©2025 Ohio Music Education Association
Committee Updates
Director of Adjudicated Event Materials and Awards
Dane Newlove
Dane Newlove,
Director of Adjudicated Event Materials and Awards
Greetings from the office of Materials and Awards! I’m excited to begin my 12th year in this role, continuing to support site chairs, directors, parents, and students who participate in OMEA Adjudicated Events.
The big change for this year is as of the 2025–26 school year, all OMEA awards must be ordered through the OMEA website. Payment does not have to be made online—you may choose to pay by credit card or print an invoice to mail with a check, as in the past. Paper order forms are discontinued and no longer valid. This change is required due to recent upgrades and security measures in our financial system.
You can find the OMEA online store under the “recognition” tab at the top of the website.
Awards will still be offered for on-site purchase at all high school and junior high solo and ensemble events and is a great way to save on shipping charges.
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We will continue to offer patches for SMBF qualifiers and for State Large Group participants in band, choir, and orchestra. The ever-popular “combo packs”—featuring both a medal and a patch at a reduced cost—will also remain available across all areas. Here’s a sneak peek at the 2025 SMBF patch, which will be available in the store soon!
Sales during the last school year were the strongest we’ve seen in many years, with nearly 25,000 award items purchased. We appreciate your patience during April and May as some items were on backorder. While it isn’t feasible to maintain unlimited stock of every award, your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated.
Site chairs: elsewhere in this issue of Triad, Director of Adjudications Bill Thomas will have dates for virtual site chair sessions. Be sure to check the Solo and Ensemble or Large Group management handbooks, with some revised and additional information to assist in the operation of your event. Please reach out to Matt Spradlin, HS Affairs Chair; Kathy McIntosh, JH Affairs Chair; or me with any questions!
Dane Newlove retired following the 2012-13 school year after a thirty-year career in education, the last twenty-seven as Director of Bands for the St. Marys City Schools in west central Ohio. Dane is currently the Director of Materials and Awards for the Ohio Music Education Association and a Solo and Ensemble and Large Group adjudicator for OMEA; as well as being an active performer in many ensembles, including the Lima Symphony Orchestra, where he has been assistant principal percussionist for the past 38 years. He is also the founder and principal conductor of the St. Marys Area Community Band.