James Arrowood, professor of music and director of bands, retired in May after 11 years of service at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and 33 years of teaching. A scholarship has been created in his honor.

"It�s been a wonderful place to finish my career," Arrowood says. "I enjoy UWSP and the collegiality here makes the job even more enjoyable."

Arrowood will take a disability retirement because of health problems. "If I had my health I would keep on teaching because I love it," he said.

For the past 15 years Arrowood has had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which has destroyed 70 percent of his lung capacity.

As a conductor, Arrowood specializes in the repertoire of both traditional and contemporary wind band. He has traveled to Sweden and Great Britain to do research on wind band literature and was guest lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music at the 1989 Conference of the British Association for Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles.

The Men of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a music service fraternity, have set up an endowment for the James Arrowood Music Service Award and plan to build the endowment with an annual contribution. The Music Department faculty will select a continuing music student for the $500 scholarship based on his or her service to the department.

The endowment was announced at the final Wind Band Concert, Arrowood�s last performance with the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band as a faculty member. The scholarship will be awarded beginning next year.

He characterizes his career as "exciting" and said, "I have had many valuable experiences and enriching memories."

He started his academic life as a history and political science major and didn�t consider music as a career until he was hired as a music teacher in Halifax County, Va. When he applied for the job of history teacher he had an impressive resume of curricular as well as extracurricular college and high school music performance. "The school board decided that they needed me more as a music teacher than as a history teacher," he said.

While teaching elementary and junior high school, he completed his certification as an instrumental teacher and started graduate studies. Later, while teaching in Culpeper, Va., he received the Stanbury Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Advancement of School Band Programs from the American School Band Directors Association.

Before coming to UWSP in 1990, Arrowood taught at the University of North Carolina, Capital University Conservatory of Music in Columbus, Ohio, and Ball State University, Muncie, Ind.

He has appeared at many colleges and high schools as a guest conductor, clinician and rehearsal coach. He has been a visiting artist at Yale University, Southern Methodist University, Emory University and Ohio State University.

Over the years, his collegiate ensembles were selected to perform at state music education conferences in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Ohio. Arrowood is especially proud of performances at two conferences of the College Band Directors National Association held in Michigan and Ohio.

While teaching at Capital University he conducted its Wind Symphony in the 1983 "Spoleto USA" festival. After attending one of four performances, Gian Carlo Menotti selected the group to appear on the Spoleto episode of the PBS television series, "Great Performances." In addition to video clips of the ensemble, their complete performance of "Country Gardens" by Percy Grainger was used as background music for portions of the broadcast.

Arrowood has received accolades from such composers as Norman Dello Joio and Vincent Persichetti for his sensitive interpretation of their music. He was recognized as Outstanding Teacher Educator at UWSP in 1996 and he has received two Carnegie conducting fellowships.

He was editor of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Journal for nine years and has served on the National Archives Committee. He would have been president of the North Central division of CBDNA this year, but stepped aside because of his health. He had served two years as vice president and two years as president elect.

He is a charter member of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles and has served on the state council for the Wisconsin Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance Project.

Arrowood earned a bachelor�s degree at Wake Forest University, a master�s degree at Radford University, did doctoral studies at Ball State University and additional graduate studies at the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan.

He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Stevens Point. They have two children, Garett, a junior at Stevens Point Area Senior High School, and Heather, a recent graduate of UW-Madison who is traveling in Nepal, Africa and England.

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