Gary Smith

Associate Director of Bands, Emeritus— University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

• BIO

  Gary Smith received his B.A. degree from Butler University and his M.A. degree from Ball State University. He started his career as Director of Bands at Northside High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1964–68. Following, he became the Director of Bands at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana, from 1968–72. Next, Gary served as Assistant Director of Bands and Marching Band Director in 1972–76 at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana.

  From 1976 to 1998 and again in 2004, Gary was the Associate Director of Bands at the University of Illinois in Urbana -Champaign, where he conducted the nationally renowned Marching Illini, Basketball Band, and Symphonic Band II. He also taught marching band procedures, and band arranging in the School of Music.

  In 1988 Gary was elected to be a member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and served as the president in 2018. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, Phi Mu Alpha, and Kappa Kappa Psi music honorary fraternities, and participates in the College Band Director’s National Association, National Band Association, and the Florida Music Educators Association.

  Gary is the former owner of the Smith Walbridge Clinics, a summer camp for drum majors, colorguard, marching percussion, marching band student leaders, and band directors, where he continues to serve as a clinician. Since 1949, these clinics have attracted thousands of high school and college students from across the United States, and several foreign countries.

  Over his entire career, Gary has served as a consultant, guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States, Singapore, China, Australia, Japan, Canada, Ireland, and France.

  Awards include the University of Illinois Alumni Association Outstanding Educator, the Mary Hoffman Outstanding Music Educator, the Spirit of the Illini from the University of Illinois Athletic Association, the Kappa Kappa Psi Distinguished Service to Music Medal, the 2015 Outstanding Alumni Award in the School of Music at Ball State University, and the Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters Hall of Fame— Inducted 2017.

  Presently, he serves as the associate producer of the annual Disney Thanksgiving Parade of Bands held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. Since 1987 he has served as the coordinator of the band festivities for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. In addition, he serves as the conductor of the Bonita Springs Concert Band in Bonita Springs, FL.

  His self-published textbook, The System–Marching Band Methods, which is used in many universities marching band classes.
  
   

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