EMCC band director joins National Band Directors

By Staff
special to The Star
Dec. 11, 2003
Thomas W. Carson, director of bands at East Central Community College in Decatur, has been selected Mississippi's representative to the College Band Directors National Association.
Carson is the only community/junior college band director chosen to serve as a state chair for the prestigious organization. As Mississippi's chair, Carson will represent all college bands in the state.
Rick Greenwood, who serves as director of bands at the University of Central Florida, said Carson's work "with a small, rural community college in creating such a successful band program was right in line with the association's agenda and mission statement." Greenwood also praised Carson for his many great ideas in continuing to improve the ECCC band program.
As state chair, Carson said he will have various responsibilities to promote and work with the association.
Carson's first meeting as Mississippi's state chair will be in Atlanta in February.
Carson has led the ECCC band program since 1982. He holds master's and bachelor's degrees in music education from Delta State University and is an ECCC graduate. He completed high school at Forrest-Sherman High School in Naples, Italy.
He is married to the former Brenda Branning of Philadelphia, who serves as ECCC's director of financial aid. They have three children, Chris, Jennifer and Jeremy.