Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas roots follow Gorhams to Oklahoma Hall of Fame
Ever wonder where someone is now? So did we.
A new feature — titled “Where Are They Now?” — will reconnect some of Northwest Arkansas’ native sons with their friends and families still living here. We begin with a couple who have deep roots in the region, Jana Janzen Gorham and David Gorham, both of whom were inducted into the Oklahoma Bandmasters Hall of Fame during the Oklahoma Bandmasters Convention at the Renaissance Hotel in Tulsa on July 19, 2017. Jana’s dad is Eldon Janzen, longtime director of the University of Arkansas bands.
Where’s home? David Gorham was born and raised in Hope and graduated from Hope High School in 1978.
Jana Gorham was born in Texarkana and graduated from Fayetteville High School in 1976.
Where did they meet? Both were members of the Arkansas All-State Band and received their degrees from the University of Arkansas. They met in the french horn section of the Razorback Band in the fall of 1978. Both participated in marching, concert, and basketball bands, as well as the symphony orchestra, brass choir, and horn choirs. They were married in 1982.
Where have their careers taken them? After beginning their teaching careers in Oklahoma, the Gorhams spent the next five years teaching in the Van Buren school system before returning to Oklahoma to head up the band program in Owasso. The next 25 years saw the high school marching band grow to more than 350 students, most of whom also participate in one of five concert bands.
What have they accomplished? The Pride of Owasso marching band has appeared as finalists in Bands of America competitions in St. Louis, Arlington, San Antonio, Las Vegas and Atlanta and was the BOA St. Louis Super-Regional Champions in 2012. The marching band was also a finalist at the BOA Grand National Competition in Indianapolis in 2005 and 2012. The band was also selected as the Outstanding Band in the 2014 St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, Ireland.
What’s their professional philosophy? Jana and David believe that music education should not only expose students to the joys of music but should also provide a learning environment for the social skills that are necessary to be successful in life. They feel “blessed” to have the opportunity to share their love of band with their students, parents, and fellow teachers.
What’s next for them? Since 2004, Jana Gorham has shifted her emphasis from high school to the younger grades. She currently co-teaches the 60-plus member beginning trumpet class and conducts one of the two seventh grade bands. Her seventh grade bands have consistently received the “Outstanding Achievement Award” for Superior ratings in district concert and sight-reading contests. She received the Oklahoma Music Educators Association Exemplary Teacher award in 2013. She also assists with the high school marching band and maintains a private horn studio of more 20 students; has served on the UAA Summer Music Camp staff for 30 years and enjoys presenting clinics on beginning/young bands. She is a member of OkMEA, OBA, NAfME and the Phi Beta Mu International Band Fraternity.
David Gorham retired in 2014 after 32 years in public school music education. He served as director of bands at Owasso High School for 25 years, 19892014, where he oversaw the entire band program, directed the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band II and the Pride of Owasso marching band, as well as teaching AP Music Theory. He was selected as the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association Director of the Year for 1997, he was the 1988 ASBDA-Stanbury Award winner for Arkansas and the 1992 ASBDA-Stanbury Award winner for the South Central Region, was a recipient of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association Exemplary Teacher award in 2010 and Bandworld Legion of Honor Laureate in 2011. Most recently he was featured in a chapter of the book Rehearsing the High School Band. He currently has 95 published works for concert band and continues to compose commissioned works for band such as “The North Tower” for the re-dedication of Old Main in 1991 and “Halls of Honor,” commissioned in honor of Jana’s parents, Eldon and Nel Janzen, and premiered by the US Army Field Band in 2010.