NC BANDMASTERS
ASSOCIATION EST. 1938
2023 Hall of Fame Nominees
Alice Aldredge
Alice Adkins Aldredge is a member of the South Carolina Band Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, Women Band Directors International, and the prestigious American School Band Directors Association. She is a Past President of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association and retired from teaching in NC.
She has worked as a clinician and adjudicator for marching and concert bands in Texas, Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Before relocating to SC, she was the Director of Bands at Northwest Cabarrus Middle School. Other teaching experiences include nine years working as the Director of Bands at Croatan High School in Newport, NC. During her tenure at Croatan, the program garnered national recognition at Bands of America and Winter Guard International Championship events.
Additionally, Mrs. Aldredge has been an educator in Scotland and Robeson counties.
Accolades include NCBA Award of Excellence Award for the Southeastern District and Teacher of the Year from Carver Middle School and Northwest Cabarrus Middle School. Her bands have received consistent superior ratings in Grades II, III, IV, V, and VI literature, and her ensembles have performed for the North Carolina Music Educators In-Service Conference, Bands of America Regional Concert Band Festival, Bands of America Regional and Grand National Marching Band Championships, and Winterguard International Regional and World Championships. Mrs. Aldredge has continually placed students in All-District Bands, North Carolina All-State Honors Band, North Carolina All-State Honors Orchestra, North Carolina Eastern Region Jazz Ensemble and North Carolina All-State Jazz Ensemble. Alice currently resides in Summerville, SC, with her husband Tripp and thirteen-year-old son, Greyson.
Robert Black
Robert Black came to Mount Holly after completing military service in World War II and graduating from Shenandoah Conservatory with a Teaching Degree in Music. He began teaching band and chorus at Mount Holly High School in 1950. He built the music program into one that was recognized not only in Gaston County, but statewide.
The Mount Holly HS Marching Band received honors through invitations to march in Chicago's Christmas parade in 1953 and in Miami during the Orange Bowl in 1957. At football games in Mount Holly, a new halftime show was produced each and every time. The infamous 'Lights Out" halftime shows were always a crowd favorite with majorettes twirling fire batons and band members with shoulder harnessed flashlights covered in various colors of cellophane.
The Concert Band was also exceptional and went to the North Carolina State Band Contest in 1964,1965, 1967, and 1970 receiving 4 Superiors. In 1970, Mayor Raymond Moore and the Mount Holly City Council recognized the Mount Holly High School Band for the way it represented the town in such a distinguished and admirable manner. When Mount Holly High School closed in 1972, he continued at Mount Holly Junior High and began teaching at the newly formed East Gaston High School. The Senior Band Class of 1976 was his last at East Gaston but he continued at both Stanley Junior High and Mount Holly Junior High Schools until 1985.
Among his individual honors, Mr. Black was named Mount Holly's Man of the Year in 1962 and later was inducted into the Bandmaster Association in 1976. Being one of 227 nationwide named a Distinguished Bandmaster of America by his peers, was indeed an honor. This included both Band and Chorus achievements. The Mount Holly Schools recognized his 35 years of teaching upon his retirement in 1985. Mayor Charles Black of Mount Holly proclaimed June 12th, 1985 “Robert H. Black Day.” The Mayor's proclamation describes Bob Black’s service beautifully: “His 35 years of service in Mount Holly School System were marked by outstanding loyalty and devotion to the youth of our community, teaching hundreds of boys and girls, along with being a friend and counselor to them and their parents….his sphere of influence has extended beyond the classroom into the life of our community, enriching and improving life for all of us…throughout his career he has earned the respect and affection of his colleagues, students and community.”
Robert H. Black bettered his community as the Music Minister of First United Methodist Church in Mount Holly from 1950-1982. He played professionally in Charlotte with the following groups and artists when they came to town: Tom Jones, Issac Hayes, Judy Garland, Liberace, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Sonny & Cher, Billy Graham, Sanford & Son, Bobby Vinton, Walter Brennan, Bob Hope, and Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey.
