Founded in Chicago in 1946, the Midwest Clinic is an annual winter music conference that provides professional development opportunities for band directors and music educators. Over the years, the Midwest Clinic has focused on bringing music directors into contact with not only the best published music, but also with new and established teaching techniques, and the latest products and services for the music educator. Each music industry conference features performances by outstanding bands and symphonies from across the country.
The name of the Midwest Clinic has changed a number of times throughout its history:
For more information about the Midwest Clinic, visit the organization’s website at http://www.midwestclinic.org/about_midwest.html.
Please visit the finding aid for more information.
Series I, Collection Management Documents, 1953-2002 (1 linear foot), contains governing documents of the organization and the establishment of their archives, correspondence between the organization and the repository, a finding aid, and accession records.
Series II, Administrative Documents, 1959-2010 (24 linear feet), contains meeting agendas and minutes, Executive Director correspondence, financial records, press releases, forms, and annual clinic information related to performers, advertisers, and exhibitors. There are limited documents from 1946-1980, while extensive records span the years 1980-1994. Records from 1995-present have not yet been received from the organization. All administrative records for the organization are arranged chronologically by year, 1954-1994. There are limited documents for the years 1954-1975, mostly minutes from Board of Directors meetings and some Executive Administrator correspondence. Documents from each calendar year are arranged into to the following record groups as necessary. This record group also contains limited memorabilia from the annual clinics: certificates, individual band programs, etc.
Subseries II.1, Bylaws and Legal Records, 1980-1994 (.5 linear feet)
This series contains both the governing and legal documents of the Midwest Clinic. Also included are revised copies of bylaws. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries II.2, Board of Directors and Minutes, 1964-2004 (4.25 linear feet)
This series contains various documents pertaining to the activities of board members such as correspondence, recorded minutes of board meetings, agendas, recipients of awards from the board, and name and address rosters. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries II.3, Executive Director, 1964-1994 (3 linear feet)
This series contains materials relating to the administrative activities of the various executive directors of the Midwest Clinic. This includes administrative files, memorandums, and committee letters among others. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries II.4, Finances, 1987-1994 (.75 linear feet)
This series contains the financial records maintained by the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries II.5, Exhibitors and Publishers, 1976-1994 (1.75 linear feet)
This series contains information about the various exhibitors and publishers who were involved in the Midwest Clinic. This includes correspondence, contracts, and lists of exhibitors, among others. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries II.6, Advertising, 1970-1994 (1.5 linear feet)
This series contains various advertising plans, drafts, press releases and final advertisements put forth by the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries II.7, Performers and Clinicians, 1959-1994 (3.5 linear feet)
This series contains programs and information about various individual performers and clinicians who appeared at the Midwest Clinic. This includes rosters, lists, evaluation forms, and lists of music performed. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries II.8, Program Drafts and Scheduling, 1978-1994 (3 linear feet)
This series contains both working and final drafts of various programs that occurred at the Midwest Clinic as well as schedules, program forms, and tentative programs. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries II.9, General Materials, 1972-2004 (5.75 linear feet)
This series contains general materials such as music rosters, notebooks, housing forms, fact sheets, pay forms, questionnaires, rosters, correspondence, flyers, and attendance rosters. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Series III Barbara Buehlman Correspondence, 1980-1994 (1.5 linear feet)
This series contains correspondence between Barbara Buehlman, the former Executive Administrator of the Midwest Clinic, and various performers, conductors, clinicians, vendors, presenters, and attendees associated with the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged alphabetically by last name.
Series IV, Publications, 1990-2010 (.5 linear feet), contains items published by or about the organization, including “Midwest Motifs,” the newsletter of the Midwest Clinic. Also included is the book “The First Fifty Years” which is a history of the first fifty years of the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Series V, Programs, 1947-2011 (15.25 linear feet), contains official programs, music rosters, individual concert programs, and clinic handouts from The Midwest Clinic starting in 1947. A strength of the collection, the annual clinic programs list a full program of events at each annual meeting, including performances, clinics, association meetings, sponsors, exhibitors and advertisers.
