Created at the 2011 National Convention, the W. Francis McBeth Student Musicianship Award honors current active, associate, and conditional members of Kappa Kappa Psi that exemplify the highest standards of Musical Achievement. W. Francis McBeth (1933-2012) was a world-renowned composer and conductor.
McBeth was appointed band director at Ouachita Baptist College (now Ouachita Baptist University) in 1957. He remained at OBU, retiring in 1996 as chairman of the theory and composition department, resident composer, and the Lena Shepperson Professor of Music. In 1971, McBeth served as the commissioning composer for the 1971 National Intercollegiate Band, which premiered his work “The Seventh Seal.” In 1975, he was named composer laureate of Arkansas, the first composer laureate in the United States.
Award Recipients
| 2011-2013 | Zachary Friedland, Theta Upsilon, University of Rhode Island |
| 2013-2015 |
Jeremiah Scott Gregg, Kappa Rho, Duquesne University |
| 2015-2017 |
Andrew Weliver, Nu Beta, Texas Wesleyan University |