Pittston Area Band Director Adam Burnett accepts his 2024 Cavalcade of Bands Director of the Year from Cavalcade of Bands President Adam Nobile during a Pittston Area School Board meeting on Tuesday.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PITTSTON — Pittston Area Band Director Adam Burdett was recently recognized for something possibly no one from Northeast Pennsylvania has accomplished — he was named Cavalcade of Bands 2024 Director of the Year.
This is quite the honor, considering band directors from three states covering 100-Kindergarten through 12th grades are included.
Cavalcade of Bands, a nonprofit organization founded in 1958, started out traditionally a Southeastern Pennsylvania organization; has grown within the Mid-Atlantic region to include Northern and Central Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. On average, its membership consists of 100 K-12 school districts within these geographic boundaries.
At Tuesday night’s Pittston Area school board meeting, Adam Nobile, Cavalcade of Bands’ president, traveled from Mechanicsburg to present Burdett with his coveted award.
Nobile admitted it was his first trip to Greater Pittston since he became president in 2019. He has no knowledge of anyone from NEPA receiving Band Director of the Year in the dozen or so years since the award’s inception.
Burdett was nominated for Band Director of the Year among his peers. It was narrowed down to seven nominees before he took home the award.
“This is kind of a cool thing for how long I’ve been a director to be recognized,” Burdett said.
He first became Pittston Area’s band director in 2002 and was never nominated prior to winning the award this year for 2024.
A Pittston native and Pittston Area graduate from the Class of 1993, was a member of the band while in high school. He teaches music, band, and chorus at the high school, as well as an AP Music Theory class.
“Music is what I did, and it’s what I did in school,” Burdett said. “Even right out of high school, Bob Lemoncelli (former Pittston Area music teacher) asked if I could help with the high school band’s drum line.”
Burdett considers his award a feather in the cap of the Pittston Area music program and band members.
“I appreciate the publicity, but the kids work hard,” Burdett said. “We are hoping we are going to grow with only two seniors graduating, so I’m hoping we can get some more students from the Middle School.”
