Sigma Alpha Iota

P A N P I P E S Summer 2021 7 MUSIC NOTES common thread of music that unites us. I think readers will get a lot from our stories and learn some new things about HBCU band programs." LaToya Brooks is a native of Atlanta, GA, where she has served as a certified Performing Arts Educator with 20+ years of experience working with and coaching youth and young adults. She earned a B.A. in Music from Clark Atlanta University (CAU) and an M.S. in Music Education from Tennessee State University. As an undergrad student at CAU, she served as Clarinet Section Leader, Drum Major and Student Director of the Mighty Marching Panther Band. While at TSU, she served as a Graduate Assistant for the Aristocrat of Bands. Brooks served as Assistant Director of Bands at CAU for years before moving to high school band. Her band programs have earned superior ratings in Large Group Performance Evaluations, as well as Solo and Ensemble Festivals. LaToya currently serves as "mom"ager of three amazing daughters who, through her leadership, have experienced success in the entertainment industry. Her background in Performing Arts has allowed her to manage and coach her daughters' careers, resulting in their participation in numerous roles in award winning films, a Netflix series, and a series regular role on a Nickelodeon show. All of these experiences have granted her the opportunity to create her own business, e Brooks Arts Collective. BAC is a company dedicated to serving youth and young adults as it relates to the Arts. rough her business, LaToya created the STEPS TO STARDOM course for parents who desire to get their kids in the TV/Film industry as well. When asked about her participation in this new book, she said, "It was an honor to be selected to participate as a contributing author for e HBCU Experience: e HBCU Band Alumni Edition. My chapter focused on the life lessons I learned as a member of the CAU Mighty Marching Panther Band. e inspiration behind my words was knowing that my story may influence the future of HBCU bands everywhere." Keena Day is an activist, educator, musician, writer and poet. She is from Detroit, MI, and received her B.A., and M.A., in English with education credentials from Tennessee State University (TSU). Keena studied low brass and voice in both high school and college, including performing in the Aristocrat of Bands at TSU. "I reflected on my journey as a low brass player and a woman in the heavily male dominated trumpet and euphonium sections I was a part of," she said of her contribution to the book. "I discuss direct influences such as my HS band director in Detroit as my introduction to HBCU legacy and culture, as well as my experience in an HBCU SAI chapter. Because representation was the integral step towards my successful tenure in an HBCU band, I was delighted to share my story for students who were first generation college students not from the south. It is much more difficult for us to graduate from colleges out of state, and I wanted people to identify with my journey towards performing with an HBCU marching band." An educator for 18 years, Keena has taught grades 6-12, AP Language and AP Literature, and at the collegiate level as an adjunct freshman composition and technical writing instructor. She is currently the Director of Humanities and Fine Arts for DSST Public Schools. Keena's academic expertise is in literacy instruction, culturally and historically responsive instruction, and organizational structures in district literacy administration. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Organizational Leadership and Administration at the University of Dayton. Day is also a published author of two books and is a freelance writer and journalist, formerly a writer for the Tennessee Tribune, My Black Colorado Magazine, and Boardhawk. She has been a guest on podcasts and radio shows and has been a speaker at conferences focused on Black women's empowerment, Africana cultural studies, and literacy instruction. Day is an active member in her community and serves as a board member of the Colorado Black Women for Political Action (CBWPA), Boss Generation Scholarship Program, Prospect Academy School, and was appointed as a commissioner for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission for Commerce City Council. Keena was recognized as a "Forty Under 40" Awardee for TSU's 2020 class, "100 Black Educators of Colorado" in My Black Colorado Magazine, and performs poetry professionally. Her latest work will be a poetry contribution to the upcoming collegiate textbook Africana Paradigms, Practices, and Literary Texts: Evoking Social Justice releasing July 2021. Learn more at: www.thehbcuexperiencemovement.com At top, lead author Dr. Christy A . Walker, North Carolina At top, lead author Dr. Christy A . Walker, North Carolina A&T State University. Middle photo, contributing A&T State University. Middle photo, contributing author Keena Day, Tennessee State University. Above, author Keena Day, Tennessee State University. Above, contributing author LaToya Brooks, Clark Atlanta contributing author LaToya Brooks, Clark Atlanta University. University.

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