NSBA would like to thank Dr. Washington Garciá (Director of the School of Music), Dr. Karen Fannin (Director of Bands), Dr. Joshua Kearney (Assistant Director of Bands), and the University of Nebraska Omaha: College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media: School of Music for their service.  

UNO School of Music has been the site for NSBA State Concert Band Festival in March of 2018 and 2019, and was going to be the host in 2020 and 2021.  The music faculty offered most of the building to be used by our participating bands throughout the day.  The college music students helped out with the events as the guide for bands to navigate from homeroom to the warm-up room and from the auditorium to the clinic room.  Dr. Karen Fannin’s dedication as site host and willingness to organize event logistics partnered with Dr. Joshua Kearney’s work as concert band chair allowed our State Concert Band Festival to grow into an educational, efficient, and enjoyable event for the students and teachers involved.

It is with great pleasure that we present the Duane E. Johnson Distinguished Service Award to the University of Nebraska Omaha School of Music.