Choice Music Events was founded as a not-for-profit organization with the sole purpose of enhancing music education by providing all band, choir, and orchestra students with positive, educational, and enriching performance opportunities. Choice Music Events has assembled a board of directors, composed primarily of music educators at the top of their respective field, to accelerate the process of creating and implementing new and innovative ideas and performance opportunities that will not only support music education, but push the boundaries of the field in an exciting and promising direction. Members of the board include: Dr. Fred Hardin, Deputy Superintendent of Schools at Lubbock Independent School District; Jon Locke, President of Choice Music Events; Gary Lewis, Director of Orchestral Activities at Texas Tech University; James Keene, Director of Bands at the University of Illinois; Dr. David Kneupper, Composer, Conductor, and Sound Engineer at Kneupper Music, LLC; Dana Pradervand, Director of Bands at Judson High School; Nathan Ziegler, Attorney at Law with Shotts, Hurd, Ziegler, and Trevino, LLP; Anthony Maiello, Director of Instrumental Studies at George Mason University; and Dr. Allen Hightower, Director of Choral Studies at Sam Houston State University.

By involving active music educators in the planning process, this organization will ensure that every festival and concert event it produces is educational and constructive. Gary Lewis, Choice Music Events board member and Director of Orchestral Studies at Texas Tech University stated, “…it is clear that this new venture will be even more flexible and nimble in reacting to the specific needs of school band, orchestra, and choir students. [The Choice Music Events] staff is truly focused on the advancement of music education in an even more global sense. Every event they offer and decision they make is carefully considered to confirm that it is good for bands, choirs, and orchestras and the individual students and directors therein.”

A current list of noteworthy products and performance opportunities discussed by the board of directors during the initial meeting held on January 21 in Lubbock, Texas includes the following:

The Mark of Excellence will be an annual recorded music contest that offers bands, choirs, and orchestras the unprecedented opportunity to earn national recognition for their musical achievement. It will also create a unique, competitive environment that will allow ensembles to compare their performance quality to that of other outstanding groups from across the country.

The National Youth Concert will provide outstanding high school bands and orchestras an opportunity to perform in one of the world's finest performance venues. By sharing a concert with other top ensembles, participating groups will be ensured that they perform for a knowledgeable and respectful audience.

The Honors Concert Series will offer top university music programs the opportunity to create a once-in-a-lifetime performance experience. Every aspect of the concert will be customized to fit the exact needs of the ensemble and institution. Choice Music Events is able to produce concerts in any venue from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.

The Choice Performance Invitational will be a noncompetitive event that offers the finest high school bands, choirs, and orchestras in the nation an opportunity to perform in a world-class venue. Concerts will be attended by other participating ensembles and evaluated by a panel of nationally respected music educators. Students will be able to participate in high-impact leadership seminars and master classes. By focusing on performance and education instead of competition, this event provides every participant with a once-in-a-lifetime music making opportunity.

Choice Music Events will continue to produce the Showcase of Music festivals formerly run by Director's Choice. These events will provide groups with a positive and educationally sound music festival performance in 12 different locations across the United States. These festivals are designed and produced by music educators for music educators. With experienced adjudicators, great performance venues, amazing trophies, and a high-energy awards ceremony, your students are sure to leave with memories that will last a lifetime.

Jon Locke, president of Choice Music Events stated, “I firmly believe the projects that will soon be undertaken by Choice Music Events will change the way that you view “festival companies” forever. From nationally recorded music contests to content-focused student performance conferences, Choice Music Events will offer every music educator an opportunity that will meet the needs of his or her ensemble. By creating Choice Music Events as a not-for-profit company, I hope that every educator will know that our only goal is to provide all music students with the best educational performance value imaginable.”