The Outstanding Young Bandmaster Award is presented annually by Phi Beta Mu and KBA to young directors.
Selection Considerations
- Open to any director who is making a significant impact in their first years of teaching.
- Eligible for nomination through seventh year of teaching.
- Service has helped “Build Better Bands for Kansas”
How to nominate a candidate:
- Please fill out your name, e-mail address, and phone number in the fields below.
- Click the “Add” button to enter your nominee’s information.
- Once you have entered the first candidate, you may enter additional candidates by repeating the process above.
- When you have finished adding candidates, click “Submit Nomination(s)”
2026 Recipients
Micah Bolton & Abigail Lychee
Micah Bolton is a percussionist, educator, and conductor based in Wichita, Kansas. He currently serves on staff at Derby High School as a Percussion Instructor and will start as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Wichita State University this fall, where he will study instrumental conducting under Dr. Timothy Shade. Previously, Micah served as Director of Bands at Goddard High School, where his ensembles consistently earned top ratings and were selected to perform at Kansas Percussive Arts Society and KMEA conferences. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Friends University, where he was recognized as a Kansas Teacher of Promise, and remains active as a performer, adjudicator, and clinician throughout the region. His teaching philosophy focuses on developing students from musicians into performers and artists.
Abigail Lyche is beginning her fourth year as Assistant Band Director at Blue Valley West High School. In her role, she directs the Symphonic Band and co-directs the Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Pep Bands. She also assists with sixth grade beginning band at Lakewood Middle School and Pleasant Ridge Middle School as a woodwind specialist. In addition to her job, Abigail is the sponsor for Blue Valley West’s Tri-M Music Honor Society. Prior to her work in Kansas, Abigail served as the Head Band and Orchestra Director at Patrick Henry Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia and as a K-6 General Music Teacher at Lake Highlands Elementary School in Richardson, Texas. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education from the University of Kansas. Abigail continues her love for music by performing regularly with the Crossroads Wind Symphony on both flute and piccolo. Outside of music, she loves baking, fishing, and spending time with her husband and two sons.
Past Recipients
2026 Micah Bolton & Abigail Lychee
2025 Mikayla Bauer & Preston Thomas
2024 Abigail Baeten & Madison Hines Schmoll
2023 Tristan Bartley & Philip Kaul
2022 Abby Giles & Stephanie Bodley
2021 Carl Rowles
2020 Ashten Anderson
2019 Christine Lovell & Casey Hands
2018 Robert Davis & Ryan Partin
2017 Erik R. Stone
2016 Jamie Hayes & Katie Topp
2015 Jennifer Antonetti & Matt Keopfer
2014 Jordan Brown & Michael Mapp
2013 Daniel Freeman & Daniel Kirk
2012 Tim Shade & Shawn Knopp
2011 Sarah Bricker & Courtney Williams
2010 Darren Brooks
2009 Leslie Barton & Erin Shelton
2008 Erika Clausing & Shawn Henderson
2007 Tremon Kizer & Bryan Kirk
2006 Quentin Breese & Erica Lindberg
2005 Jan Friesen & Justin Love
2004 Luke Chafee
2003 Dan Wooge & Ken Hakoda
2002 Chris Reynolds
2001 Mike Jones & Eric Stambaugh
2000 Rochelle Goter & Elton Armbrister
1999 Patrick Kelly & Chris Richmond
1998 Benjamin Cary Stahly & David Wiggins
1997 Janelle Brower
1996 Stuart A. Roegge
1995 Joel A. Gittle
1994 Katie Grose & Bill Thomas
1993 David Rankin
1992 Robert E. Lee III
1991 Craig Manteuffel
1990 Steve Adams & Chris Forssberg
1989 Ken Honas & DeGaye Latta
1988 Jeff Pelischek & Lynette Pelischek
1987 Marla Weber
1986 Steve Gordon
1985 Johannah Cox & Connie Thompson
1984 Jeff Hodges
1983 Marc Webster