October 18, 2016
Director of Bands Ed Girling of Carthage is East Central Community College’s “Humanities Instructor of the Year” and will be recognized Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, on the Decatur campus.
Girling will present a special program, held in conjunction with Arts and Humanities Month, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Vickers Fine Arts Center auditorium.
During his presentation titled “Music for a Lifetime,” Girling will share about his musical experiences and the benefits of music study in life. He will also perform some musical selections at the conclusion of the program.
Girling is in his seventh year at East Central Community College. In addition to his work as director of bands, he is the director for the drum line and front ensemble and also serves as the applied percussion instructor and director of the ECCC Percussion Ensemble.
He has taught band and music for 37 years, including stints at Forest High School, Scott Central, where he received STAR Teacher honors in 1998, Stringer, Neshoba Central, Manchester Academy, Cleveland, North Sunflower Academy, and Yazoo City.
Girling has served as a clinic and contest judge, as a band clinician, and as a guest conductor. He has experience in organizing and administering clinics and contests. He is also a music arranger and composer and has served as a percussionist for various music groups.
He served two years as the director for the Scott County Honor Band, which received superior ratings in concert and sight reading. He has also served as a director of several musicals in addition to performing in numerous theatrical productions.
He is a former president of the East Central Mississippi Band Directors’ Association, the Mississippi Private School Association and the Mississippi Junior and Community College Band Association (MJCCBA). He is a longtime member of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Theta Upsilon) and the Percussive Arts Society.
A graduate of Pass Christian High School, Girling holds bachelor's and master's degrees in music education and a bachelor's degree in percussion performance from Delta State University in Cleveland.
