Sunday, October 1, 1995

Bill McManus Wins Mass. Music Educators Distinguished Service Award

Dr William G. McManus
Music Director
William G. McManus, who became Music Director of the Concord Band last spring, was recently awarded the 1995 Distinguished Service Award by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA). The MMEA, whose members are more than 1,200 music educators from across the commonwealth, selects one of its members each year for this prestigious award.

Bill, a Past-President of the MMEA, has been extremely active in the organization for more than 25 years. He has worked at the district level, state level and also the Eastern Division level. Most recently, he has served as chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for Music Education, an organization advocating for the inclusion of music in the public school curriculum.

The award, which was presented to Bill at the 1995 MMEA All State Conference in Danvers, reads as follows:

The Massachusetts Music Educators Association Distinguished Service Award is presented to Dr. William G. McManus for his dedication to high standards in Music Education for all students of Massachusetts; for his inspirational leadership as an administrator in his community and our association; for his tireless efforts to influence state government as to the importance of the arts in every child's educational life; for his total commitment to our profession.
Dr. McManus is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music and holds a Master of Music and Doctor of Education from Boston University. He currently serves as Director of Fine and Performing Arts for the Belmont public schools. He is also on the faculty of Fitchburg State College. Prior to assuming his position in Belmont, McManus was Supervisor of Music in the Leicester Public Schools (1965- 1971) and Coordinator of Music for the Westborough Public Schools (1971-1983).

William M. Toland Named Music Director Emeritus

William M Toland
Music Director Emeritus
When Bill Toland retired last spring after 33 years as Music Director of the Concord Band, he could reasonably assume that his association with the Band had come to an end. The Band's Board of Trustees, however, couldn't quite see it that way. They decided shortly after Bill had announced his retirement to them in 1992 to appoint him Music Director Emeritus, a permanent appointment that would continue his affiliation with the Concord Band for life. The announcement of the appointment took place at Bill's retirement dinner on May 20 at the Concord Elks Club.

Attended by well over 100 current and former members of the Concord Band and their guests, the party was a festive occasion, with musical entertainment provided by a pick-up group of Band members who sounded as though they had been rehearsing for months.

Bill has since moved with his wife, Beth, and two daughters to Marquette, Michigan, where Beth will be a medical resident in Family Medicine, having received her MD in June. All of us in the Band think of Bill often, and as soon as our Board of Trustees figures out exactly what Bill's responsibilities as Music Director Emeritus are, he'll be the next to know. We are sure that he will be asked to visit whenever he can, to continue to write music for us and then to conduct premiere performances.