Limestone's Dr. Seth Taft Selected As Conductor For S.C. Region Band

Limestone University’s Dr. Seth Taft has been selected as the guest conductor of the 2024 South Carolina Region 5 Senior Band.

The band will be performing with Taft on the second day of the clinic, on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 4 p.m. at Cane Bay High School in Summerville.

Taft is one of nine other college or university faculty members from across the country who will be working with the different bands throughout the state. He is also one of four from South Carolina, with the others being Dr. Andy Pettus from Anderson University, Dr. Quintus Wrighten from the University of South Carolina, and Dr. David Carter from Coastal Carolina University.

“I’ve been on the other side of these selection processes before, so I know all the thought and work that goes into it,” Taft said. “I’m honored to be known within the community and for them to ask me to be the guest conductor.”

South Carolina region bands are made up of the best musicians within each. Students who wish to join spend weeks learning the required musical pieces as well as music terminology before their auditions. The auditions were held in late January, with selections made shortly after.

In total, there are eight regions throughout the state, with each region having at least four different categories; Senior Band, Clinic Band, Junior Band, and Alternate Band. Region 5, where Taft will be conducting, contains students from every county that makes up the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, such as Sumter, Florence, and Horry counties, as well as Berkeley County from the Lowcountry.

Taft currently serves several positions within Limestone’s Music Program, including Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Instrumental Music, and the Conductor of the Wind Ensemble. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s in music education from Virginia Commonwealth University. After teaching high school band and choir in the state of Virginia, he went on to earn his doctorate in music education from the University of Colorado, Boulder. 

He is a member of several organizations, including the National Association for Music Education, the Society for Music Teacher Education, and the American Educational Research Association. He also serves on the Advisory Committee for the “Music Educators Journal.”