South Dakota MUSICIAN of the South Dakota Music Education Association
volume 3 | issue 1 fall 2026
South Dakota MUSICIAN 31 August, 2026
FROM THE president Kim Bogart Hello SDMEA, and welcome back to a fresh, new school year. I hope that you are all filled with excitement as you prepare your classrooms and make plans for the experiences you will offer your musical communities this year. As you recharged this summer, maybe you found a new piece of music to explore with your students, or your marching band show really came together, or a new approach to teaching an old skill reignited your passion and sparked your creativity, or perhaps it was the energy of your students on the first day of school that gave you a rush. Whatever the case may be, your students will benefit from that passion, energy, and creativity as you gather in your classrooms for the first time this fall. Your SDMEA community has been hard at work planning events for our students and professional development for our educators, and advocating at the national level for music education and funding for programs that impact music education. We have our largest community building event coming up in October in Rapid City, our annual Music Education Conference. There truly are so many growth opportunities and enriching experiences for everyone, but possibly the best part is reconnecting with established friends and colleagues, and making new friends and colleagues. I really hope that you can come together to share ideas and stories, and make plans for our bright future. Again, welcome to the 2026-2027 school year. May it be filled with many memorable and meaningful moments. The SDMEA community is here to support you and cheer you on. May your year be filled with musical passion, successful teaching, and a strong musical community.
art Kim Bog kim.bogart@k12.sd.us
MUSIC EDUCATION CONFERENCE October 29 - October 31, 2026 The Monument, Rapid City
REGISTRATION OPENS 1 OCTOBER 2026 SD MUSICIAN
PAGE 1 of 10
highlights from summer 2026
Connect SD MUSICIAN
Collaborate
Cultivate PAGE 2 of 10
From the new middle school festival choir chair Hello, SDMEA Members! My name is Lindsey Torgerson, and I am honored to serve as the new Middle School Festival Choir Chair on the SDMEA board. I’m excited to support the outstanding music educators of South Dakota and help create meaningful musical opportunities for our students. I currently conduct choirs at Central High School in Rapid City, where I have the privilege of working with young singers every day as they discover their voices, build confidence, and experience the joy of making music together. One of the things I love most about teaching is watching students grow—not only as musicians, but as young people. Their enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to take risks remind me every day why music education is so important. As chair, I want to do my part to ensure this festival continues to reflect the dedication, talent, and passion of music educators across our state. I am committed to fostering an experience that is educational, inspiring, and rewarding for every student and director involved. I believe the festival is more than a performance—it is an opportunity for students from across South Dakota to build meaningful musical connections, learn from outstanding clinicians, and experience the power of making music as one ensemble. As the school year gets underway, keep an eye out for the SDMEA fall magazine. In that issue, I'll recap highlights from this past year's event and share preliminary information about the 2027 festival. In the meantime, I'd love to hear from the educators who make this event possible. If you have questions, ideas, or suggestions, I genuinely welcome your input. I'm especially interested in hearing from those who have recommendations for future guest directors, are interested in hosting the festival, or know of a location that would make an excellent host site.
As you return to the routine of lesson plans, daily agendas, and rehearsals, I want to thank each of you for the work you do as music educators. The impact you have on your students extends far beyond the classroom. You inspire creativity, foster a sense of belonging, teach perseverance, and help young people discover the confidence that comes through music. Wishing you a fantastic school year! Thank you for all you do for music education in South Dakota.
