National Band Association - Young Composers Jazz Composition Winner

With more than 15 years of experience as a musical educator, Robert Sullivan serves as the band director at Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, TX. He previously held the same role with the Austin Independent School District. In conjunction with his work as a band director, Robert Sullivan maintains membership in related organizations, such as the National Band Association.

The National Band Association recently selected “April Song” as its winning pick for the Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest. The song was composed by Brazil native Cassio Vianna, who is a classically trained pianist, as well as a music educator, who has a diverse background in various different musical styles. 

Vianna is a graduate of the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Brazilian popular music. He went to earn a master’s degree in contemporary music at Western Oregon University. Vianna is currently pursuing a doctorate in jazz studies at the University of Northern Colorado. He belongs to the Jazz Education Network, as well as the Society of Composers, Inc.

The Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child Program

A band director in Grand Prairie ISD, TX, Robert Sullivan has led school bands to a number of major achievements. When he was a band director in Austin ISD, Robert Sullivan doubled the size of the band program and won the $250,000 Any Given Child grant for Crockett High School’s vertical fine arts cluster.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts oversees the Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child program, which helps communities expand the role of arts education in schooling. The program helps to establish the infrastructure that allows primary and middle school students to access the arts. More specifically, the grant program provides funds to support access to the media arts, the visual arts, music, dance, and theater.

The communities that benefit from the grant direct their efforts towards developing and achieving goals for the planning, sustenance, and development of arts resources and education programs; building organizational infrastructure and support systems; securing funding; and communicating and collaborating with leaders and policy makers.

The Beach Within Reach Band Festival

As the Grand Prairie High School band director, Robert Sullivan brings more than 15 years of experience as a musical education leader to his current position. Early in his career as a band director, Robert Sullivan led his Medlin Middle School students to a best in class award at the Beach Within Reach Band Festival.

An annual event held at Birdsville Independent School District, the Beach Within Reach Band Festival will celebrate its twentieth year in 2017. The festival represents one of many university interscholastic league (UIL) competitions. Open to both middle school and junior high school bands, the festival includes both open and invitational divisions.

The invitational division requires bands to perform specific UIL-type programs, and their performances are judged to a UIL standard. The open division allows more flexibility in the music program and is also where all beginner and non-varsity bands compete. This division includes any type of music, and the adjudicating standard is slightly lower than that of the UIL. The judging panel for both divisions at the festival consists of highly experienced professionals who are familiar with current band standards.

Crockett High School Cougar Marching Band Presents: The Heist