Watch live video of A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of George N. Parks on Saturday, October 16, beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. The video will remain on this site after the event.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst celebrates the life and legacy of Professor George N. Parks, who led the Minuteman Marching Band to national prominence during his 33-year tenure. Professor Parks was in the BOA Hall of Fame, led his Drum Major Academy of the Music for All Summer Symposium and directed the BOA Honor Band in the 2009 and 2005 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Professor Parks died September 16 after suffering a heart attack following a performance with the band at an Ohio high school.

If you’re able to volunteer for a Finals shift, in addition to our heartfelt appreciation and a volunteer t-shirt, we will donate $5 per hour for your work during the event to the Booster Organization of your choice.

...plus two Grand Nationals Finals tickets

‘Morning’ – Beginning between 7am and 9 am and lasting until Noon or 1 pm.

‘Afternoon’ – Beginning around Noon or 1 pm and lasting until around 5 pm.

‘Evening’ – Beginning around 6:30 pm and lasting until the end of Finals competition.

To sign up, or for more information, e-mail Larry Harper at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your name and phone number.  Experience is not necessary and students, parents, boosters and fans of the activity are all welcome to sign-up.  If you do have previous experience please include that information in your e-mail so that we may assign volunteers to areas which most strongly meet their skill set.

Please help us make this a positively life-changing experience for the participating bands as we return to the Silverdome!

Larry Harper, Event Coordinator, Music for All

As many of you know, Music for All is a not-for-profit organization, which means we can apply for grants and can accept donations from our supporters.  Admission fees, ticket sales, and sponsorships also cover the costs of much of what we do -- and no matter how you support MFA, be it through a charitable gift, ticket purchases, or other means, we really appreciate everything you do. 

For the past couple of years we've looked for fun and easy ways for our friends, family, and fans to make charitable donations in support of our mission to create, provide, and expand positively life-changing experiences through music for all.  This work has ranged from programs like the Doster Challenge to the Alumni Campaign, when over 1,700 new donors made their first gifts to our Annual Fund!  These initiatives were successful, a lot of fun, and did a considerable amount of good for MFA.

Now we've just launched another easy and fun program that allows you to make a contribution. It's our "Text-to-Give and Dial-to-Give" program.  In less than a couple of minutes you can make a pledge of support to Music for All just by using your mobile phone. 

If you'd like to give it a try and make your pledge, dial 1-866-687-4261 or (1-866-MUSIC 61) and listen to a message from Chuck Henson, the Voice of Bands of America OR just text MUSIC to 86132. We’ll send you a letter a few days later with instructions on how to fulfill your pledge.  If you have questions about texting or dialing to give, send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Give it a try, pledge your support to music education, and let us know how you like this new way to give.  Thanks!

All of us at Music for All are heartbroken by the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague George N. Parks Thursday night. George has been a member of the Music for All and Bands of America family and programs for decades, with our summer camp and as director of the 2005 and 2009 Bands of America Tournament of Roses Parade Honor Band. He profoundly impacted the lives of tens of thousands of young people and all of us in the Music for All family. Please join us in remembering George and keeping his family and the UMass family in our thoughts and prayers.

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Looking Back at the 2005 Tournament of Roses

This footage is from the documentary that was produced for the 2005 Band. Take a moment to hear some timeless comments from George and remember the excitement of the parade.

Music for All is proud to announce that Grammy Award-winning violinist/composer/fiddler Mark O'Connor will be guest soloist with the Honor Orchestra of America at the 2011 Music for All National Festival, March 17-19 in Indianapolis. Larry J. Livingston, University of Souther California, will conduct.

MFA has also extended the application/audition deadline for strings for the 2011 Honor Orchestra until October 15.

If you are familiar with O'Connor, then you already know how exciting this is. If not, here's just a sample of what folks say about his performances:

"One of the most spectacular journeys in recent American music." —New York Times

"One of the most talented and imaginative... working in music -- any music -- today." —Los Angeles Times

"Brilliantly original." —Seattle Times

O'Connor is widely recognized as one of the most gifted contemporary composers in America and surely one of the brightest talents of his generation. The Seattle Times writes: "No matter what he plays, when you’re listening to O’Connor, you know you’re listening to genius." Mark O'Connor incorporates many musical styles and genres into a sound that is uniquely his own. As noted by The Los Angeles Times, Mark O’Connor has "crossed over so many boundaries, that his style is purely personal."

The Honor Orchestra of America will perform two shared concerts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at Hilbert Circle Theatre, March 18 and 19.

Learn more about the orchestra and download the application and audition requirements.

I enjoyed this remembrance of William P. Foster by Daniel Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind. Dr. Foster, famed director of the crowd-rousing Florida A&M Marching 100, died Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla. He was 91.

Posted by Debbie Laferty Asbill

How MFA Summer Symposium students and teachers helped unlock a five-year-old’s potential

Tommy Telgenhoff’s mother, Toni Telgenhoff-Garmer, shared this story with us as thanks for the impact MFA and the 2009 Summer Symposium staff and campers had on her little boy:

This summer, when I took my 5-year-old son to watch drummers practice during Music for All’s Summer Symposium at Illinois State University, he took a liking to the drum majors. He watched a small group of them from the sidelines and practiced saluting and marching along with them. Soon, their director approached Tommy and invited him to watch the entire group rehearse on the field the next day.

Tommy woke up the following day eager to start off. To our surprise, the head director, George Parks greeted us and asked if Tommy would like to tell the 560 campers what he wanted to be when he grew up. Tommy raced to the podium with George and told the kids that his name was Tommy and he wanted to be a drum major when he grew up. The kids cheered. Tommy ran back over to us, all smiles. This was the start of something awesome! Tommy marched on the sidelines all day long, watching the kids and practicing his salute.

When he returned the next day he was greeted by smiles, hugs, and high fives. This continued throughout the week. Tommy called out commands to the entire drum major group. Campers and staff had pictures taken with him. He was walking around, full of pride, saluting everyone. All week long he had the most incredible smile on his face. George made him an “honorary vet” and gave him a vet pin, t-shirt and certificate. Tommy was even included in the group picture and brought onto the field in front of everyone at their final performance.

Music for All is offering new, lower ticket prices at Bands of America Regional Championships and we’ve held prices steady at the Super Regionals. We know that as the economy continues on the road to recovery, families are still looking to keep costs down. Even though the costs to Music for All for the BOA Championships go up, we’re committed to not passing those increased costs to ticket buyers in 2010.

Deadline for nominations: September 24

The Patrick John Hughes Parent/Booster Award annually recognizes the extraordinary commitment, dedication, support and sacrifice of music parents and boosters around the world by shining a spotlight on an individual who exemplifies these qualities. The award is named in honor of Patrick John Hughes, the father of Patrick Henry Hughes, a remarkable young man who, despite physical challenges that would seem overwhelming to many, has excelled as a musician and student, thanks to the support of his family, and especially the tireless help of his father. Winners will be notified by October 15 and the award presented during the Bands of America Grand National Championships in November.

 Download the nomination form and procedures