on s r e g r o T Lindsey lindsey.torgerson@k12.sd.us
SD MUSICIAN
PAGE 3 of 10
upcoming events FALL ‘26 | SPRING ’27
SD MUSICIAN
PAGE 4 of 10
Elementary Festival Choir Celebrates Growing Numbers The 2026 SDMEA Elementary Festival Choir, held on Monday, March 2, 2026, was a tremendous success! This year’s festival numbers continue a three-year trend upward, reaching 978 students representing 59 schools from across South Dakota. It was inspiring to see so many young musicians come together to learn, grow, and celebrate the joy of singing. As I begin my term as Elementary Festival Choir Chair, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to outgoing chair Cheryl Tatro for her many years of dedicated service to this event. Cheryl's leadership and mentorship have shaped the festival into the outstanding experience it is today. Thank you, Cheryl, for the countless hours you've invested in South Dakota's young singers and music educators. I am also excited to welcome Kim Gaul, K–5 General Music teacher from Dell Rapids, as our new Chair-Elect. Kim brings exceptional organizational skills and a passion for working with young singers. I look forward to partnering with her as we continue to grow and strengthen this wonderful tradition. A heartfelt thank you goes to our seven festival sites and the incredible teams that made the day possible: Brandon – Host: Ben Wahlstrom | Director: Shirley Luebke | Accompanist: Marcia Klimes Dakota Valley – Host: Sara Eckhoff | Director: Abby Beach | Accompanist: Mallory Egbers Gregory – Host: Katie Opp | Director: Angela Wright | Accompanist: Colleen Murray Mitchell – Host: Kim Bruguier | Director: Kristin Iverson | Accompanist: Shelly Finck Mobridge – Host: Lisa Zahn | Director: Lindsey Torgerson | Accompanist: Nancy McClellan Sturgis – Host: Hillary Hill Tri-Valley – Host: Sharee VanVoorst | Director: Robert Michalscheck | Accompanist: Wanda Vande Vooren
EFC 2026 Brandon site “Mary Had a Little Blues” by Charles Collins
SD MUSICIAN
PAGE 5 of 10
Please mark your calendars for the 2026–2027 Elementary Festival Choir: Registration Opens: Monday, November 2, 2026 Registration Deadline: Friday, December 11, 2026 Payment Due: Friday, January 8, 2027 Festival Day: Monday, March 1, 2027 (Rehearsal schedules and concert times vary by site.) Thank you to every teacher, student, accompanist, conductor, host, volunteer, administrator, and family member who helped make this year's festival such a memorable celebration of music. We look forward to singing with you again in the spring of 2027!
Musically yours, Gretchen Burbach SDMEA Elementary Festival Choir Chair
ach b r u B n e Gretch gretchen.burbach@k12.sd.us
Gretchen Burbach with former intern, Abby Beach- guest director EFC 2026 Dakota Valley site.
Welcome Back! Welcome back to school! I hope you all had a wonderful summer filled with well-deserved rest and relaxation. The 2027 Middle School All-State Orchestra marks a special milestone—10 years of MSASO in South Dakota! Since our inaugural event in 2017, we have celebrated ten auditioned orchestras. Although the students selected for the 2021 ensemble were unable to perform due to the pandemic, the dedication of our students and teachers has allowed this event to continue growing and thriving. To celebrate this anniversary, I am thrilled to welcome Soon Hee Newbold, composer, conductor, and educator as our guest conductor. Soon Hee is a world-renowned composer, adjudicator, and conductor, and it is especially meaningful to have her return since she conducted our very first Middle School All-State Orchestra in 2017.
SD MUSICIAN
PAGE 6 of 10
This year’s event will be hosted by Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls on February 19–20, 2027. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Jon Bakken for creating the original audition etudes that have served our program so well through last year. Building on that strong foundation, we have made several updates to the audition materials for this year’s event. Please encourage your students to audition and participate in this year’s Middle School AllState Orchestra. This event continues to flourish because of the outstanding orchestra teachers across South Dakota who inspire students to step outside their comfort zones and pursue opportunities for musical growth. As part of this year’s experience, students will once again perform a side-by-side selection with the J. Laiten Weed Honors Orchestra, one of the highlights of the festival. The audition window opens October 15 and closes November 15. Audition materials, event information, and additional details are available on the SDMEA website. The SDMEA String Symposium will also be held in Sioux Falls in conjunction with the Middle School All-State Orchestra. Additional information will be shared once the school year begins. As always, continuing education credit will be available, and I strongly encourage everyone to attend this outstanding professional development opportunity. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Laura Rehmeier for her dedication and service as Orchestra Chair over the past two years. Her leadership has been greatly appreciated. I am also excited to welcome Angela Larson as our new Orchestra Chair-Elect. I hope you have a fantastic start to the school year. I look forward to seeing many of you this fall at the SDMEA Conference in Rapid City and again in Sioux Falls for the String Symposium and Middle School All-State Orchestra.
