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Candidate Mary Schneider

Mary Schneider photograph

Eastern Michigan University
Professor of Conducting
Director of Bands

Biographical Statement

Mary K. Schneider is Professor of Conducting and Director of Bands at Eastern Michigan University where she conducts the EMU Wind Symphony, teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting and music education, and provides vision and administrative guidance of the comprehensive university bands program. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Schneider held a teaching position at the University of Minnesota School of Music as an Assistant Director of Bands and Associate Director of the Marching Band, and had a successful career as a secondary school instrumental music educator. Schneider maintains an active schedule nationally and internationally as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. Her most recent teaching/adjudicating engagements include the Music For All National Concert Band Festival, the Victoria School Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia, and the Conducting Academia Diesis in Valencia, Spain. She has guest conducted the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, Dallas Winds, Sydney Conservatorium of Music Wind Symphony, Concordia Santa Fe, U.S. Air Force Band, Wheaton Municipal Band, and is a frequent conductor of regional and all-state honor bands throughout the United States.

Elected to the American Bandmasters Association in 2013, Dr. Schneider currently serves as a member of its Board of Directors. She has served the College Band Directors National Association as President of the North Central Division, Chair of the Diversity Committee, and as a current member of the Music Education Committee. Schneider was recently elected to the National Band Association Board of Directors, having previously served as the State Chair for Michigan. A strong advocate for new wind music, Schneider has participated in commissioning and/or premiering over three dozen works for wind band, and her ensembles frequently collaborate with a diverse group of composers. In addition to published articles in the GIA book series, Teaching Music Through Performance in Band, she has presented on the topic of wind band repertoire at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, and is frequently invited to present her research on the celebrated American composer, John Corigliano, and his Symphony No. 3 for large wind ensemble, “Circus Maximus.”

Schneider holds a doctoral degree in conducting from the University of Texas at Austin, and degrees in horn performance and music education from the New England Conservatory of Music, and the University of Connecticut, having graduated with Distinction in Performance
honors from the former.

CBDNA Personal Statement

The College Band Directors National Association has a rich legacy of visionary leadership in the field of wind bands and music education, and is a professional organization for which I have always held a reverence. The success of CBDNA and its core identity has always been rooted in artistry–seeking to elevate its members and the wind band/ensemble medium. My association with this organization began in 2001, as a secondary school teacher, when I first attended the National Conference at The University of North Texas and was completely awed by the experience. In the years since, CBDNA has continued to play an integral role in my professional growth, providing me with a valued source of musical inspiration, pedagogical innovation, collegiality, and cherished friendships.

CBDNA has been at the forefront of innovation in many areas of the wind band and music education fields. Under the vision and guidance of our past presidents, and their many initiatives, CBDNA has improved the landscape of our medium through:

  • Commissioning literature through various consortia that enriches our body of repertoire
  • Enhancing conducting technique/pedagogy through various symposia and masterclasses
  • Addressing the specific needs of members who teach at small colleges, as well as those who direct athletic bands
  • Strengthening efforts surrounding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (I have been a proponent for issues of DEI and gender equity throughout my career. Although there is always work to be done, it has been gratifying to witness positive steps in our organization over the past two decades).

There is no doubt that our current priorities, with a focus on music education, will forge connections and initiatives to invest in our future, recognizing the unique and necessary imprint we yield in our profession. As a member of the CBDNA Board, I would support this vision enthusiastically. In addition, there are still questions to consider:

  • Are there additional ways in which we can maximize our voice and impact by strengthening connections with affiliate professional organizations and within the global arts community?
  • How do we continue to collectively promote the wind band as an artistic musical medium through social media, education, community outreach, and continued advocacy?
  • Concurrent with our focus on creating new repertoire, are there other areas of our core identity we can embrace to strengthen our future?
  • Are there ways we can better inform our artistic and pedagogical decisions by reinvesting our energy in historic and scholarly research?
  • Are we engaging in real conversations concerning innate bias and educating one another to do better, both internally and in providing leadership within the broader band community that we serve?
  • In what ways can CBDNA provide increased mentorship and relevancy within our own ranks to the next generation of leaders in our profession?

The process of institutional change is an imperfect one and the pendulum must swing wide for any real change to happen. This paradigm as it relates to the wind band is ongoing. However, as our vision statement proclaims, we should be mindful of our history and traditions while celebrating innovation.

As President of the College Band Directors National Association, I would commit to working with the elected members of the Board, guided by the tenets of our organization, to address the needs of our entire constituency and seek ways to invoke positive change. One of my focuses as a past divisional president was to ensure that the conference at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was engaging, inclusive, explored current and future issues, and was artistically inspiring. I would devote the same shared energy and commitment to implementing an inspiring and memorable national conference for all in 2029. It would be my distinct privilege and honor to serve CBDNA in this capacity.

Involvement in CBDNA

CBDNA has been an organization that has played a vital part in my professional growth since I first became a member 24 years ago. Subsequently, I have attended every national conference and nearly all divisional conferences wherever I have lived. I have consistently been inspired, renewed, affirmed, challenged, and most of all grateful to be a part of this vast collection of musicians and band director colleagues.

I began serving CBDNA as a member and subsequent 3-term Chair of the Diversity Committee, where I oversaw the dissemination of the Mike Moss conducting study grants. I served as a liaison for CBDNA during our collaborative initiative with NBA and Music For All in the creation of the Music Education Alliance and the Dr. William P. Foster Project, which continues to provide support to band programs in historically underserved and under-resourced communities.

In addition to issues of DEI, representation and accessibility in our profession, I remain passionate about the role of CBDNA within the larger field of music education and have welcomed repeated opportunities to serve on the Music Education Committee. The Eastern Michigan University Wind Symphony, under my direction, has been invited to perform at two North Central Division conferences, and my students have participated in numerous Intercollegiate Bands over the years. In 2021-2023, I had the privilege to serve as President
of the North Central Division; the first woman in the history of the division to be elected.

To this day, I remain struck by the vitality, comradery, and shared passion for our medium evident in our CBDNA organization. As it has been for over eighty years, CBDNA remains an organization at the forefront of wind bands in North America, and a critical voice in the future of our profession. I am honored to place my name in consideration for the office of National President.