The Iowa State University Cyclone Football “Varsity” Marching Band and the Department of Music will lose a vital part of its organization in June.

Martin Province, associate director of bands for the last six years, will leave Iowa State for Arizona State, the sixth-largest music school in the country. He will serve Arizona State as the director of bands beginning July 1.

There are a number of former Iowa State students and faculty members at Arizona State that Province looks forward to working with again, such as former ISU athletic director Gene Smith.

“There is a two-way pipeline between Iowa State and Arizona State that has been there for years. We get students, faculty and staff from them, just as they do from us,” Province said.

Province was asked to interview for the position by Wayne Bailey, director of the ASU School of Music, last year when the band performed at the Insight.com Bowl in Phoenix. At the end of February, Province was selected to replace Robert Fleming, who had been associate director of music at Arizona State for 28 years.

“I told the band members that if they were happy with the fact that I was leaving, then they could thank themselves. And if they were sad that I was leaving, they could blame themselves for performing so well at that game,” Province said.

Currently, Province serves as director of the Cyclone Marching Band, directs the Symphonic Band, supervises the basketball pep bands and teaches courses in music education, wind conducting and repertoire.

“The thing I’ll miss most about Iowa State are the students that I’ve had the chance to work with over the last six years,” said Province, assistant professor of music.

“It has been great here, but I look forward to living in the desert Southwest. To live four hours from the Grand Canyon will be a dream come true.”

Province said he has always dreamed of rafting the white waters of the Grand Canyon. He also said it will be a big change for him, his wife Elice and their two sons Grant, 10, and Aaron, 6, to move to Phoenix, a community of 3.5 million.

“I grew up in a small town and I really like the atmosphere and the size of Ames,” Province said. “The fact that we are within walking distance to the elementary schools and the library, and my children are so involved with the community has always been so great.”

“Marty brought to the position a passion for music and a desire to make the members of his ensembles the best musicians they could be,” said Chris Andringa, drum major in the marching band and senior in exercise and sport science.

“Observing the level of musicianship in the marching band – where there are very few music majors – increase as dramatically as it has in the past few years is a testament to his work here at Iowa State.”

Michael Golemo, director of bands and assistant professor of music, said Province will be hard to replace.

“His contributions to ISU have been valuable. He has added a lot of luster to the band and athletic events at Iowa State,” Golemo said.

Golemo said about 25 people applied for the associate director position that Province will leave vacant.

Applicants submitted material, including video and audio tapes, applications and references. The search committee, which included three voting members and one member ex-officio, narrowed down the group to three finalists, who will be on campus this week.

“All three of them have very similar experiences and have worked with large university bands at one time or another,” Golemo said.

Finalists will conduct the symphonic band and be interviewed this week. Golema said the committee will make a decision at the end of the week.

The three candidates are George Brozak, doctoral candidate at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Rob Foster professor of music and associate director of bands at University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.; and Matt Smith, acting associate director of bands at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.