Here’s to another outstanding year for orchestra education in South Dakota! Warmly, Tammy Richards SDMEA Orchestra Chair
rds a h c i R y Tamm
trichards@ogknights.org
SD MUSICIAN
PAGE 7 of 10
Deadline Extended for Award Nominations Hello fellow South Dakota music educators! We still need your nominations for the following awards being presented at the annual Fall Conference and at the All-State Chorus and Orchestra concert held in Rapid City October 29-31, 2026! Outstanding Young Music Educator Distinguished Administrator Distinguished Service to Music. We are also looking for submissions for High School Participation Awards which recognizes schools that have a significant percentage of their students involved in music. Award details and nomination forms can be found on the SDMEA website https://www.sdmea.net/nominate-someone-for-an-award Nominations and submissions close on September 4 If you have any questions, please reach out!
nlap Kris Du kristendunlap19@gmail.com
SD MUSICIAN
d n a s n on o i t e a os n l i c m No ssions er 4 b mi m b e u t s Sep
PAGE 8 of 10
SD MUSICIAN
PAGE 9 of 10
sdmea board of directors PRESIDENT Kim Bogart kim.bogart@k12.sd.us
PRESIDENT-ELECT Ellie Brockmueller ellie.brockmueller@k12.sd.us
IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT Danny Eye daniel.eye@k12.sd.us
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Schenk laura.schenk@k12.sd.us
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Kim Bruguier kim.bruguier@k12.sd.us
TREASURER Gwen Wenisch gwen.wenisch@k12.sd.us
WEBMASTER Mackenzie McKeithan Jensen, Ph.D. mackenzie.mckeithan@gmail.com MEMBERSHIP CHAIR Colby Shuck colby.shuck@k12.sd.us ADVOCACY CHAIR David Sanderson, Ph.D. david.n.sanderson@usd.edu CHORAL CHAIR Rebecca Rasmussen rebecca.rasmussen@k12.sd.us ORCHESTRA CHAIR-ELECT Angela Larson angela.larson@k12.sd.us JAZZ BAND CHAIR Joel van Peursem joel.vanpeursem@k12.sd.us ELEMENTARY HONOR CHOIR CHAIR-ELECT Taylor Schweitzer taylor.schweitzer@k12.sd.us SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Hannah Wehlander hannah.wehlander@k12.sd.us
SECRETARY/HISTORIAN Heather Nelson hnelson@ogknights.org SD MUSICIAN MAGAZINE EDITOR Gerrit Scheepers, D.M.A. gerrit.scheepers@sdsmt.edu RETIRED EDUCATION CHAIR Ron Stary ronstary@gmail.com MS BAND CHAIR Holly Gage holly,gage@k12.sd.us MS JAZZ BAND CHAIR-ELECT Sam Anderson samuel.anderson@k12.sd.us ELEMENTARY FESTIVAL CHOIR CHAIR Gretchen Burbach gretchen.burbach@k12.sd.us MS FESTIVAL CHOIR CHAIR Lindsey Torgerson lindsey.torgerson@k12.sd.us
AWARDS CHAIR Kris Dunlap kristendunlap19@gmail.com COLLEGIATE CHAIR Kevin Kessler, D.M.A. kevin.kessler@sdstate.edu TRI-M CHAIR Mackenzie McKeithan Jensen, Ph.D. mackenzie.mckeithan@gmail.com ORCHESTRA CHAIR Tammy Richards tammyrichards@rccss.org MS BAND CHAIR-ELECT Tessa Belgum tessa.belgum@k12.sd.us ELEMENTARY HONOR CHOIR CHAIR Miranda Youngquist miranda.mack@k12.sd.us ELEMENTARY FESTIVAL CHOIR CHAIR-ELECT Kim Gaul kim.gaul@k12.sd.us
FRESHMAN FESTIVAL CHOIR CHAIR Laurie Gratz laurie.gratz@k12.sd.us
Find us on Social platforms
SD MUSICIAN
PAGE 10 of 10