Lois Wiggins, band director at Edythe J. Hayes Middle School since 2004, is one of the inaugural recipients of the Beacon Award given by the International Women’s Brass Conference. She and four others will be honored at a concert and reception during the group’s June 4-6 gathering at Northern Kentucky University.
“It’s awfully validating and very humbling to be recognized. It’s a nice reward,” Wiggins said. “I am truly blessed to be where I am and doing what I am doing. I appreciate all of the support and wonderful opportunities to make music with young people all these years.”
Wiggins is the band content area leader for Fayette County Public Schools and the state band chair for the Kentucky Music Educators Association. She is also a member of the Lexington Brass Band and co-conductor of the Central Kentucky Youth Repertory Orchestra. Wiggins earned her bachelor’s degree in music from Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, her master’s in music education at the University of Georgia and a Rank I in secondary education at Western Kentucky University.
The new award from the International Women’s Brass Conference goes to women who have been beacons of light for those around them in the fields of performance and education. While influencing generations of musicians, they have stood for the values of equity, perseverance and excellence. The other 2014 honorees include Tanya Bromley, a former assistant band director at Tates Creek High School.