Carmel, IN - Wendy Higdon, Band Director and Performing Arts Department Chair at Creekside Middle School has been named as the recipient of the Gamma Chapter, Phi Beta Mu “Outstanding Bandmaster Award.” The award will be presented at Purdue University on March 15^th, 2020 at the Indiana Bandmasters All-State Band Concert.

Phi Beta Mu is the highest honorary international band director’s fraternity.  It was organized to encourage the building of better bands, the development of better musicians in schools throughout the world and to foster deeper appreciation of good music and more widespread public interest. Mrs. Higdon joins a well-respected and dedicated group of life-long music educators selected to the Hall of Fame.

Mrs. Higdon began her career at Carmel Clay Schools in 1999 as a band teacher at Carmel Middle School. In 2004, she was hired as the Performing Arts Department Chair at Creekside Middle School.  Under her direction, the Creekside Wind Symphony has performed at the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and has been featured at the Indiana Music Education Association (IMEA) Conference.

In addition to teaching at Creekside Middle School, she has served as an adjudicator, clinician, guest conductor and speaker.  In 2013, she received the “Fifty Directors Who Make a Difference” Award from School Band and Orchestra Magazine.  Her articles have appeared in The Instrumentalist Magazine, as well as being published by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), D'Addario Education Collective, Music for All, and SmartMusic, among others.  She regularly speaks about important topics in music education, and has presented sessions at several national conferences including The Midwest Clinic, The National Association of School Music Dealers Conference, and the Australian National Band and Orchestra Association Conference in Brisbane, where she was a keynote presenter.

“Wendy has defined what an outstanding music educator is for many, many years at Creekside Middle School,” said Dr. Tim Phares, Creekside Middle School Principal. “We are extremely fortunate to have an educator for our students who focuses on growth and developing a love of music.  Wendy leads our entire music department with a passion that is infectious for students and her fellow music educators.”

Mrs. Higdon earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Ball State University Honors College, graduating Summa Cum Laude.  She also holds two Masters Degrees from Butler University, one in Clarinet Performance and the second in Education Administration. She currently serves as the North Central Division Representative on the National Council of Band Music Education and is an advisor for Be Part of the Music.  She served as a Board Member for the Indiana Music Education Association from 2014-2017.  She is a member of Phi Beta Mu International, Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, the National Association for Music Education, the Indiana Music Education Association and the Indiana Bandmasters Association.  

She lives in Carmel and has two adult sons.  Zachary works with special education students at Mohawk Trails Elementary School and Nathaniel is a senior at Butler University, majoring in music education. 

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