Candidate Amy Acklin

University of Louisville
Associate Director of Bands

Biographical Statement

Amy Acklin is the Associate Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University of Louisville, where she has served on faculty for seventeen years. She directs the UofL Symphonic Band and teaches courses in undergraduate and graduate conducting, band repertoire, and rehearsal techniques. For twelve years, she directed the UofL Cardinal Marching Band, with prestigious performances at the Kentucky Derby, Sugar Bowl, and numerous NCAA Basketball and Volleyball Tournaments. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Louisville Youth Wind Symphony, which has recently welcomed guest composers-in-residence John Mackey and Omar Thomas.

Before joining the faculty at Louisville, Amy spent six years teaching middle and high school bands in Southern California, primarily as Director of Bands at Rancho Cucamonga High School, with notable performances in the Bands of America and WGI competition circuits. She holds degrees in music education and conducting from the University of Louisville (BM and MM) and Florida State University (PhD), where she studied with Richard Clary, Patrick Dunnigan, Clifford Madsen, Acton Ostling, Jr., and Frederick Speck.

Amy is an active guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the country. Her guest conducting engagements include performances at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the Music for All National Festival Concert Band, WASBE International Conferences, Musicians Abroad European Tour, CBDNA Regional Conferences, and honor band festivals throughout the United States. Amy has presented at international and national conferences, including The Midwest Clinic, the WASBE International Conference, and multiple CBDNA and NAfME national conferences.

Amy’s leadership experience is extensive, including service on the UofL Faculty Senate’s Executive Committee and numerous roles within the Kentucky Music Educators Association. She currently serves as the Kentucky State Chair for the National Band Association. Notable honors include induction into the American Bandmasters Association and receiving the Phi Beta Mu Psi Chapter Outstanding Bandmaster Award, the NBA Citation of Excellence, the Tau Beta Sigma/Paula Crider Award, the UofL Distinguished Teacher Award, and the University of Louisville Wilson Wyatt Alumni Award.

Amy’s engagement with CBDNA began at the 2009 National Conference, where she presented a score analysis of Karel Husa’s Cheetah. She has delivered peer-reviewed presentations at multiple CBDNA National Conferences, Southern Division Conferences, and Athletic Bands Symposiums on topics ranging from repertoire and conducting technique to marching band recruitment and work-life balance. She directed the UofL Symphonic Band in a highly acclaimed performance at the 2016 Southern Division Conference in Charleston, SC, and her UofL Cardinal Marching Band’s “Children’s” Half-Time Show was featured in the Marching Band Video Session at the 2020 Southern Division Conference.

Her service to CBDNA has included membership on the Athletic Bands Board (2015–2017), initiating a framework for a childcare program at the National Conference (2019), and adjudicating numerous performance and presentation applications. She currently serves as President of the CBDNA Southern Division, where she recently led the 2026 Southern Division Conference, Ritmos y Vientos: Honoring Traditions and Expanding Horizons – a conference that achieved record attendance with notable growth among collegiate students and secondary teachers, two populations whose engagement in CBDNA is essential to our future.

Vision for the Future of CBDNA

When I joined CBDNA in 2009, I had no idea how significantly this organization would shape my development. The chance to conduct at conferences, present peer-reviewed research, and sit on panels alongside admired colleagues gave me a professional identity and connection to our field that I want every member – especially our newest ones – to experience. And most importantly, CBDNA has given me a rich network of colleagues whose work with music and students inspire me, makes me better, and gives me hope of our future. 

Most of us are here because we have been profoundly impacted by the experience of making music together. My band journey began in 7th grade when, as a military kid stationed at Fort Knox, I was assigned to the percussion section because of my piano background. From that moment, band became my community and the experience that set the course for everything that followed. As a forever “band kid,” I could never repay this profession for the rich personal and musical connections it has afforded me. These connections drive me to give back and invest in every way that I can.

I believe deeply in the power of band culture to create connection, build community, and transform the lives of its members and audiences. I am running for CBDNA National President-Elect because I know this organization has extraordinary potential to shape the next generation of musicians through thoughtful and meaningful leadership. We find ourselves in a moment when the structures around us are changing rapidly, and I believe I am uniquely qualified to lead us through what promises to be a transformative period in our profession.

The challenges facing higher education are significant and already affecting many of us in multiple ways. Soon, higher education will navigate shifting budget models, an enrollment cliff, and a generation of students exploring non-traditional pathways. These pressures will inevitably impact collegiate bands. CBDNA must actively provide leadership and advocate compellingly for the value of our programs. We are uniquely positioned to bring strong ideas for the future of our profession and to provide transformative connection through the ensemble experience.

I am committed to investing in the next generation. As President of the CBDNA Southern Division, I am proud that our team made intentional efforts at the 2026 CBDNA Southern Division Conference to welcome collegiate students and secondary teachers into our community. The response was genuinely encouraging. There is an opportunity to build on that momentum nationally through the development of collegiate student chapters and deeper, more sustained connections with secondary teachers, whose partnership is essential to the health of our programs and the students we all serve.

CBDNA is strongest when every member sees this organization as an indispensable resource. In my time as Southern Division President, I have heard directly from members who want CBDNA to better meet their needs – a sentiment that is especially prominent among Athletic Band Directors, HBCU institutions, and small college programs. Those conversations have resonated with me, and I am committed to finding ways for CBDNA to grow its reach through more relevant conference offerings and stronger communication at the division level.

Amid the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, we must fiercely protect what brought us here – the power of music. I am committed to ensuring that CBDNA remains a vibrant space where conversations about repertoire, programming, and musical excellence continue to inspire our passion for teaching, conducting, and music-making. The spirit of artistic engagement and lifelong learning is what drew most of us to this profession, and it must be cultivated and protected by our national organization.

I am deeply grateful for your consideration of my candidacy and would be honored to serve this organization and its membership as CBDNA President-Elect.