Beechwood Director of Bands, Austin Bralley, was awarded the Excellence in Education award by the Cincinnatus Foundation during this year’s Education Awards Banquet.
The Outstanding Educator Awards, held annually, recognizes educators’ roles in their schools and communities.
Bralley is in his sixth year at Beechwood and has led the Beechwood Bands to multiple state marching band championships. According to the Principal at Beechwood High School, Justin Kaiser, Bralley has earned distinguished ratings annually in judged concert band performance, including exemplary performance awards for both middle and high school bands earlier this month.
He has also established a private lessons program at half the typical cost of lessons that nearly 75% of students involved in instrumental music participate in.
“Austin’s passion for music and band is only superseded by his passion for students,” Kaiser said.
Bralley is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, serves as Marching Band Chair for the Kentucky Music Educators Association District 6, and is a Class 1A representative on the Bands of America Marching Band Advisory Committee. Bralley is a trombonist and has performed at the Montreux, Beaujolais, and North Sea Jazz Festivals in Europe, Carnegie Hall in New York City, and is an alumnus of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps.