Arkansas Small Band Association (ASBA)
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Arkansas Small Band Association Officers
Arkansas Small Band Association Officers
President - Blake Henley, Mountain View
Vice-President - Kevin Dunn, McGehee
Treasurer - Emily Gaines, CAC
Secretary - Kyle Allman, Piggott
Member-at-Large - McKenzie Bryeans, Gosnell
Executive Secretary - Trey Reely, Searcy, AR (retired)
Our 2026 ASBA All-Star Honor Band Clinician- Greg Bruner
We will be premiering a piece written by Ryan Talbert just for the 2026 All-Star Honor Band!
2025 Honor Band Scholarship Winners
Lyza Gonzales
Waldron HS
UCA
Ryder May
Mountain Pine HS
ATU
Greg Bruner is a 1987 graduate of Highland High School. Growing up as the son of a Methodist
minister, he attended many schools before completing grades 8-12 at Highland. He attended
Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where he received his Bachelor's (1992) and Master's
of Music Education (1995). As a trumpet player, Mr. Bruner has played with the Delta
Symphony, Pine Bluff Symphony, Tupelo Symphony, and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
After teaching six years at Corning, Mr. Bruner returned to Highland and is in his 27th year as
the high school band director. Mr. Bruner is a past president and current parliamentarian of the
Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association and has served on the board for 14 years. He
serves as the executive secretary of the Arkansas chapter of Phi Beta Mu, an honorary band
fraternity, and is the vice president and CFO of Destination Band Camp. In 2021 and 2023, he
served as the conductor of the Spirit of Aloha Honor Band, conducting performances at Pearl
Harbor. His bands have consistently earned the highest ratings possible at contests in
Arkansas and nationally. Under his direction, the Highland High School Band was named the 4A
state concert band champion in 2022 and 2024 and served as the 4A Honor Band in 2023 and
2025. In July of 2022, at the Arkansas Bandmasters Conference, he was named the Arkansas
Bandmaster of the year. Mr. Bruner is often asked to judge or to be a clinician for band events
across the state and region. Each year, his students earn scholarships to play their instruments
in college, some having gone on to become band directors and professional musicians. His
wife, Hope, is the junior high band director at Highland. The Bruners have three boys: Harrison,
a doctoral horn performance student at the University of Alabama, Luke, a senior math major at
UCA, and Evan, a sophomore music major at UCA. In his spare time, Mr. Bruner enjoys playing
golf or doing handyman projects. In the summer you can find Mr. Bruner building or landscaping
something, or possibly playing Zelda.
ASBA Scholarship Program
ASBA Scholarship Program
Dear Arkansas Band Director:
If you have a student who is going to college and planning on participating in band, the Arkansas Small Band Association awards scholarships to Arkansas seniors from ASBA member high schools. The winners will be selected by a panel of ASBA members with the most emphasis being placed on the applicant’s musical achievements, leadership in their school band, and written essay. They do NOT have to major in music to be awarded this scholarship.
The link below will allow you to download an application for the scholarship. If you have more than one applicant, please feel free to print more copies of the form.
Completed applications should be returned to the address on the application form and postmarked no later than Feb 14. Please remind applicants to include a copy of their high school transcript and a letter of recommendation from you along with the other required information.
Also encourage your students to fill out this application neatly and completely. The “brief composition” will receive much consideration.
Thank you very much for helping us provide this opportunity to your students!!
Blake Henley
President, Arkansas Small Band Association
2025-2026
Dates for ASBA
ASBA Member Registration Deadlines:
September 30 - $50
Extended Deadline - October 30 - $60
!!!!!IMPORTANT!!!!!
1. Register with ASBOA
In order for your students to audition for ASBA Honor Band, your band must be registered with ASBOA (CLICK HERE).
2. Register with ASBA
Download the registration file, then file out, print and mail to ASBA Executive Secretary.
The ASBA registration form is HERE.
3. Request a check
Make sure it gets delivered to the address on the ASBA application
4. DO NOT MAIL YOUR ASBA APPLICATION TO ASBOA!
Mail your check AND APPLICATION to the ASBA Executive Secretary.
Please refer all questions regarding registration to Trey Reely.
Phone: (870) 476-4646 or
E-mail reelytrey@gmail.com
January 30,2026
Deadline to register students
for auditions.
Audition Information
Please enter student names into
the Google Spreadsheet.
Click for Audition Registration Form.
Audition cuts for the 2026 All-Star Band auditions:
February 10, 2026
ASBA Honor band auditions - Central Ark. Christian High School, NLR.
YOUR SCHOOL MUST BE AN ASBA MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE.
The inclement weather date:
February 12, 2026.
Scholarship Application Postmarked by Feb 14, 2026
Scholarship Applications Due
Feb 27,2026-
Feb 28,2026
All-Star Clinic
Location: Harding University, Searcy
ABA Convention 2025
July 31,2025-August 3, 2025
ASBA Booth at Arkansas Bandmasters Convention
Ryan Talbert is a composer, arranger, and music educator from Cabot, Arkansas. He is currently pursuing a degree in Music Education at the University of Central Arkansas, where his primary instrument is trombone. Ryan is the owner of RyanWritesMusic, a composing and arranging business that provides custom marching band shows and concert band music for programs across Arkansas and beyond, with a primary focus on marching band design and show writing. When Ryan is not writing or arranging, he is actively involved in the marching band activity as a designer and technician. He enjoys working directly with students, collaborating with band directors and staff, and spending time on the field during rehearsal.