 Jim Trant -
Candidate for District VII Director
Jim graduated in 1984 from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He also possesses a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University. His music education career began in the fall of 1984 with teaching positions between 1984 and 2006 primarily at Central Lafourche High School in Raceland, Louisiana and Hahnville High School in Boutte, Louisiana. Under his direction, marching, concert and jazz ensembles won numerous awards at the district, state and regional levels. Ensembles at both schools were very active in performing for community events. Other performances included New Orleans Saints pregame and halftime performances and Tulane University halftime performances.
Jim has been active in the District VII Band Directors’ Association since the beginning of his career. He first served as First Vice-President and Senior High Honor Band chairperson from 1994 to 1998. In 1995, he was selected as the Band Director of the Year by the District Seven Band Directors’ Association. With that award came the privilege of conducting the 1996 District Seven Junior High Honor Band. Also in 1995, he was selected by the Louisiana Bandmasters’ Association to conduct the five-hundred member L.B.A. All-Star Marching Band. This band performed at the Louisiana All-Star football game in Tiger Stadium on the campus of Louisiana State University in July 1995.
Among the many leadership positions he has held include serving as President of the District Seven Band Directors’ Association for the 1999-2000 school year and as Vice-President of the Louisiana Association of Jazz Educators in 2007-2008.
Since 2002, Jim has served on the board of the Louisiana Music Educators Association as the District Director for District Seven. In that position he has overseen the operation of District Seven. Some of those responsibilities included the operation of the Large Ensemble Festivals for Instrumental and Choral ensembles and the All-State auditions for high school and middle schools. He has represented District Seven at all but two L.M.E.A. Board meetings since 2002. Jim was the creator and first webmaster of the L.M.E.A. website. He held this position from 2006-2013. Among some of the measures spearheaded by Jim were the creation and adoption of the “controlled recorded” second round all-state audition for all divisions. These included increasing the quotas from each district for the second round audition which immediately improved the quality of the ensembles and now produces more “true” all-state ensembles. Jim also most recently served as the chairperson of the State Marching Festival committee which was held for the first time this year.
In 2015, Jim was initiated as a member of the Central States Judging Association, a nationally respected group of outstanding adjudicators who share a common interest in their personal improvement as adjudicators and in improved adjudication practices. Founded in 1959 by a group of individuals who felt a need for defined judging standards, CSJA was the first association to hold seminars for judges and instructors to improve their craft. Through CSJA, Jim has provided adjudication in several states throughout the Midwest and Southeast United States. Additionally, Jim is a member of the Louisiana Music Adjudicators’ Association.
Jim is currently the Fine Arts Coordinator in Lafourche Parish, a position he has held since 2008. In this position, he oversees instrumental, vocal and general music programs throughout the parish. With Jim’s guidance, Lafourche Parish welcomed the concept of team teaching among music teachers. It is with the implementation of this concept that the music programs in the parish have flourished. Since 2008, many of the schools have garnered numerous local, district, state and national honors for ensembles and individual students.
Professionally, Jim has been a member of the National Association for Music Education (formerly M.E.N.C.) since the beginning of his music education career. Other current and past memberships include the Jazz Education Network (formerly N.A.J.E.), the Louisiana Bandmasters Association and the Epsilon Chapter of the International Bandmasters’ Fraternity Phi Beta Mu.In 2019, Jim was honored with his induction into the District VII Hall of Fame. In 2021, Jim was the Louisiana recipient of the Outstanding Music Educator Award from the National Federation of High Schools Music Association. With these distinct honors, he was humbled and appreciative to be recognized with such great music educators from District Seven, the State of Louisiana and the United States.
When he is not working to make the best experiences possible for the music students of District Seven, Lafourche Parish, and throughout the state as a member of the L.M.E.A. Board of Directors, Jim resides in Raceland, Louisiana with his wife, Angela and “favorite pet” Star Fox.
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