DIRECTOR INFORMATION

RICK GRANLUND is the Director of Bands and Chair of the 6-12 Performing Arts Department at North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Since 1992, he has held positions in five communities across Indiana and the Chicago area.

Under Mr. Granlund's leadership, his bands have received numerous accolades at state and local festivals. The North Central High School Wind Ensemble won the ISSMA State Concert Band Championships in 2006, 2007, and from 2009 to 2011. Additionally, the NCHS Jazz Ensemble qualified as North Central's first ISSMA Jazz State finalist in 2020 and was recognized as the Honor Band at the Purdue Jazz Festival. The North Central band program has also traveled on four different international performance tours and had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall.

His accolades include the Ball State University Alumni Achievement Citation and being named one of SBO Magazine's "50 Directors Who Make a Difference" in 2014-2015. Mr. Granlund was honored as the Indiana Bandmaster of the Year in 2014 and was a Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellow in 2013. He received the Indiana Music Educators Association Outstanding High School Music Educator Award in 2011.

Mr. Granlund has served twice as President of the Indiana Bandmasters Association (IBA) and twice as President of the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA). He has presented at various conferences, including the IMEA convention and the Arkansas Bandmasters Association Convention.

A graduate of Ball State University, Mr. Granlund completed his Master of Arts at the University of Indianapolis. He is married to Candi, a fellow band director, and they have three children: a daughter, Elise, and son-in-law Jimmy; a son, Connor, and daughter-in-law Avery; and daughter, Laurel.

ANDREW BRINKMAN has been the Associate Director of Bands at North Central High School since 2015. Before this role, he directed Bands at Fall Creek Valley Middle School from 2003 to 2015, where his ensembles consistently earned Gold Awards at ISSMA contests. Under his direction, the North Central Jazz Ensemble was a finalist at the ISSMA Jazz State in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Mr. Brinkman has also contributed to the music community as an ISSMA Solo and Ensemble Adjudicator and as a guest conductor for various honor bands. He received the Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship in 2009 for his project on the Protestant Reformation, allowing him to travel and compose a band piece. In 2020, he earned a second fellowship for “Ticket to Ride: A Railway Journey of Musical Masters,” which he co-wrote with his wife, Michelle.

Previously, he was part of the Lawrence North High School Marching Band staff and performed with the Indiana Wind Symphony. Mr. Brinkman is an active member of several professional organizations, including Phi Beta Mu and the Indiana Bandmasters Association.

He holds a bachelor's degree in music education from Ball State University and is a graduate of North Central High School. He and his wife, Michelle, a Music Specialist, have a daughter, Clara. Outside of music, Mr. Brinkman is involved in his church and enjoys family time, travel, and outdoor activities.