Mr. Alfred Watkins has been part of Music for All in many capacities – on
the advisory committee charged with designing the format of the National
Concert Band Festival, as a summer symposium clinician, as a fall marching
band adjudicator. As a teacher, he attended BOA’s Weekend with the Experts
series, and his bands have performed at the Music for All National Festival
and BOA Regional and Grand National marching band championships, the latter
of which they were named national champion in 1998 and 2002.
Mr. Watkins is a native of Jackson, Georgia and has been Director of Bands
at Lassiter High School since 1982. Mr. Watkins received his Bachelor of
Music Education with honors from Florida A&M University in 1976.
Mr. Watkins was named "Teacher of the Year" in 1978 and a "Star Teacher"
five times. He pioneered the concept of the Symphonic Band Camp, a three-day
post-marching season intensive study of symphonic literature. Mr. Watkins
also conducts the Cobb Wind Symphony, an all-adult community band in the
Atlanta area.
Mr. Watkins is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity,
National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu National School Bandmaster
Fraternity, Black Music Caucus, Music Educators National Conference and the
Georgia Music Educators Association and the NAACP. In 1987, Mr. Watkins was
selected as a charter member of the Florida A&M University Gallery of
Distinguished Alumni (Hall of Fame) and in 2005, Mr. Watkins was elected
into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.
In 1996, Mr. Watkins was Associate Director for the Atlanta Olympic Marching
Band that performed in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1996
Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. He and his wife Rita live in Marietta
with their two sons, Christopher and Jonathan.
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