Ken Shaheen is shown with the plaque he received at the end of February when he was inducted into the Kansas Music Educators Association’s Hall of Fame.

Shaheen inducted into KMEA Hall of Fame By SUSAN THACKER sthacker@gbtribune.com A lifetime of teaching was recognized last month when Ken Shaheen, Great Bend, was inducted into the Kansas Music Educators Association’s Hall of Fame. More than 5,000 people attended the KMEA convention at Wichita, where Shaheen received his award. KMEA established its Hall of Fame in the 1970s to honor music educators who have made a significant contribution to the growth of music in Kansas. To be nominated, a candidate had to have at least 30 years of service in music education, a record of exemplary teaching, and recognition by the profession in local, district, state or national organizations. Shaheen’s 40-year career as a music educator included seven years in Great Bend Public Schools, from 1963 through 1970, where he served as music coordinator for the district and taught choral music at the high school.

“Some of my best experiences were right here at Great Bend High School,” Shaheen said. He thought long and hard before leaving GBHS in 1970 to join the faculty of Barton County Community College.

“I left a good thing to go to a good thing,” he said. The college had only been in existence for a short time. “It was very exciting to see it grow.”

At Barton, Shaheen served as director of choral music activities and taught music theory, aural skills, music literature and introduction to music classes. He served as the first chairman of the college’s humanities division when chair positions were first instituted. After 22 years at BCCC, he retired in 1992.

For years, Barton had a tradition of producing a Broadway musical every spring. (Musicals are now offered every other year. This year’s musical, “Cinderella,” starts Thursday.) Shaheen was there for the first production, “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying,” and for 14 more musicals.

Throughout his career, Shaheen strove to develop and maintain the very best choral music programs possible. His groups and soloists were recipients of numerous first-division ratings in league, district, regional and state music festivals. The Great Bend High School Concert Choir performed for the KMEA in-Service workshop in 1964. The BCCC Choir and Hilltop Singers performed in 1976 and 1979. His Hilltop Singers received gold awards for all performances in show choir festivals in St. Louis, Mo., Nashville, Tenn., and San Antonio, Texas.

One of Shaheen’s first significant musical memories came while attending high school in Wichita. Students were invited to attend a concert of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra at The Forum in Wichita.

“I listened to this fabulous orchestra,” he said. “I was completely in awe. I was inspired by it.”

Shaheen has always been active in his local church choir as well as in the classroom. In Dighton, Haven, Wichita and Great Bend, he has served as a church choir director. In order to enhance the choral experiences of community adults, he helped to organize and directed the
Barton County Choral Society of 150 voices in performances of noted oratorios. Under his direction, the 24-voice Great Bend Lyric Singers provided auditioned members the opportunity to perform the very best in ensemble literature. He served as a clinician and adjudicator for league contests and KSHSAA sponsored music festivals for many years while teaching in Great Bend and at Barton.

In retirement, Shaheen serves as chairman of KMEA-Retired and is compiling the KMEA Biographical Directory of Retired Music Educators, a significant project of KMEA. Its purpose is to recognize all music educators, now retired, who made significant contribution for the betterment of music education in Kansas.

Shaheen earned a music education degree from the University of Wichita in 1952 and a master’s degree in 1959, with an emphasis in the choral field. He also met his wife Dolores at WU in 1952. Additional study was done at Fort Hays State University and the University of Denver.

His 40-year teaching career was spent entirely in Kansas and included the public schools of Pretty Prairie, Dighton, Haven and Campus High School in Haysville.

Shaheen has been a member of KMEA and Music Educators National Conference since 1952, and served on the KMEA Board of Directors for many years. He served as Festival Choir Chairman in 1959-61, the first year that the Kansas State High School Activities Association sanctioned statewide performance groups. He was on the Advisory Board as Community College. Representative for a number of years, and as Chairman of KMEA-Retired from 1999 to the present. He served as KMEA State President from 1967-69.