Candidate Joseph Scheivert

Tulane University
Assistant Director of Bands

Biographical Information

(minor updates since submission) Since August, Joe Scheivert has served as Assistant Director of Bands at Tulane University, working with the Tulane University Marching Band and directing the pep bands as well as the program’s recruiting and media efforts. Immediately prior, he was the Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, where his primary endeavor was the creation and direction of the Titan Thunder Marching Band and Bolt (Pep) Band. In addition to band administration, Dr. Scheivert has conducted collegiate concert bands, supervised student teachers, and taught courses in music education and instrumental techniques. He also chaired the music area’s recruitment committee, pioneering the creation of new print and digital materials and the use of targeted communication and data gathering. Prior positions in higher education include athletic band and music education roles at Kennesaw State University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Dr. Scheivert has been a member of CBDNA for ten years with annual attendance at the Athletic Band Symposium as well as regional and national conferences. He serves on the Athletic Band Committee and has presented on the topics of drone usage in rehearsals, branding and program administration, and hosting the symposium, in addition to moderating the Division II/III attendee discussion. Dr. Scheivert has also presented at the Midwest Clinic and state music education conferences in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Wisconsin. With dissertation work in Big Ten marching band administration and professional and participatory experience in a variety of programs, he is regularly asked to serve as a clinician, adjudicator, and advisor for high school ensembles. He has also taught choral and general music in Delaware and led comprehensive instrumental music programs at international schools in Thailand and Japan.

Scheivert holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting from the University of Iowa and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music education from the Pennsylvania State University. In addition to CBDNA, he is a member of the National Band Association, the National Association for Music Education and Wisconsin MEA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Tau Beta Sigma (honorary). He also continues to enjoy performing on tuba, saxophone, piano, and organ, as well as leading an annual summer music theater camp week at a Lutheran camp in Pennsylvania.

Vision for the Future of CBDNA

(as submitted in Spring ’26) Music teaching at any level can be a paradoxically lonely business. Though we are often surrounded by enthusiastic students, captive audiences, and cheering crowds, many conductor-educators are one of the only professionals at their institution to provide this specific and creative form of ensemble music-making. One of the greatest strengths of CBDNA is the community that it affords directors from all over the country and beyond, encouraging ongoing professional development, organizing important commissions from contemporary composers, supporting junior faculty on their path to tenure, and promoting diversity and research in the field. No single institution could accomplish such goals alone, nor could a solitary collegiate director find the type of peer advocacy, understanding, and fellowship afforded through this organization.

My current role as a regional university conductor, a non-tenure-track faculty member, and a Division-III athletic band director has provided me numerous opportunities to interact with our colleagues who feel underserved by CBDNA. Quotes that have left a lasting impression are, “This conference just reminds me that I’m not a Big Ten band director,” and “What does CBDNA [or the CBDNA dues] actually do for me?” Please know that I do not share these sentiments personally, but I do feel that these peers offer concerns from valid perspectives. At most conferences, it seems that the attendee population is dominated by institutions with means. Of course, this is going to be naturally so: schools with sufficient enrollment, budgets, and prestige can afford to provide these experiences for their directors and often graduate students as well.

During my time studying at two Big Ten institutions, I truly valued the opportunity to learn from top scholars in our field, listen to premier ensembles, and network with artists and academics who shared my aspirations. I believe we are at a critical time in higher education, as well as in American culture, where the combined power of both our finances and our passion is needed to explore ways to better the professional experiences of all of our peers, support those whose programs are less able or even less valued internally, and welcome our colleagues to a table that has been such a source of camaraderie and accomplishment for decades.

I recognize that this has also been a concern of previous boards and applaud the work to date of the Small Band Program Committee, the Small Band Repertoire Initiative, and the Small Band Program Intercollegiate Band. I am also in no way seeking to dismantle our current structures, humble colleagues from Division I FBS/flagship/premier institutions and the important networking that sustains them, or criticize our current or former leadership. Instead, I offer my drive for an increased focus on our regional-institution peers and my dedication to provide a voice and a means for them to enjoy a comparable professional experience within our organization.

Specifically, I like to suggest the following particular action items as a starting point:

1. Prioritize data gathering: A combination of questionnaire and virtual listening sessions can take the temperature of colleagues nationwide regarding the efficacy of the organization and its committees, events, and initiatives.
2. Activate state chairs: Via the state MEA conferences, mailing lists, biannual Zoom meetings, and/or other means, state chairs should maintain relationships with all band directors in higher ed, update rosters of active AND inactive members, promote state-based or sub-regional CBDNA networking events, and organize members to attend the larger regional and national events.
3. Promote interaction between high school and collegiate directors: In a number of the states where I have worked, especially those without pervasive LGPE/LGA/UIL/etc., HS directors are often reluctant to engage with their local collegiate colleagues for a variety of reasons. This then provides fewer opportunities for clinics, guest conducting appearances, and recruiting pipelines which are so vital to regional universities and their directors’ CVs. I am proposing a standardized CBDNA-created presentation at state MEA conferences along with an accompanying practitioner article to encourage meaningful and mutualistic partnerships.
4. Explore means to widen the tent: The directors of smaller, more remote, or less well-off programs need CBDNA at least as much as our traditional membership. How do we provide a prestigious opportunity for their students to perform or their directors to interact, learn, and grow? How can our membership, our leadership, our selected performers, and our host sites reflect the fact that, using athletic terms, only about 5% of four-year institutions in the US (public or non-profit private) are Division I FBS schools? (3% if you only count Power 4 conference institutions)

On the whole, this is a difficult time for all in higher education. Cultural trends, political antagonism, the demographic/enrollment cliff, NIL chaos, and economic inflation make the job of promoting better humanity through the arts to be a Sisyphean task. And yet, for everyone reading this particular screed, we have made the conscious choice to engage in the struggle for the sake of our students and commitment to each other. I appreciate your consideration of my application to serve and invite any conversation about my points or your own experiences to continue the progress of our professional organization. Thank you!