Distinguished Service to Music Medal

The Distinguished Service to Music Medal is an award presented by Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity. It is awarded to people who have contributed to the advancement of the wind band "as a cultural, musical and educational medium." The Distinguished Service to Music Medal has been awarded 156 times to 153 recipients.

The decoration itself is a golden star enameled in the fraternity colors of blue and white. The star, which symbolizes the fraternity ritual and motto, "Strive for the Highest", is surrounded by a golden laurel wreath, symbolizing achievement. Upon the star is the fraternity crest and the words "Distinguished Service" with the Greek letters "ΚΚΨ." The medal is surmounted by a lyre representing the field of music. The decoration may be worn suspended by a blue and white ribbon, for formal occasions or musical performances. The medal was designed by Jack K. Lee, Grand President from 1963 to 1965, and was first awarded to ten men and women.

First recipients
The first recipients of the Distinguished Service to Music Medal were awarded it in late 1964 and early 1965. The reasons for which these ten men and women were awarded the medal served as the basis for the categories for later awardees.


 * Morton Gould (Composition)
 * Frank Simon and William Revelli (Concert Band)
 * Eugene J. Weigel (Marching Band)
 * Sigurd Raschèr (Artist Performer)
 * Earl Kent of C.G. Conn (Industrial Research and Progress)
 * Meredith Willson for The Music Man (Contributing Layman)
 * Herman B Wells (Alumni Achievement)
 * A. Frank Martin and Grace F. Martin (Fraternity Service)

All awardees
Following is a list of all recipients of the award, from 1963 to the present.


 * 1963–65
 * Morton Gould, Composition
 * Frank Simon, Concert Band
 * William Revelli, Concert Band
 * Eugene J. Weigel, Marching Band
 * Sigurd Raschèr, Artist Performer
 * Earl Kent, Industrial Research and Progress
 * Meredith Willson, Contributing Layman
 * Herman B. Wells, Alumni Achievement
 * A. Frank Martin, Fraternity Service
 * Grace F. Martin, Fraternity Service


 * 1965–67
 * Karl King, Composition
 * Harold Bachman, Concert Band
 * Glenn C. Bainum, Marching Band
 * H. E. Nutt, Instrumental Music Education
 * Paul V. Yoder, Instrumental Music Education
 * Leonard Smith, Artist Performer
 * Guggenheim family of New York, Contributing Layman
 * F. Lee Bowling, Alumni Achievement
 * J. Lee Burke, Fraternity Service
 * William A. Scroggs, Fraternity Service


 * 1967–69
 * Clarence Sawhill, Concert Band
 * Manley Whitcomb, Instrumental Music Education
 * Leonard Falcone, Artist Performer
 * Nels Vogel, Industrial Research and Progress
 * Adolph Ostwald, Contributing Layman


 * 1969–71
 * Lucien Cailliet, Composition
 * Richard Franko Goldman, Concert Band
 * Jack K. Lee, Marching Band
 * Robert Arthur, Instrumental Music Education
 * Doc Severinsen, Artist Performer
 * Traugott Rohner, Industrial Research and Progress
 * Donald Moore, Fraternity Service


 * 1971–73
 * Robert E. Jager, Composition
 * Mark Hindsley, Concert Band
 * William P. Foster, Marching Band
 * William Moffitt, Marching Band
 * Bertram Francis, Instrumental Music Education
 * Eugene Rousseau, Artist Performer
 * Nilo Harvey, Industrial Research and Progress
 * Forrest McAlister, Contributing Layman
 * D. O. Wiley, Fraternity Service


 * 1975–77
 * Robert Russell Bennett, Composition
 * Hiram Henry, Instrumental Music Education
 * Robert Kamm, Contributing Layman


 * 1977–79
 * Raymond Dvorak, Concert Band
 * Frederick Fennell, Concert Band
 * Colonel Arnald Gabriel, Concert Band
 * Harvey Phillips, Artist Performer


 * 1979–81
 * Truman Crawford, Marching Band
 * John Long, Instrumental Music Education


 * 1981–83
 * Al G. Wright, Concert Band and Marching Band


 * 1983–85
 * Charles Carter, Composition
 * Richard Bowles, Instrumental Music Education
 * Louis Sudler, Contributing Layman


 * 1985–87
 * Clare Grundman, Composition
 * Harry Begian, Concert Band
 * Colonel John R. Bourgeois, Concert Band
 * John Paynter, Concert Band


 * 1987–89
 * W. Francis McBeth, Composition
 * Claude T. Smith, Composition
 * Fisher Tull, Composition
 * Ray Cramer, Instrumental Music Education


