Congratulation on 75 years of fine music making!
The 2009 Spring Band / Alumni Reunion concert was a smashing success. Thanks to all that participated. Send us your pictures from the event and we will share them here!

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Past Directors

Clement Wiedinmyer | Robert Zellner | John Casagrande | Gordon Fung | James Martini

Clement Wiedinmyer, Was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania in 1908. He graduated from Norristown High School and the Pierce Business School. He received his BA degree from West Chester State College and his MA from the New York University. He also did further graduate work at the Pennsylvania State University.

In 1934, Mr. Wiedinmyer organized the first band in East Stroudsburg High School, and four years later he helped organize the Music Educators Association in the northeast district. He became president of the district organization and vice-president of the state organization. For seventeen years he was an Assistant Professor of Education at the East Stroudsburg State College.

Mr. Wiedinmyer has had several articles published by state and national magazines, and has co-authored a popular instruction book, "East Steps to Melody Instruments," with Maurice Taylor. Following his retirement in 1968, Mr. Wiedinmyer moved to Venice, Florida to enjoy the sun and sea of the Gulf of Mexico.

The East Stroudsburg community, school, and certainly the band are most indebted to Mr. Wiedinmyer for his many, many contributions to music and music education.

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Robert F. Zellner, Professor Emeritus of Music at Gettysburg College, came to the College as Director of Bands in 1968 and assumed responsibilities of Department Chair from September 1981 to September 1986 and again in 1991 to September 1997. Prior joining the Gettysburg faculty, he directed bands and taught instrumental music at the East Stroudsburg Area High School in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

In addition to developing the Gettysburg College Band into one of the finest college bands in the East, Mr. Zellner is in constant demand as a clinician, conductor and adjudicator for festivals throughout the eastern United States. Among the over 400 county, district, All-State and Honors Bands conducted by Professor Zellner are the 1978 and the 1989 Pennsylvania Music Educator's Association (PMEA) All-State Bands. In 1981, Zellner co-founded the Pennsylvania All-State Lions Band. He has served as organizer and director of the band for the Lions Club International Conventions held in Atlanta, Honolulu, New Orleans, San Francisco, Phoenix, Taipei Taiwan, Montreal Canada, San Diego, Indianapolis and Denver.

Zellner has been the recipient of many awards, including the Order of the Silver Horn for his accomplishments in the field of school music in 1968, the National Federation of Musicians Club's Special Award of Merit in 1974, the First Chair of America "Distinguished Bandmaster of America" award in 1976, The Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster Award for 1983, NBA's Citation of Excellence Award and in 2001 he received the District 7 Distinguished Service Award. For his work with the Pennsylvania Lions Band he was presented with the Pennsylvania Lions Appreciation Award in 1982, the Cookie B. Shetter Memorial Lion of the Year Award in 1983, and the International President's Award in 1997. The Music Department of Gettysburg College established the "Robert F. Zellner" Music Education Award in 2002 to be presented annually to the outstanding senior music education major who has demonstrated musical and academic excellence. Also in 2002, the East Stroudsburg Area School District inducted him into the inaugural group for the "Music Hall of Fame" Award.

Active in a number of professional groups, he has served as both president of the Northeast District and Chairman of Region II of PMEA. From 1985 to 1998 he conducted the Harrisburg Concert Band. He has also served as the president of Pennsylvania Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, a national Bandmasters' fraternity, and has served two years as an At-Large Representative to the National Band Association. In addition, Zellner has been a member of the College Band Director's National Association, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, the Music Educators' National Conference, the American Federation of Musicians, Pennsylvania College Bandmasters' Association, and the Pennsylvania Bandmasters' Association.

A native of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, where he received his early education, Zellner was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree by West Chester State College in 1954, and a Master of Arts Degree by Lehigh University in 1960. He has also studied music education in graduate programs at Trenton State College and the University of Maryland. He and his wife, Arlene, reside in Gettysburg. They have a daughter Kathy, who is a music teacher and a son, Gary, who is an elementary school principal.

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John E. Casagrande has been a faculty member at George Mason University since the fall of 1996. In that capacity, he conducts the Symphonic Band and Chamber Ensembles as well as teaches courses in the Music Education department and supervises student teachers. In 2003, he was named Co-Director of Music Education.

Mr. Casagrande retired from the faculty of W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax County, Virginia in June 2000 after having served as Director of Bands at Woodson from 1982 - 2000. Prior to his appointment at Woodson he served as Director of Bands at Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Virginia from 1978-1982, at East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania from 1968-1978, and at Ambler, Pennsylvania Junior High School from 1963-1968.

Mr. Casagrande received his Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in Music Education from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York where he also served as graduate assistant to the legendary Walter Beeler. Additional graduate study was taken at Peabody Conservatory, Temple University, West Chester University, University of Virginia, George Mason University and Hartt College of Music.

In 1998, Mr. Casagrande was elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. He also served as the state chairman and a high school representative to the executive board of the National Band Association.

During his career, bands under Mr. Casagrande's direction have performed at two conventions of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, the Mid-East Instrumental Music Conference, two state conventions of the Virginia Music Educators Association, three appearances at the National Concert Band Festival in Chicago, the University of South Carolina's Concert Band Symposium, the convention of the Southern Division of the College Band Directors National Association, the national convention of the Music Educators National Conference, two appearances at the Maryland Band Conductors Conference, two Orange Bowl Parades, eleven National Football League games, and numerous band competitions throughout the Eastern United States and Canada.

