College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

Western Kentucky University President Timothy C. Caboni was named the Kentucky Music Educators Association’s (KMEA) 2024-25 Administrator of the Year.

The award was presented Friday, February 7, at the KMEA 2024-25 Awards Ceremony at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville. 

KMEA is an organization of over 2,000 professional music educators from kindergarten to the university level dedicated to the cause of music education in Kentucky. Associated with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), it serves as a voice for Kentucky’s music educators.

The KMEA award recognizes and thanks administrators for emphasizing and valuing their institution’s music programs.

“I’m so thankful for my experiences in band that created opportunities to practice leadership from middle school through college. As a musician, section leader and drum major, I am indebted to the educators who created those opportunities and challenged me to be a better and more excellent version of myself — and that those lessons still resonate and echo today as a university president,” said President Caboni.

President Caboni affirmed that music is an important part of the WKU experience. “We need more young people to learn the lessons that band and music can teach them, lessons that translate beyond the concert hall and football field. Each lesson prepares them for success, in making a good living and a good life, for themselves and their families well after their time studying in college.”  

“We are creating those opportunities every day for young people at WKU. I’m proud that we are accomplishing some amazing things and reaching goals we have set for ourselves as an institution,” he said. 

When President Caboni, who earned a graduate degree from WKU in 1994, returned to campus in 2017 as the university’s 10th president, he set forth a personal priority to ensure institutional support of WKU’s music programs.

The work began by increasing athletic band scholarships, opening doors for more students to pursue a degree at WKU. Since 2017, WKU’s Big Red Marching Band grew from 240 to more than 300 members, taking the helm as the largest marching band in Kentucky.

One of the marching band’s most notable challenges has been the absence of a dedicated practice space. In fall of 2023, WKU broke ground on the new 120,000-square-foot Hilltopper Fieldhouse. In addition to supporting the athletics program with space for athletic teams to train and prepare for competition, the new fieldhouse at WKU will serve as the primary rehearsal facility for the Big Red Marching Band, providing a permanent place for the band to hold practices.

During the KMEA awards ceremony, President Caboni noted the 100th anniversary of the Big Red Marching Band and their celebratory performance in the 2025 London New Year’s Day Parade. “In celebration of our 100th anniversary of the Big Red Marching Band at WKU, we just represented Kentucky in the London New Year’s Day Parade and created an opportunity for 155 Hilltoppers to leave the country for the first time and for 65 of them to take their first airplane flight.”

He also thanked Dr. Gary Schallert, WKU Director of Bands and Professor of Music, Dr. Matthew McCurry, Pedagogical Assistant Professor, Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands, and Dr. Scott Harris, Professor of Music and Assistant Director of Athletic Bands, from the WKU Department of Music for their commitment to WKU and to creating a world class experience for WKU students.

In addition to President Caboni’s award, Dr. Gary Schallert received the prestigious 2025 Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster award; Dr. Matthew McCurry was inducted into Phi Beta Mu, the International Bandmasters Fraternity; and Dr. Lauren Whitham and the University Singers were chosen to perform at the KMEA Conference.

For information about the WKU Department of Music, visit wku.edu/music or https://www.facebook.com/WKUMusic.

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Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.