Music Education student and saxophonist Adam LuMaye was recently awarded the Richard G. Gaarder Award at this year’s Wisconsin Music Educators Association conference. The achievement recognizes excellence in leadership, musicianship, and service to the music education community.
The award honors the legacy of the former executive director of the Wisconsin School Music Association, Richard G. Gaarder. He is credited with laying the groundwork for music programs and education throughout Wisconsin. Receiving the award helped Adam reflect on his legacy: “I want to leave a lasting effect on my students and the music community.”
The honor not only recognizes LuMaye’s achievements but also highlights UWM and Peck School of the Arts for their contributions. According to LuMaye, his peers and professors at the Peck School have granted “so much of their time and energy” to ensure that he is set up for success.
Additionally, students must be nominated to receive the prestigious prize. Both the nomination and the prize itself recognize an important sense of community in the music education world. He noted that the nomination means that his work does not go unnoticed: “It was a reminder that professors see what I do, providing external and explicit reassurance that my skills are improving.”
Professor Nicki Roman took to Instagram to praise LuMaye as “a curious, creative, and hardworking student who has gone above and beyond during his four years at UWM.” She also noted the prestige of the award, emphasizing that LuMaye is only one of two music students across Wisconsin to be recognized.
Although it does not always receive the mainstream attention it deserves, music education is a massively important aspect of the arts.
“I wasn’t sure how competitive the award would be, but when I went to the conference, it reminded me that music ed is a massive field with a bunch of unique people in it,” Adam said of his experience attending the WMEA conference. He also made note of networking sessions that took place during the event, which helped him get familiar with potential colleagues in the field.
With student teaching and graduation on the horizon for LuMaye, he took a moment to reflect on how Peck School has impacted him. “I feel very lucky to have been involved in a variety of ensembles and experiences,” he said. Expanding his teaching skills throughout his education helped ensure that he can adapt to the needs of his future students: “It was super important, to me, to better understand how individual students learn best.”
Adam mentioned that in place of shining the spotlight on himself, he prefers to plug Peck School and WMEA for all they do.
Read more about the Richard G. Gaarder Award on the WMEA website.
Story by Jason McCullum