Kevin Beaber wins NFHS Section 6 Outstanding Music Educator Award

Kevin Beaber’s career as a music educator has been a positive influence on vocal, band and orchestra students of Crowley (Colorado) County Schools (Grades 5-12) since 1988. He previously taught in a similar capacity at Haxtun (Colorado) County Schools (Grades K-12) from 1985 to 1988. Beaber’s contributions to music reach outside the schools of Crowley County as he is also co-director of the Arkansas Valley Community Band in Fowler, Colorado.

Throughout his 37-year career, Beaber has prided himself on providing opportunities for his students. This act has been on display when lobbying on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., for music education legislation to meeting with state department of health officials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss guidelines for music classrooms. Outside the classroom, he’s overseen his bands performances at halftime of the Alamo Bowl on seven occasions, along with guiding them to second- and third-place finishes at marching band festivals for the Southern Qualifying Regionals and Colorado Bandmasters Association.

Beaber, who is the former president of the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA), has also served in a similar capacity for the American School Band Directors Association. The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA), of which he is music committee chair, recognized him as its educator of the month in March 1994. Beaber’s other merits include being a two-time recipient of the Boettcher Foundation Teacher Recognition Award (2002 & 2009), which is awarded to the most influential teacher selected by a Colorado post-secondary scholarship recipient.