Alumna to Serve as Guest Clinician During 2012 Honor Band Clinic | Events

SC State University’s Department of Bands, in conjunction with The Zeta Eta chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi Fraternity, Inc. will host their second annual Honor Band Clinic Concert on Saturday, April 14, 2012 at 3 p.m. in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium located on the campus of SC State University. This event is free and open to the public.

This year’s featured clinician will be SC State University alumna, Edna Grace. Grace, a Charleston, S.C. native was educated in the Charleston County School system. Grace received a bachelor’s degree in music education from SC State College and later received a masters degree in music from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio and a Masters of Education in Secondary Administration from the Citadel, Charleston, S.C.

Grace was employed by the Charleston County School District as a choral music teacher and then as a band director from 1981 to 1991. The 1991 school year marked the start of her tenure in Berkeley County at College Park Middle School. During the 1997 and 1998 academic school year, Grace was selected as College Park's Teacher of the Year. This nomination led to her selection as one of the top three Teacher of the Year finalists for the school district. Under her direction, the College Park bands received the highest ratings at the State Concert Festival and Solo and Ensemble Festival, while individual students were selected by audition to All-County, Region, and All-State Bands. Grace is an adjunct faculty member at Charleston Southern University, Charleston, S.C. where she teaches oboe.

Grace has served as an honor band clinician and adjudicator in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. Her professional affiliations include the Music Educators National Conference, National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, Women Band Directors International, American School Band Directors Association, and the South Carolina Band Directors Association, with which she has served as a member of the Concert Festival committee and site chairman for concert festival, and as a site host for Solo and Ensemble Festival. 

Musically active, Grace serves as a member of the Charleston Community Band, the Charleston Wind Ensemble, and at times she performs with the Summerville Community Orchestra. She is also a founding member of The Low country Winds, a newly formed wind ensemble in North Charleston, where she serves as the oboist and president. Currently Miss Grace serves as Director of Bands at Stratford High School.

Eddie Ellis, Director of Bands at SC State University is excited to have Grace as our 2012 High School Honor band Clinician. It is always great to bring back our outstanding Alumni to serve as role models for our future music educators. In addition this is a wonderful recruiting tool for our university. “This is our second Honor Band Clinic. Last year, we had nearly 60 students to attend the clinic. This year, we have well over 120 registered middle school and high school students to coming,” says Ellis.

For additional information about the second annual Honor Band Clinic, contact Eddie Ellis, at (803)536-8570.