VP ALL-STATE EVENTS NOMINEES
MARLA BALDWIN
In her 27 years as a GMEA member, Marla Baldwin has served as State Choral Chair, organized dozens of All State Choirs, organized Sixth Grade Statewide Honor Chorus, served on the All State Standing Committee, presented at GMEA Inservice Conference, organized the performing choirs at GMEA Inservice Conference, organized District 12 LGPE, organized District 12 Honor Chorus, and served as District 12 Choral Chair. Marla Baldwin has served on the board of Georgia ACDA, served as Middle School Repertoire & Resources chair, and most importantly, organized and conducted the beer choir.
As a Cobb County educator, she has served as mentor teacher, presented at district meetings, planned collaborative events with her feeder elementary and high schools, directed both the student and teacher talent shows, and was chosen as Teacher of the Year at Palmer Middle School where she has served since the school opened in 2001. Marla and her husband Rick are immensely thankful for and proud of their 30 years of marriage, their two sons who played in orchestra through 12th grade, and their daughter who is currently a freshman in high school band.
RICHARD PROUTY
Richard Prouty is in his twenty-third year of teaching high school choral music and is the current Director of Choirs at McIntosh High School, as well as the PLC Leader for Secondary Choral Directors in Fayette County. Passionate about advancing music education across our state, he has served as GMEA Vice President of Performance Evaluations and District 6 Choral Chair (multiple terms). Under his direction, choirs have consistently earned superior ratings in both performance and sight reading at Large Group Performance Evaluation. Students in his program at McIntosh High School are also regularly selected for GMEA All State Chorus, Governor's Honors Program, and All County Honor Chorus.
Prouty’s choirs have traveled extensively throughout his career with performances at Carnegie Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and St. John’s Cathedral in New York City, Disney Candlelight Processional and several collegiate invitational performances throughout the state of Georgia. His choirs have also toured internationally with performances in England, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and France. He is active in the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Educators, and Georgia Music Educators Association.
Prouty completed his Undergraduate Degree in Music Education from Georgia Southern University. After starting his teaching career, he went on to complete his Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from the University of West Georgia. In addition to teaching, you will find Prouty assisting with his son’s lacrosse team, watching college football, or on a weekend family trip with his family to the mountains in their camper. He lives in Sharpsburg with his wife Heather, son Whit (12), daughter Charlie Faith (5), and their Aussiedoodle Willa!
VP PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS NOMINEES
KEVIN BROWN
R. Kevin Brown is the Director of Bands at Villa Rica High School in Villa Rica, Georgia. He leads all aspects of the program, including two concert ensembles, marching band, jazz band, chamber ensembles, percussion ensemble, and winterguard. Ensembles under his direction have consistently earned superior ratings at Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA)-approved performance evaluations. His most noteworthy accomplishments include the Villa Rica High School Saxophone and Trumpet Choirs (2022), the Rockdale County High School Saxophone Choir (2018, 2019), the Fayette County High School Brass Choir (2014), and the Adairsville High School Brass Quintet (2012, 2013) performances at the GMEA In-Service Conference. Most recently, the Villa Rica High School Symphonic Band was invited to perform at the 2024 GMEA In-Service Conference. In addition, Brown was named the Carroll County Schools Teacher of the Year in 2023. He has also been named S.T.A.R. Teacher on two separate occasions.
Mr. Brown earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina. He performed as the principal tubist for four years in the Newberry College concert band under the tutelage of Mr. Bill Long, Director of Bands Emeritus. Brown also holds a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While attending the University of Illinois, he served as a counselor for the Illinois Summer Youth Music Program.
Mr. Brown is extensively sought after in Metro-Atlanta as a guest conductor, GMEA adjudicator, band clinician, and brass section coach. He is an accomplished tuba player and maintains an extremely successful low brass studio. Several of his students have earned placement in their respective district honor bands, and he has had as many as four private students named to the GMEA All State Band in one year (2015). He is currently performing tuba in the Cobb Wind Symphony. He is also a former tubist with the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Wind Symphony, where he also served as Associate Conductor.
Mr. Brown enjoys serving as a mentor for young and aspiring music educators. He presented lectures for the Collegiate National Association for Music Education chapters of Newberry College, University of Georgia, University of West Georgia, Mercer University, and Kennesaw State University.
Brown has traveled extensively, attending several conducting clinics and workshops to study with some of the world’s most noteworthy music educators, such as Frank Battisti, Paula Crider, Jerry Junkin, Thomas Lee, and James F. Keene.
Brown currently serves as the GMEA District 7 Band Chair. Brown’s professional and social affiliations include the National Association for Music Educators, Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity, and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. He is also a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Sam Lowder
Sam Lowder started teaching orchestra in 1997. He is currently the Orchestra Director at Union Grove Middle School in Henry County. Mr. Lowder spent his first ten years teaching in Clayton County at North Clayton Middle School, North Clayton High School, and Lovejoy Middle School. During that time, he also served as the Clayton County Orchestra Lead Teacher and Director of the Clayton County Middle School Honor Orchestra. Upon moving to Henry County, he taught at Woodland Middle School and Woodland High School for twelve years. Orchestras under the direction of Mr. Lowder have consistently received superior and excellent ratings in large group and solo/ensemble performance evaluations. His students have participated in All-State Orchestra, district and statewide honor orchestras, GHP, as well as performances in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Chicago, and in various summer music camps. His students have become Orchestra Teachers, professional performers, and lifelong lovers of music.
Mr. Lowder earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Performance from Georgia Southern University and his Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Georgia. The son of two retired Georgia schoolteachers, he is also proud to be a National Board Certified Teacher. Mr. Lowder was named Teacher of the Year in both Clayton County (Lovejoy Middle School) and Henry County (Woodland Middle School-Stockbridge).
Mr. Lowder is a Past-State Orchestra Chair for Georgia Music Educators Association as well as a Past-President of the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. A GMEA Certified Head Adjudicator, he has judged performance evaluations and directed in clinics throughout Georgia. Mr. Lowder has served as the Fine Arts and Connections Department Chair at his schools for many years. He is proud of his history as an instructor and conductor at the Encore and the Georgia-ASTA Summer Camps.
In addition to teaching, Mr. Lowder is very active in Freemasonry, a Master Mason, a York Rite Mason, and a Scottish Rite Mason. Mr. Lowder plays the cello with the Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra and the Jonesboro First Baptist Church Orchestra. He performs regularly in various church orchestras and chamber ensembles for special occasions. Mr. Lowder enjoys Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, traveling, and movies. He lives in McDonough with his wife, Mahli and their pomchi, Yuki.