Conductors of the NorthWinds Symphonic Band
Since retiring as a public school music educator in 2008, John Bell has held music education positions at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance and Missouri Western State University. Since 2013 he has served as Artist-in-Residence at Northwest Missouri State University, where his duties include conducting the Wind Symphony and teaching Instrumental Conducting, Secondary Instrumental Methods, String Methods I and II, and Instrumental Methods for Vocal Majors. At Northwest he also serves as the Band Coordinator of Northwest's annual Four-State Honor Music Festival and Co-Director of the Northwest Summer Music Camp.
Ensembles under John’s direction received consistent superior ratings at regional and national music festivals and have been invited to perform at state (MMEA & NMEA), national (Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic & a National MMEA), and European (Vienna International Youth & Music Festival) conferences. A recipient of the John Philip Sousa Legion of Honor, he has also received recognition as the Park Hill School District Teacher of the Year. He is a recipient of the UCM Music Department’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the Missouri chapter of Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Band Director Award, the MoASTA Outstanding Collegiate Educator Award, the Northwest Award of Excellence, and the MMEA Outstanding Music Educator Award. During his tenure at Northwest the band program has been recognized among the first of ten small college band programs across the United States to receive exemplary status by the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) through peer review.
John has served as Band Vice President of the Missouri Music Educators Association; President and High School Band Vice President of MMEA KC District #3; the MSHSAA District 11 State Large Group Music Festival Manager; a member of the MSHSAA Music Advisory Committee. He was a staff member of the Missouri Ambassadors of Music Biennial European Tour from 1996 to 2014, conducting and performing in both the concert band and string orchestra, and is currently honored to serve as a city coordinator in Rothenburg, Germany from mid-June through July for visiting Music Ambassador groups from across the country.
He has served as Music Director and Conductor of the Medical Arts Symphony of Kansas City, is a founding Co-Conductor of the NorthWinds Symphonic Band of Kansas City, and is a clinician and adjudicator throughout the midwest. His memberships include MMEA, NAfME, Phi Beta Mu, CBDNA, CODA, NBA, MBA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and he is an honorary member of Phi Delta Kappa.
John’s wife, Valerie, is Past President of MoASTA. She retired from public school teaching after serving as Director of Orchestras at Park Hill South High School and Lakeview Middle School in the Park Hill School District and remains active as a clinician, adjudicator, and as an active member of MoASTA. Their son, Nicholas, is an aspiring orchestral conductor in the Master’s Orchestral Conducting Program at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Daughter Alyssa (viola) is a free-lance musician in the Kansas City area, teaching violin and viola at William Jewell College and in the Kansas City Metropolitan area; she received her master’s degree in Viola Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music.
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Danny J. Watring passed away the evening of May 24th, 2020. All who knew him, worked with him, studied under him, and made music with him are better people and musicians because of him.
Danny was a native of Sedalia, Missouri retired as the Director of Bands for the Grandview Consolidated School District #4. Responsibilities included the Blue & Gold Brigade Marching Band, the Symphonic Winds and Percussion, and the Jazz Orchestra. He also worked with students at Grandview Middle School. In 1986 Danny began his career in Grandview as an Associate Director. Before returning in 2006, he served in the North Kansas City School District as Director of Bands at Oak Park High School and as Associate Director of Bands in the Liberty Public School District. Danny most recently served as the percussion instructor at Northwest Missouri State University.
Under his direction, his marching, symphonic, concert and jazz bands received numerous superior ratings at District/State Music Evaluative Music Festivals, MOAJE sanctioned Jazz Festivals, and area marching band competitions. He was a past vice-president for both Jazz and Concert Bands in the Kansas City Metro #3 District and served on the Board of Directors for the Kansas University Kansas City Youth Wind Symphony. Danny served as an All-State adjudicator for eleven years, as well on the Missouri State High School Activities Association Prescribed Graded Music List Committee. He was the founder/coordinator of the Greater Kansas City Middle School Solo and Ensemble Festival. Currently, and served as the state vice-president for the Missouri Association of Jazz Educators.
Danny was a staff member of the Missouri Ambassadors of Music, conducting bands throughout Europe including England, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. He was active as a guest director, clinician, and adjudicator throughout Missouri and Kansas for concert bands, marching bands, jazz bands and percussion. He maintained an active and successful private percussion studio for several years.
Professional memberships included: Missouri Bandmasters Association; Missouri Association of Jazz Educators; Missouri Music Educators Association; NAfME National Association for Music Education; Phi Beta Mu; and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Danny was recognized in Who's Who Among America's Teachers five times over his career, was inducted into the National Honor Society of America's High School Educators in 2004, and was a recipient of the MOAJE Outstanding Jazz Educator Award at the 2020 MMEA Conference.
After receiving his undergraduate degree in Music Education, he earned graduate hours in Music Theory, Composition, and jazz piano from Central Missouri State University (now UCM). Danny completed a Master's Degree in Educational Technology from Mid-America Nazarene University in the summer of 2006.
Danny adored his two daughters. Devan, a professional dancer and in Los Angeles, studied Dance Performance at Oklahoma City University. Madi, Special Events Coordinator at the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, studied Entertainment Management at Missouri State University.