The director of the Mississippi State University Famous Maroon Band has been named to a prestigious professional organization.
Elva Kaye Lance, who has led the band since 2002 and served on its faculty since 1992, has been elected to the American Bandmasters Association. The organization represents 300 conductors and composers, and 80 music business and industry professionals who have contributed the most to marching bands. Famed bandmaster and “The Stars and Stripes Forever” composer John Phillip Sousa founded the organization in 1929.
Lance said she was “humbled” to receive the honor, but emphasized it not just being her honor.
“The success that one has in their career is not just an individual thing, but a lot of people make up the success that we’ve had, or that I’ve had,” Lance said. “Certainly the students that have agreed to work hard and to perform well are a big part of the success that any of us have as band directors, and then my colleagues and staff, they certainly are a huge part of the success that we have here at Mississippi State.”
She also acknowledged the support she received from MSU administration.
Lance said she had to send recordings of ensembles spanning her entire career in order to be considered for the association. All members of the association then listened to the recordings and voted on whether to admit her. Past professional accolades, compositions and academic work were also factored in. In total, 13 new members were accepted to the association this year.
Lance said she learned she had been accepted in March.
“I’m very humbled to even be considered to be a part of that prestigious organization because it’s filled with some of the best in our field, and I’m very humbled to be a part of it,” Lance said.
Prior to coming to the Maroon Band, Lance served as a band director in middle and high schools across the state. Some of Lance’s previous accolades include being elected president of bandmasters’ fraternity Phi Beta Mu in 2015 and being named outstanding contributor to bands in Mississippi, and the Edythe M. McArthur Outstanding Woman Band Directors Award from the Mississippi Bandmasters Association. Lance’s professional memberships include Kappa Kappa Psi and Sigma Alpha Iota.
She has also led the band on three trips abroad, including to the British Isles in 2008, Germany in 2011 and Italy in 2014. She named the construction of the MSU band and choir building in 2007 as another accomplishment in her career, again emphasizing it being a group effort. She said the band was also in fundraising efforts for an artificial turf practice field.
“As I said, the success of any teacher is dependent on their students and on their colleagues and on the leadership of the school or university where they work, and I think as a teacher, I’ve certainly been in positions where I’m fortunate to have that,” Lance said.
Lance will be officially inducted into the association at its annual meeting in March 2019.