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Alumna Elizabeth Long ’16 Named Middle School Band Director of the Year by Southeast Mississippi Band Directors’ Association

Elizabeth Long, BME ’16, was named Middle School Band Director of the Year by the Southeast Mississippi Band Directors’ Association.

Long attended Delta State University and Northeast Mississippi Community College. While at Delta State, she served as color guard captain, performed in various music groups including the DSU Flute Ensemble, and was an active member of the Gamma Zeta chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon music fraternity, serving as the chapter’s treasurer and president.

Upon graduation from Delta State, Long spent three years in Quitman, Miss., as the junior high band director and assistant high school band director. While at Quitman, she started the first indoor color guard and orchestrated the growth of the junior high program from 80 to 200 members; also, her junior high bands received superior ratings in both concert and sight reading each year.

In 2019, she accepted a position to teach at Clara School and assist at Wayne County High School. Wayne County High’s Head Band Director, Joe Raymond, BME ’10, said, “Elizabeth is a wonderful asset to our band program. Her out-of-the-box ideas and approach to the middle school classroom are changing how band is being taught at all five of our middle school programs.”