.W. and d’Artagnan, the family dogs.
The family is hoping to host a celebration of life this summer in Maryland when they can safely gather as many of her students, friends, and family to honor a true lover of music. In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Multiple Sclerosis Society (nationalmssociety.com), The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (mhopus.org), and/or The ziMS Foundation (zimsfoundation.org).
For All We Know.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
