North Pulaski High band director earns 2012 Arkansas Bandmaster of the Year Award

Karen Dismuke with her mother, Marie Dismuke

North Pulaski High School band director Karen Dismuke was recently chosen as the 2012 Arkansas Bandmasters Association Bandmaster of the Year. Dismuke was honored as the 38th recipient of this award at the annual Arkansas Bandmasters Association Conference held July last week in Fort Smith, Ark. The ABA Bandmaster of the Year Award is the highest career honor bestowed upon a band director in the state of Arkansas.

Dismuke is in her 31st year of teaching and 24th year at North Pulaski High School. Before joining NPHS, she taught at Ole Main High School, J.A. Fair High School and Norphlet High School. She also served as Brass Instructor for Delta Brigade Drum and Bugle Corps in 1994.

She received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Henderson State University in 1982 and has hours toward a Masters Degree in Secondary School Leadership at the University of Central Arkansas. She has served as a clinician and adjudicator for marching bands and concert bands throughout the state of Arkansas.

Dismuke is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, National Band Association, Arkansas School Band Directors Association, American School Band Directors Association, Phi Beta Mu serving as President, Arkansas Women Band Directors Association serving as president, vice president and treasurer, and Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association serving as region VI chairman, secretary, president and parliamentarian.

Under Dismuke’s direction, the NPHS Band has earned many honors including: ASBOA Sweepstakes Award for First Division Ratings in marching, concert and sight-reading for 22 consecutive years, 1991 Sweepstakes Winner at Worlds of Fun Music Festival in Kansas City, Mo., 1994 Best in Class at North American Music Festival in Atlanta, Ga., and the Arkansas representative in the 1997, 2000 and 2003 National Independence Day Parade in Washington D.C.

ArtsAwardsBandCommunityNorth Pulaski High

Published on July 31st, 2012