After 21 years at the helm of the Iowa High School Music Association, Alan Greiner has announced his retirement from his position as Executive Director of the IHSMA, effective June 30, 2023.
Greiner began his career in music education at Northwest Webster Community Schools in 1985 and was on staff until 1987. From there, he moved on to the Prairie Valley Community Schools as 9 – 12 Instrumental Music Instructor. With just 19 students to start, he grew the program to nearly 70 members, focusing on a well-rounded educational experience for his students. His many groups and soloists consistently received Division I ratings in all arenas of the IHSMA Festival program. Alan also built the Prairie Valley jazz program to a level of excellence where they were consistent 1st or 2nd Place finishers at their District Jazz Festival and became annual qualifiers for the Iowa Jazz Championships. It was in 2001 that Alan left Prairie Valley and joined the Iowa High School Music Association as Executive Director, following the late Everett Johnson.
During his tenure with the IHSMA, Greiner has been instrumental in crafting and promoting the image and philosophy of the Association. That philosophy is to promote music as an essential part of Iowa school curriculum and ensure fairness and equity for all students. It also strives to provide educational opportunities that foster the development of a life-long appreciation of music for our high school students. To that end, Alan has worked tirelessly to achieve those goals.
Alan has always believed that directors should be given every possible tool for success. To assist new directors in the state, he developed and conducted many regional “New Director Orientation” sessions to introduce new teachers to IHSMA regulations and opportunities. Greiner also co-founded the K-16 Music Curriculum Summit which created an important avenue for dialogue between Iowa high school teachers and their collegiate counterparts.
Alan has served as the organizing agent for the Iowa All-State Music Festival. To his credit, there is no equal to this event. His abilities and expertise have made the festival the nation’s finest and annually features over 1,100 of Iowa’s finest high school musicians.
Greiner has been an influential figure on the national scene as a collaborator with the National Federation of High School Associations. He served on the NFHS committee that developed and implemented the NFHS Learn course, “Understanding Copyright and Compliance”. Alan and other NFHS leadership worked in conjunction with music publishers to help teachers and activity sponsors understand and apply copyright law as it relates to education. He also assisted in the development of a music adjudication training course for NFHS Learn and chaired the NFHS Music Committee for four years.
Other national credits include his membership on the “Citizenship, Ethics and Integrity” committee for the NFHS. This group developed a handbook to aid high schools in preventing and addressing hazing. Because of his work with the NFHS, Iowa enjoys a prominent place in the national spotlight for music education.
Greiner has served as a presenter and clinician at many state and national conferences. His presentations and publications on the subjects of copyright compliance, adjudication training, ethics and music literature have guided current and prospective music educators across the state and nation.
“When I think of the influence that Alan has had on music education in the state of Iowa, I don’t even know where to start in singing his praises,” said Kurt Schwarck of Spencer High School, who serves as president of the IHSMA Executive Committee. “Alan’s leadership has created tremendous opportunities for music education across the state. His focus on the value of music education in our schools and creating opportunities for Iowa high school students to grow and become well-rounded individuals is second to none. Even though we are all saddened by his announcement, we are excited for him and wish him all the best as he begins a new chapter in his life.”
The Iowa High School Music Association will begin accepting applications for a new Executive Director in the Fall of 2022. More details will be forthcoming.
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