The Rondout Valley 7th & 8th Grade Concert Band, directed by Mr. Jason Clinton, comes from a rural community in Ulster County. The group has consistently received Level IV Gold and Gold with Distinction Ratings at the NYSSMA Majors Festivals over the past nine years. Most recently, the concert band was invited to perform for national commercial promos of the American Broadcasting Company's September 11th miniseries, Peter Jennings' In Search of America.

While maintaining high levels of performance, band students have engaged in numerous interdiciplinary programs. Students have teleconferenced with musicians from Japan, created curriculum related power point enhanced concerts, and have performed music from ancient civilizations for school museum projects. The Rondout Valley 7th & 8th Grade Concert Band helped create the "Rondout Valley Ancient Egypt Museum" which received the Hudson Valley Magazine's "Best School Project Award" in 2000. Rondout Valley instrumental students have worked with nationally recognized artists including the John Scofield Quartet, Jay Unger, and the Count Basie Big Band.

Jason Clinton holds the Bachelor of Music in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia and the Masters of Science in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University. He has been teaching instrumental music in public schools for eleven years, the past nine have been for the Rondout Valley Central School District.

Additionally Mr. Clinton is an adjunct at the Ulster County Community College where he teaches saxophone and assists with the band program. He directs a local big band and performs on woodwind instruments throughout the Hudson Valley and metropolitan New York City area.

Mr. Clinton has presented clinics in Ulster, Orange, Sullivan, and Dutchess Counties on such diverse topics as: structuring quality music programs, saxophone performance skills, jazz improvisation, and teleconferencing in the classroom. For the past six years he has been the General Chairperson for the Ulster County Music Educators Association Instrumental Music Festival.

Mr. Clinton and the Rondout Valley 7th and 8th Grade Concert Band would like to thank NYSBDA for the opportunity to perform at the 2003 Symposium and for their continuing support of quality band programs throughout the state.