Hinds CC Invitational
Honor Band

Elva Kaye Lance is Director of Bands at Mississippi State University. Now in her thirty-fifth year at the university, she conducts the Wind Ensemble, provides leadership for the Famous Maroon Band, oversees all aspects of the university band program, and teaches conducting and music education methods in the Department of Music. A veteran music educator with more than forty years of experience, Ms. Lance began her career as an instrumental music teacher in the Mississippi public schools.

During her tenure at Mississippi State, Ms. Lance has led significant growth and innovation within the band program. Her leadership has resulted in the completion of a multimillion-dollar band rehearsal facility and the construction of a new synthetic turf practice field. She has also guided the expansion of the band faculty and staff while overseeing the continued growth of a comprehensive band program that includes four concert bands, jazz band, two basketball pep bands, and the Famous Maroon Band, which consistently enrolls more than 400 students.

In 2026, the Famous Maroon Band was named as the recipient of the Sudler Trophy, the highest honor a collegiate marching band can receive. This award was formally presented at halftime on September 26th.

As a conductor, Ms. Lance has led the Wind Ensemble in performances throughout the United States and abroad. International appearances include concert tours of the British Isles (2008), Austria and Germany (2011), Italy (2014), Austria and the Czech Republic (2019), and Spain (2025). The 2014 tour featured a performance at the International Music Meeting in Padova, Italy. She is also a sought-after clinician and adjudicator for concert and marching band events across the country.

Ms. Lance has received numerous honors recognizing her contributions to music education and the band profession. In 2011, she received both the State Pride Award from Mississippi State University’s College of Education for excellence in teaching, research, and service and the Edythe M. McArthur Outstanding Woman Band Director Award for Mississippi. She was named Mississippi Outstanding Bandmaster in both 2015 and 2024 and was recognized as the Outstanding Contributor to Bands in Mississippi by the Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu in 2017. She was elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 2018, and under her direction, the Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the 2020 American Bandmasters Association Convention.

An active leader in professional organizations, Ms. Lance has served as Mississippi state chair for both the College Band Directors National Association and the National Band Association, as well as a member of the CBDNA Athletic Band Committee. She is Past President of the International Bandmasters Fraternity Phi Beta Mu and currently serves as President-Elect of the National Band Association. Her professional affiliations also include the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Sigma Alpha Iota, and the National Association for Music Education.