The American Bandmasters Association promotes music education in the United States and supports the development of new band music from commissioning new works from composers. It acts as a professional organization serving band conductors and educators.
The ABA promotes music education The ABA supports music education through programs and competitions that commission new band works from composers.
It supports the development of new band musicThe ABA commissions bands like The Presidents Own to commission new band works from contemporary composers like Jacob Bancks and Michael Gandolfi.
The ABA acts as a professional organization for band conductors and educators serving to share ideas, commission new works, and support music education in the U.S.
The American Bandmasters Association was founded in 1929 by a number of bandmasters from the US and Canada and continues to recognize outstanding achievement on the part of concert band conductors and composers. The charter members included leaders of the great professional concert bands of the time like John Philip Sousa (Honorary Life President), Edwin Franko Goldman, and Arthur Pryor, leaders of several large community concert bands, at least one bandmaster from a major University, as well as several military bandmasters from the US and Canada.
Today, approximately 300 bandmasters and composers comprise the invited membership of the organization and about 70 Associate Members (significant music businesses and corporations). The organization maintains a Research Center located at the University of Maryland and publishes the Journal of Band Research twice a year through Troy University in Troy, Alabama.
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