Andrew Loney (1892-1971) was one of the Northwest's most respected music educators. His remarkable bands and choirs were known nationally for their beautiful mature sound, well-drilled technique and fine musicianship.

As a student at Portland's Lincoln High school in 1910, he organized and directed Portland's first high school band made up of students from Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson High Schools. This started Loney on a teaching career that was to continue for 55 years. His first paid teaching job was with the Washington High School Band from the spring of 1915 to 1917.

After serving with the U.S. Navy during World War I, he moved to La Grande to work as a telegrapher with the Union Pacific and to conduct the La Grande Municipal Band. In 1932, he was asked to take over the music education program at La Grande High School. It was here that he achieved astounding success in building the La Grande music education program from 1932 to 1941. He became known as a creative and innovative teacher who continually searched for new ways to make his teaching more effective. His bands and choirs consistently dominated the state and northwest regional competition-festivals in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and he was in constant demand at clinics and conferences to explain his methods. He was the first music educator from the Northwest to be invited to bring a music group to the Music Educators National Conference, taking the La Grande High School Band to Los Angeles in 1949. Fifty years later, residents in La Grande were still talking about this gracious, talented, capable and dedicated teacher who left a legacy of musical excellence and achievement in their community.

In the fall of 1942, Loney took over the leadership of the Klamath Falls, Oregon music department as supervisor of music and director of the high school band and choir, where he repeated his previous success. There, he built a department that placed a general music specialist in each elementary school, and organized a team of instrumental specialists who team-taught the orchestras and bands in grades 4 through 12. High school students in the instrumental program received individualized instruction from specialists as a regular part of their band and orchestra curriculum.

Andy received his bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon in 1942 and his master's degree from the University of Portland. Lewis and Clark College awarded him an honorary doctor of music degree. He did further graduate study at the University of Washington and Northwestern University. In 1958, he accepted a professorship at the University of Portland where he concluded his career teaching future music educators.

Andy was one of the organizers in the late 1930's of the Oregon Music Educators Association, and served as president of that organization from 1944 to 1946. Prior to that, he had been president of the Oregon Bandmasters Association (1936-37), the Oregon School Band and Orchestra Association (1937-39) and president of the NW MENC (1939-41).

In 1953, he and three other giants of the Northwest music educators world, John Stehn, Wally Hannah and Capt. Arthur Haynes were awarded the first Distinguished Music Educators Awards by the NW Bandmasters Association.

It is probably fair to say that those who have had the privilege of working with or studying under this man will never forget what he has given them. They can claim among the memories an insight into the necessity to strive for, and how to achieve: Beautiful well-balanced tone color, tone which allows no stridency or harsh qualities, full use of the dynamic range (PP to FF instead of a range of MF to FF), the full range of musicality and of course, the use of only quality music.

In 1967, Andrew Loney became the first recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Service Award given once every two years to one music educator from the six Northwest states by the Northwest Division of the Music Educators National Conference.