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February 15, 2016
Granbury High School band director Mark Eastin
has been elected to Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity, marking
the highest honor for band directors in the state of Texas.
Eastin was inducted at the Alpha Chapter’s
annual new member breakfast on February 13, 2016, during the Texas Music
Educators Association convention in San Antonio. He was sponsored by Burleson
High School band director Joe McGee, retired Weatherford High School band
director Joe Dolkos, and Aledo High School band director Joey Paul.
New inductees to the honorary
organization must have at least ten years of successful teaching experience and
have produced and maintained outstanding band programs with the highest level
of performance standards. Honorees must also have shown a history of promoting
the craft of music education as well as willingness to give back to the
profession in various ways.
Also at the TMEA 2016 convention, Eastin
was elected as interim president of the newly-formed TMEA Music Region 30 to
oversee its organization following state-wide realignment of music regions for
both TMEA and the University Interscholastic League. He has been serving as
vice president for the current TMEA Region 7.
Under Eastin’s leadership for the last
six years, the GHS band won sweepstakes honors every year, receiving first
division ratings in UIL marching, concert, and sightreading performances. The Wind Ensemble twice has placed third in regional
Honor Band competition and received the National Commended Award for concert
performance. The Pride of Granbury marching band is a consistent class winner
and finalist in regional and area marching competitions and has qualified for
the UIL area marching contest every year of eligibility.
Prior to his coming to Granbury in 2010,
Eastin led successful programs in Fort Worth, Malakoff, Garland, McKinney, and
Mesquite school districts. He began his
career teaching in the Oklahoma communities of Weatherford and Collinsville
before moving to Texas.
Established
in 1938, Phi Beta Mu is a fraternity organized to promote fellowship among its
members, to encourage the building of better bands and the development of
better musicians in schools throughout the world, to foster a deeper
appreciation for quality wind literature, and to encourage widespread interest
in band performance. There are approximately
350 active and retired members in Texas, with chapters in most of the fifty
states as well as Canada, Japan, and Europe.
