Bruce also served for five years as director of the South St. Paul Male Chorus, eight years as director of the 3M Male chorus, and nine years as Director of Music at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka.

Since 1976, Anoka choirs have been very active, having performed seven times at MMEA conventions, twice at ACDA conventions, three times at the St. Olaf Choral festival, twice as a solo choir at the Dorian festival at Luther College, twice at the Concordia College Choral Festival, twice at Bemidji State's Chorfest as well as at seven other local and college festivals throughout the upper Midwest.

In 1999 Mr. Phelps was named the Outstanding Music Educator by the Minnesota Music Education Association. Bruce has been a Regional Representative to the Minnesota State High School League, has served as Choral Vice President for MMEA, and been the Northeast Regional Representative for ACDA of Minnesota.

In the summer of 2004, Bruce left teaching and moved to the Moorhead, MN area where he is now the Associate Director of Music Organizations for Concordia College. Bruce's duties include organizing choir tours, managing all logistic aspects of the choirs, and working within the music program to promote and market Concordia College.

In 1989, Smith was named Brainerd Teacher of the Year and was one of nine finalists for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. He was also honored to be named the 1990 Minnesota Music Educators Association Choral Director of the Year and the 1999 Minnesota American Choral Directors Association Choral Director of the Year.

Smith has served on the Executive Board of MMEA and was the President of Minnesota American Choral Directors Association. He is very active as a choral clinician and voice teacher. He likes to think of his choirs as large voice classes where individuals can learn how to properly use their voices as they sing great literature.

In 1997, Smith was given the distinction of being the first Minnesota high school choral director to conduct the Minnesota All-State Men's Chorus. He is an active member of NEA, BUE, MENC, MMEA, and ACDA. He also has the privilege of directing the Senior Choir at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa, Minnesota.

The Staples Area Men s Chorus represents a tight community of Civil Society whose members travel up to 100 miles each week to rehearse. The Chorus eclectic repertoire spans the breadth of music from some of the world s finest composers, in its role as a A partner in major works for chorus and orchestra, to slapstick variety shows. It includes music theatre, folk, pop, and classical selections, as well as some things that defy classification.

The Staples Area Men s Chorus has been a cultural resource to Central Minnesota since 1935. The Chorus traces its origins back to a Staples Civic Chorus under the direction of Lois Cruikshank in the mid-1930 s. After a hiatus during World War II, the Chorus was organized and flourished under the direction of Erling Lian in the late forties and early fifties. It became one of the first outstate groups to issue its own recordings. It was reformed again under its current director in 1971, with the urging of Doug Grossman who had sung in the group as a student under Lian. Grossman guided the group as President through much of the 70 s. Early support for the Chorus came from the Staples Lions Club and the Staples Public Schools. The group has been self-supporting for most of its existence and contributes to music scholarships and cultural causes in Central Minnesota.