Subseries V.1, Annual Clinic Programs, 1947-2011 (4.5 linear feet)
This series contains the programs published by the Midwest Clinic annually as compendiums for the entire Clinic. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries V.2, Yearly Music Rosters, 1947-1989 (.5 linear feet)
This series contains the yearly rosters of music played each year at the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries V.3 Individual Concert Programs, 1947-2011 (5.25 linear feet)
This series contains the individual concert programs presented each year at the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries V.3.1 Northshore Concert Band, 1979-1997 (.25 linear feet)
This series contains programs, lists, advertisements and correspondence pertaining specifically to the Northshore Concert Band. Not all the materials pertain to the Band’s involvement at the Midwest Clinic, however a few programs detail their performances there. Materials are arranged by original order.
Subseries V.4 Clinic Handouts, 1951-2011 (4.75 linear feet),
This series contains the individual handouts given out at various clinics and workshops held at the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Series VI, Scrapbooks, 1987-2001 (18.5 linear feet),
This series contains bound volumes of scrapbooked materials (programs, photos, and memorabilia) put together to reflect the experience of a particular year’s clinic. Scrapbooks are arranged chronologically.
Series VII, Photographs, 1947-2010 (20.5 linear feet),
This series contains photos from annual clinics, both formal and candid, photographs of clinicians, photo albums, folio-sized photos, negatives, slides, digital photos, and publicity photos.
Subseries VII.1 Folio-size Photos, 1947-2005 (2.5 linear feet)
This series contains photographs that are folio-sized. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries VII.2 Photo Albums, 1989-2009 (11 linear feet)
This series contains yearly photo albums compiled to reflect the experiences of each yearly clinic. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries VII.3 Photos by Year, 1946-2002 (4.5 linear feet)
This series contains both formal and candid photographs from individual, yearly clinics that are arranged based on the year they were taken. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries VII.4 Clinicians and Soloists, 1947-1985 (.5 linear feet)
This series contains files of photographs of individual clinicians and soloists who were involved in the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged alphabetically.
Subseries VII.4.1 John Paynter Memorial, 1996 (.25 linear Feet)
This series contains programs, publications, and memorials to the late conductor of the Northwestern University Band.
Subseries VII.5 Negatives, n.d. (.5 linear feet)
This series contains the negative strips of photographs taken at various Midwest Clinics. Materials are arranged by original order.
Subseries VII.6 Slides, n.d. (.25 linear feet)
This series contains projection slides of photographs taken at various Midwest Clinics. Materials are arranged by original order.
Subseries VII.7 Digital Photographs, 1998-2010 (.75 linear feet)
This series contains floppy discs and CDs of digitally captured photographs from various Midwest Clinics. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Subseries VII.8 Publicity Photos, n.d. (.25 linear feet)
This series contains proof sheets of photographs taken at various Midwest Clinics. Materials are arranged by original order.
Series VIII, Recordings, 1990-2010 (3 linear feet)
This series contains cassette, CD, and DVD recordings of board meetings, performances, and discussions. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Series IX Scores, 1996-2009 (.5 linear feet),
This series contains scores of music written for or about the Midwest Clinic. Materials are arranged in original order.
Series X Memorabilia, 2002 (.5 linear feet),
This series contains a wood-framed photograph case, a book detailing the history of the Chicago Hilton, and stickers presumably collected at a Midwest Clinic. Materials are in original order.
Founded by Dr. Forrest McAllister, the NABDCC was established as the Band Directors Congress in 1960 and named the North American Band Directors Coordinating Committee the following year. The committee met annually at the Midwest Clinic in order to discuss “matters of common interest to bandmaster organizations established and operating for the benefit of bandmasters and bands.” The group was comprised of individuals from a number of band-related organizations. Charter delegates represented the following groups:
The name was changed slightly in 1971 to North American Band Directors Coordinating Council. By 1979, the committee also included members of the National Association of Uniform Manufactures (NAUM), Women Band Directors National Association (WBDNA), as well as Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.
