Amy Gronda

After 33 years of inspiring young musicians, Amy J. Gronda retired in June 2025 from her role as Director of Bands at Paw Paw Public Schools, where she devoted her entire career.

During her tenure she has taught 6th Grade Band, 7th Grade Band, 8th Grade Band, HS Marching Band, HS Concert Band, HS Honors Band, and HS Jazz Band.  Amy received her Bachelor Degree in Music Education from Michigan State University and her Master of Arts Degree in School Counseling from Western Michigan University.

An active member of MSBOA, Amy has served as District 6 President for 4 years, District 6 VP of Band & Orchestra Festival for 4 years, District 6 VP of Adjudication for 2 years, Emeritus/TOY Committee Chair for 4 years, State Secretary/Treasurer for 2 separate two year terms, Site Chair for State Solo & Ensemble Festival for 4 years, and Site Chair for State Band & Orchestra Festival for 2 years.  Amy has been an active MSBOA adjudicator for more than 25 years, adjudicating District Marching Band, District and State Solo & Ensemble, and District and State Band & Orchestra Festivals.

Amy regularly hosted District 6 Marching Band Festival, District 6 All-Star Band, and District 6 Band & Orchestra Festival and hosted State Band & Orchestra Festival.  As a host, she always makes sure that her guests are warmly welcomed and well taken care of. She makes sure her events are well planned out and run as efficiently and smoothly as possible.  In all of these various roles, Amy seeks to ensure that other music educators’ experience with MSBOA and our students’ experience at MSBOA events is positive and fosters a love for excellent music.

Under her direction, the Paw Paw Public School Bands have regularly earned First Division ratings at MSBOA District Marching Festivals, District Band & Orchestra Festival, and State Band & Orchestra Festivals.  Her students have been well represented at District and State Solo & Ensemble as well as District 6 All Star Bands and Collegiate Honors Bands.  During her tenure at Paw Paw, Amy has grown the band program as much as three times its original size and has added a second director to the program--twice!

Amy is an outstanding band director who is leaving a lasting impact on the Paw Paw community through the legacy of her students.  The Paw Paw Band Program is known for giving back to the community. Amy’s students often perform for community ceremonies and memorial services as well as at local assisted living establishments and nursing homes.  Every holiday season, the bands participate in the local Adopt-A-Family program.  The students collect financial donations at their performances, go shopping, wrap, and deliver all the items to families in need.  By her students’ personal testimony, this is an aspect of the band program that has greatly impacted them.

Lynn Kelsey

Lynn Kelsey is currently in her 28th year of teaching, and 22nd year of service on the faculty of the Williamston Community Schools where she teaches 6th through 12th grade band. Her previous positions include Director of Bands in the Fowler (MI) Public Schools (1998-2002), the Portland (MI) Public Schools (2002-2003), and Assistant Director of Bands at the Battle Creek Pennfield (MI) Public Schools during the 2003-2004 academic year.  During her tenure, Ms. Kelsey's ensembles have upheld a proud tradition of musical excellence, consistently earning superior ratings at MSBOA-sponsored concert band festivals.  The Williamston High School Symphony Band was honored to perform in the spring of 2025 at the 55th Annual Western Michigan University Spring Conference on Wind and Percussion Music.  In 2015, the band was selected to perform at the 10th Annual Michigan Music Conference and in 2013, the ensemble attended the Midwest Clinic serving as a “rehearsal lab” demonstration group.

Lynn has placed a strong emphasis on MSBOA Solo and Ensemble participation, where her students regularly receive positive feedback from adjudicators and are recognized for their hard work. She encourages them to pursue high levels of musical achievement, as reflected in their selection to MYAF ensembles, All-State ensembles, and collegiate honor bands. Clinicians and visiting artists also play an important role in the Williamston band curriculum, providing students with meaningful professional guidance and inspiration. Through all of these experiences, Lynn remains committed to instilling a lifelong love of music in her students and encouraging them to represent their school and community with pride.

Lynn received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Michigan State University in 1998 and her Master of Music Education degree from MSU in 2007.  She has been a contributor to MSU instrumental music education methods classes and has been a cooperating teacher for MSU’s student teaching intern program.  She also served on the MSU Alumni Band Association Board.

Lynn is a member of the American School Band Directors Association and has been actively involved in MSBOA in District 8. She has served as chairperson for the Jazz, Middle School Honors Band, and Medals committees, and has also held the position of Vice President for Adjudication. Currently she is beginning her 7th year serving as an MSBOA representative on the Planning Committee for the Michigan Music Conference. In 2021 she was named the MSBOA District 8 Band Teacher of the Year. 

Beyond her teaching and leadership roles, Lynn regularly performs as a trumpet player in both church and civic settings.

Matt Palmieri

Matt Palmieri has been teaching band at all levels for 24 years. He currently serves as the band director at City Middle/High School in Grand Rapids Public Schools. Over the course of his career, he has taught at Southwest Community Campus, All Saints Academy, St. Patrick–Parnell, Potter’s House, Living Stones Academy, Zoo School, Blandford School, Creative Technologies Academy, Grand Haven, and Walkerville. Matt’s ensembles at these schools have received consistent recognition for their tone, musicality, and attention to detail.

Matt has served MSBOA in Districts 10, 7, & 1 as President, Band & Orchestra Festival, All State, Medals & Plaques, Emeritus, district honor bands, and FIC. Additionally, he is active as an adjudicator for MSBOA Solo & Ensemble, Band and Orchestra, and Marching Band festivals.

A regular presenter at the Michigan Music Conference, Matt has presented on topics such as low brass pedagogy, percussion section organization, the Basic Music List (BML), and building strong fundamentals across all levels. His presentation on the BML inspired the MSBOA Music Education Committee’s ongoing effort to develop a comprehensive resource guide for the required list.