In 1992, Mr. Casagrande was named Woodson High School "Teacher of the Year". He has been been awarded three "Citations of Professional Excellence" by the Fairfax County School Board and five "Citations of Excellence" by the National Band Association as well as being named to "Who's Who in American Education". He was also awarded a "Presidential Citation" by the Governor's School of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Mr. Casagrande maintains an active schedule as guest conductor and adjudicator throughout the United States and Canada. He served as principal guest conductor for five tours of Europe for American Music Abroad and The United States Collegiate Wind Band. He has also served as a guest lecturer at numerous universities on the East Coast.

Mr. Casagrande's professional affiliations include the American Bandmasters Association, Fairfax County Band Directors' Association (Past President), American School Band Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference, National Association of Jazz Educators, Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association, College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, College Music Society and World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles.

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Gordon L. Fung is a graduate of Ithaca College where he was a member of the famed Ithaca College Concert Band under the direction of the late Walter Beeler. While earning his Master's Degree at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, he was the Assistant Director of the S. I. U. Symphonic Band and performed as soloist on the University's Concerto Concert. He has studied horn with the late Joseph Singer of the New York Philharmonic and Herbert Pierson of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Mr. Fung has been recognized by membership in the honorary music fraternity, Pi Kappa Lambda and the international bandmasters fraternity, Phi Beta Mu. He has been awarded the National Band Association's Citation of Excellence, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association's Citation of Excellence-High School Teacher and Citation of Excellence-Elementary Teacher and the Educator of the Year by the Rotary Club of the Poconos.

Mr. Fung taught in New York State prior to accepting a position with the East Stroudsburg (PA) Area School District in 1973 and was appointed Director of Bands and Department Chair in 1980. During his tenure as Director of Bands, the Marching Show Band performed at ten professional football games including the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and three Canadian football teams. The Concert Band performed twice at the PMEA State Music Conference, the Mid-East Band Festival, earned twelve consecutive Superior ratings in grade six music at the PMEA Adjudication Festival, commissioned numerous compositions and annually presented a guest artist from the New York Philharmonic or the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Spring Concert. A $35,000.00 endowment fund was established for music scholarships. In 1993 Mr. Fung began teaching elementary band students in East Stroudsburg. His elementary band students were invited twice to perform at the PMEA State Music Conference. In 1999, Mr. Fung and his students collaborated with Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser and did a video shoot for an instructional video that has been distributed world-wide by the Hal Leonard Publishing company.

Mr. Fung has done guest conducting, adjudicating and lecturing in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. He annually conducts concerts in Europe through the auspices of American Music Abroad. He has had numerous articles published in the professional journals of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, written several articles for the national publication The Instrumentalist and is the author of the book, Case Study: A Successful Band Program.

Mr. Fung's professional activities have included the Executive Committee of PMEA, State Chair for the PMEA Adjudication Festivals, member of the Shawnee Press Publications Review Board, clinician for Hal Leonard Publications and Music & Arts Centers, elected member of the National Band Association's Board of Directors, Pennsylvania Chair for the NBA and project chairman for the Nu chapter of Phi Beta Mu.

Mr. Fung retired in July 2001 and he and his wife Diane, also a musician, live in Lower Delaware. Since their move to Milford, DE, they perform with the Milford Community Band, and the Dover Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Fung has conducted the community's production of The Music Man. They both have numerous private students and Mr. Fung is the band director for the Eagle's Nest Christian School. In addition to his local musical activities he remains in demand as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator.

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James A. Martini has been the Director of Bands at Central York High School since 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Music in Music Education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He has done additional graduate work at The Pennsylvania State University, Wilkes University, The University of the Arts, and Rutgers University. Mr. Martini has studied saxophone with Daniel Neville, Joseph Murphy, Curt Sipe and John Sampen. He has studied wind conducting and literature with Donald Stanley, Mark S. Kelly, Ed Lisk, Barry Kopetz, Emily Freeman-Brown, and Samuel Adler.

Prior to 2000, Mr. Martini was Director of Bands at the East Stroudsburg Area Senior High School in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He has also taught in the Keystone Central School District in Pennsylvania, and in the Toledo, Ohio parochial school system. While at East Stroudsburg, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble was a featured performer at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Conference in 1997. Mr. Martini's concert and jazz ensembles have received numerous superior ratings at PMEA festivals and other festivals throughout the east coast. In 2002, Mr. Martini conducted a seven-day concert tour of California with the Central York Bands. As Director of Bands at Central York, Mr. Martini directs the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, 6 O' Clock Jazz Band, Central Jazz Lab, and the Panther Marching Band. He also teaches courses in Jazz Improvisation and Music Technology.

Mr. Martini's professional memberships include the Music Educators National Conference, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, National Band Association, International Association of Jazz Educators, Technology Institute for Music Education, the National Judges Association, and Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity. He is listed several times in Who's Who Among American Teachers. Mr. Martini is active throughout Central and Eastern Pennsylvania as a conductor, adjudicator, marching band clinician, and private woodwind teacher. Mr. Martini, his wife, Michelle, and son Sam, currently live in Dover, Pennsylvania.

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