 * 1989–91
 * Alfred Reed, Composition
 * Hugh McMillen, Concert Band, Alumni Achievement, and Fraternity Service
 * James K. Copenhaver, Instrumental Music Education
 * Stanley F. Michalski Jr., Instrumental Music Education
 * James G. Saied, Contributing Layman
 * Max Mitchell, Fraternity Service
 * Susan Mitchell, Fraternity Service


 * 1991–93
 * James Barnes, Composition
 * H. Owen Reed, Composition
 * Kenneth G. Bloomquist, Concert Band
 * Richard Strange, Concert Band
 * Walter M. Chesnut, Instrumental Music Education
 * Thomas Henry Delaine, Instrumental Music Education
 * Emery L. Fears, Instrumental Music Education
 * Henry Levy, Instrumental Music Education
 * Stanley G. Finck, Fraternity Service


 * 1993–95
 * H. Robert Reynolds, Concert Band
 * James Sudduth, Concert Band
 * Conrad Hutchinson Jr., Marching Band


 * 1995–97
 * Frank B. Wickes, Concert Band
 * Don Wilcox, Concert Band
 * Richard Worthington, Concert Band
 * Kenneth M. Corbett, Fraternity Service


 * 1997–99
 * James Croft, Concert Band
 * James Jacobsen, Instrumental Music Education
 * Elden Janzen, Instrumental Music Education
 * Gary Langford, Instrumental Music Education
 * Clifford Madsen, Instrumental Music Education


 * 1999–2001
 * Frank Ticheli, Composition
 * Robert Foster, Concert Band
 * Gary Garner, Concert Band
 * John Whitwell, Concert Band
 * Keith Bearden, Marching Band
 * Robert "Coach" Fleming, Marching Band
 * Gary E. Smith, Marching Band
 * Frederick Hemke, Instrumental Music Education
 * Tim Lautzenheiser, Instrumental Music Education
 * Jim Cochrane, Industrial Research and Progress


 * 2001–03
 * Ken Singleton, Instrumental Music Education
 * Melvin Miles Jr., Instrumental Music Education
 * Alfred Sergel III, Instrumental Music Education
 * Christopher Haughee, Fraternity Service


 * 2003–05
 * Melborn Nixon, Instrumental Music Education


 * 2005–07
 * Karel Husa, Composition
 * Donald Grantham, Composition
 * Craig Kirchoff, Concert Band
 * James F. Keene, Concert Band
 * Johnnie Vinson, Concert Band
 * Issac Greggs, Marching Band
 * Jack R. Anderson, Marching Band
 * Paul Droste, Instrumental Music Education
 * Bentley Shellahammer, Instrumental Music Education
 * Don McGinnis, Conducting
 * William Gora, Conducting
 * Steve West, Industry


 * 2007–09
 * George N. Parks, Marching Band
 * Jon R. Woods, Marching Band
 * Scott E. Stowell, Fraternity Service
 * Joseph Hermann, Conducting


 * 2009–11
 * Adam Gorb, Composition
 * Mark Camphouse, Composition
 * Joseph P. Missal, Concert Band
 * William V. Johnson, Concert Band
 * David Patrick Dunnigan, Marching Band
 * Julian White, Marching Band
 * David Gregory, Instrumental Music Education
 * Earl Dunn, Instrumental Music Education
 * Lt. Colonel Alan L. Bonner, Conducting
 * Michael Haithcock, Conducting
 * Jerry F. Junkin, Conducting
 * Mark Morette, Industry


 * 2011–13
 * Paula Crider, Conducting
 * Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Conducting
 * William K. Wakefield, Concert Band
 * Wava Banes Henry, Fraternity Service


 * 2013–15
 * Richard Floyd, Instrumental Music Education
 * Gary W. Hill, Conducting


 * 2015–17
 * Malinda Matney, Fraternity Service
 * Michael Golemo, Conducting


 * 2017–19
 * Julie Giroux, Composition
 * Alfred Watkins, Alumni Achievement
 * Gary D. Green, Conducting
 * Ray Lichtenwalter, Conducting
 * Dennis Zeisler, Conducting
 * Arthur Himmelberger, Conducting
 * Scott Weiss, Conducting


 * 2019–21
 * Thomas P. Hannum, Marching Band
 * Brent Cannon, Fraternity Service
 * Daniel A. George, Fraternity Service


 * 2021–23
 * Robert W. Smith, Composition
 * Mark Spede, Industry
 * Derrick Mills, Fraternity Service
 * Kirk Randazzo, Fraternity Service


 * 2023–25
 * John Bradley McDavid, Marching Band

Multiple recipients
Hugh E. McMillen, former Director of Bands at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Past National President of Kappa Kappa Psi, has been awarded the medal for three causes: for concert band, alumni achievement, and fraternity service. Al G. Wright, Director of Bands Emeritus at Purdue University, is the only other person to receive the award in more than one category: concert band and marching band.