Lesli Clowes
Lesli Clowes is the Assistant Director of Bands at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC a position she has held since 2016. Mrs. Clowes has a Bachelor of Music Education, with a concentration in Instrumental Music, from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, a Master of Music from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, with a concentration in Wind Conducting, and is a National Board Certified Teacher. She has more than 35 years experience teaching elementary, middle and high school band.
Prior to her current position, Mrs. Clowes served as the Director of Bands at Crestdale Middle School in Matthews for 18 years receiving 17 consecutive superior ratings at North Carolina Music Performance Assessment and an invitation to perform at the North Carolina Music Educators Conference in 2009. Other teaching experiences include over 30 years as the color guard instructor at East Mecklenburg High School, the Director of Bands at Spaugh Middle School, and an elementary band director in several Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. She was one of the conductors for the 2017 North Carolina Ambassadors of Music European Tour.
Mrs. Clowes continues to be active as a clinician and adjudicator for both concert and marching bands. She has served as a member of the board of directors for the South Central District Bandmasters Association and is a past Chair for the South Central District Bandmasters Association. She is a member of NAfME, the NC Bandmasters Association, the South Central District Bandmasters Association, the American School Band Directors Association, and Phi Kappa Lambda. Personal accolades include NCBA Award of Excellence recipient for the South Central District (2010) and Teacher of the Year award from Crestdale Middle School (2014). Mrs. Clowes enjoys sharing her passion for music with young musicians and strives to foster an appreciation for the arts through playing an instrument. She and her husband Scott reside in the Charlotte area.
Scott Clowes
Scott Clowes started on the faculty at East Mecklenburg High School in 1987, serving as Assistant Director of Bands. In 1992 Mr. Clowes was named as the Director of Bands at East Mecklenburg High School. During this same time he has also served as an Assistant Director at McClintock & Crestdale Middle Schools.
Mr. Clowes graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Music Education. While at Duquesne, he studied music history with Joseph Wilcox Jenkins, brass with Dr. Donald S. Reinhardt of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Rodger Sherman of the Pittsburgh Symphony. He completed his Masters Degree at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina under the direction of Dr. William Malambri.
While teaching at East Mecklenburg High School he earned his National Board Certification in Instrumental Music. His membership includes the Carolina Wind Symphony, North Carolina Music Educators' Association, American School Band Directors Association, North Carolina Band Association, South-Central District Band Association, Pi Kappa Lambda and the Music Educators National Conference.
His marching and concert bands consistently received superior ratings and first place awards. These include over one hundred superior ratings at marching band festivals and twenty-seven superior ratings at North Carolina State Concert Festival. His Symphonic Band performed at the 2001 North Carolina State Music Educators Convention.
Since 1994 his bands have commissioned and premiered seven works for band including Britannic Variants by Elliot Del Borgo, Century Point by Robert Sheldon, Twin Oaks by James Barnes, Inventions from "The Sacred Harp" by James Curnow, Chase by Dr. W. Francis McBeth, Forever Shining by James Swearingen and Evocatio by Brian Balmages.
Raiford "Ray" Landreth
Raidford Ivy Landreth, better known as Ray, worked as a band director in Virginia and North Carolina. He spent the last 18 years of his career as the director of band at Concord High School where he retired. Upon his death in 2000 the band room was dedicated and named after him as well as an award dedicated to his memory named the Raiford Ivy Landreth Excellence in Music Award.
During his time as a band director, Ray directed multiple bands to receive superior ratings at MPA (concert festival) as well as direct award winning marching bands. His bands were selected and performed in Ireland as musical ambassadors representing the City of Concord, NC. Many of Ray’s students were selected for honors such as county band, district band and state honors band. He held all of his students to high standards and taught with discipline and compassion. At Concord High School he taught the students to work and live “With Pride”. Ray participated in the South Central District of North Carolina and was awarded the Award of Excellence in 1986.
He inspired many students throughout his 36 years of education to be their best selves and to love music as he did. Many of his students, to this day, participate in musical activities as well as some were inspired to be music teachers. Under his direction, the Concord High School Band was a state and regionally recognized program with a reputation and record of high level musical performances. They performed at the highest level across the state, outside of the state, and internationally. Ray was known throughout the state for his bands, and for the high level performers that came through the program due to his instruction.