In addition to his school teaching, Matt maintains an active private tuba and euphonium studio. He teaches low brass lessons and brass education methods at Calvin University and works with several summer band programs, including Knollcrest, St. Cecilia, and the Rockford Marching Band tuba section.

Matt is active as a performer with the Grand Rapids Symphonic Band, the Beer City Winds, and leads Grand Rapids Tuba Christmas, the largest event of its kind in Michigan with 175 tuba and euphonium players participating.

Outside of music, Matt enjoys spending time with his family, who are a constant source of joy, support, and laughter. He also has a vivid interest in astronomy and loves stargazing and exploring the night sky whenever he gets the chance.

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Travelyan Chambliss

Travelyan Chambliss is a passionate and dynamic K–12 music educator from Detroit, Michigan, with a solid foundation in instrumental instruction, ensemble direction, and culturally responsive teaching. A graduate of Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, Chambliss is currently completing a Master of Science in Education, expected February 2026.

Chambliss currently serves as the Middle school Orchestra Director at John R. King Academic and Performing Arts Academy, where he established the district’s first full symphonic orchestra at the middle school level. He is also assisting band programs across the metro-Detroit area, as well as a district DPS All-City Percussion Instructor, mentoring students across Detroit Public Schools. His performance and leadership background includes the Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band, the Jackson State University Orchestra, the JSU Percussion Ensemble, the Detroit Lions Drumline, and Motor City F.I.R.E.

Chambliss is an active member of multiple professional and musical organizations including NAfME, the Percussive Arts Society, Mu Phi Sigma National Percussion Fraternity, Gamma Psi Nu Musical Fraternity Incorporated, and PHA Freemasonry. He is dedicated to nurturing student potential through inclusive music experiences, creative performance opportunities, and community engagement.

Justin Valla

Justin Valla is the Director of Orchestras at Okemos High School, and Co-Director of Orchestras at Chippewa Middle School.  Over the course of his 24 year career, his approach to music education has inspired him to bring a varied repertoire of genres and styles to his students.

Justin earned a Bachelors of Music Education and a Bachelors of Double Bass Performance from Michigan State University in 2000.  He then earned his Masters of Music Education in 2009, also from MSU.  Justin taught in the Lansing School District, Marshall Public Schools, and St. Johns Public Schools before coming to Okemos.  He has taught everything from beginning strings to musical pit orchestras to jazz bands to advanced chamber ensembles.  He has also mentored student teachers from multiple universities and colleges, and is frequently asked to clinic, conduct, coach, and provide feedback for school orchestras across the state, as well as arrange music for various choral and string ensembles.  In 2024, he was selected to be a mentor in the American String Teacher Association’s mentor program.

In 2019, Justin gave a presentation on how to introduce the blues and improvisation to instrumental ensembles at the Michigan Music Conference.  The Okemos Philharmonic Orchestra was selected to perform at the 2023 MMC, and this remains one of the highlights of Justin’s career. 

Justin has been selected as the MSBOA District 8 orchestra teacher of the year for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.  He was also selected as one of the three finalists for MSBOA’s State Teacher of the Year for each of those same years.

Outside of the classroom, Justin has performed with the Lansing Symphony, the West Shore Symphony, various community orchestras, and in many pit orchestras for local theaters.  In 2022, Justin became a co-conductor of the Mid-Michigan Youth Symphony allowing him to work with students around the greater Lansing area and help provide a symphonic orchestra experience for students that may not have had that opportunity in their other ensembles.  He also plays every Sunday for a local church in Lansing.   Currently, Justin lives in East Lansing with his wife, Samara, who is a choir teacher in Haslett. Together, they have three daughters: Myah, Julia, and Lara.  Outside of school, Justin enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, cooking, arranging music, and performing for his neighbors with his dad-band.

Heather Wickman

Heather Wickman earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Western Michigan University, a Master in Educational Leadership from Madonna University, and a Master of Music from the University of Michigan. She began her teaching career in Livonia Public Schools 31 years ago at Frost Middle School and, for the past seventeen years, has served as the Director of Orchestra and Bands at Livonia Stevenson High School.

Heather is committed to continual growth—both for herself and her students. She mentors student teachers, presents at state conferences on topics such as classroom technology and rhythm instruction, and even takes private violin lessons to deepen her understanding of the instrument and better support her students. In her program, she regularly brings in guest clinicians, promotes student-led chamber ensembles, and encourages participation in Solo and Ensemble. Her work with multi-grade ensembles, such as transforming the string orchestra into smaller chamber groups, helps students build leadership, independence, and musicianship from the earliest stages of rehearsal to final performance.

Throughout her career, Heather has remained an active and committed member of MSBOA. Her ensembles consistently earn superior ratings at MSBOA Band and Orchestra Festivals. She has served in numerous leadership capacities within District 12, including on the Festival Improvements Committee, as Secretary, Vice President of Band and Orchestra Festival at both the district and state levels, and as District 12 President.

Heather’s impact extends well beyond her classroom. As a district music teacher leader, she collaborated with administrators and colleagues to reinstate the elementary instrumental music curriculum. During a major district grade-level reconfiguration in the early 2000s, she worked with stakeholders to preserve access to instrumental music for fifth and sixth grade students. As the orchestra director at Stevenson, she organized and hosted the district-wide String Fling concert—a district event uniting string students from grades 6 through 12. The event also includes a masterclass clinic for high school students, offering them the opportunity to learn directly from expert clinicians.

Heather’s classroom is a place where students—and educators—are empowered to thrive. Her dedication, leadership, and passion for music education have had a lasting impact on the Livonia community and beyond.