Biography
After 30 years in music education, Steve Hendricks decided to turn his focus from working daily in his own band room to sharing what he has learned along the way with music educators and their students. To that end, he published his book Life Lessons in the Band Room, a book that Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser calls “required reading for all!” and now serves as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States.
Steve began his career at Carbon High School in Price, Utah. In 1990 he became the director of bands at Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah, where he taught until his retirement from secondary education in 2018. His 28 years at Davis High were filled with many accomplishments, including a performance at the 1998 Midwest Clinic, performances at the 2003 and 2013 Tournament of Roses Parades, and performance in the 2017 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Davis High is the only school in Utah history to have three bands earn a straight superior rating at the state festival—a feat they achieved twice, in 2015 and again in 2017.
During his tenure at Davis High, Steve was recognized with the “Superior Accomplishment” award and the “Outstanding High School Music Educator” award from the Utah Music Educators Association. He received eight citations of excellence for concert band, jazz band, and marching band from the National Band Association, and in 2015 his band program was selected as the western division NBA Blue Ribbon Award Winner. In 2014 he received the Utah High School Activities Association’s “Music Educator of the Year” award. He was featured in the 2013 “50 Educators Who Make a Difference issue of School Band and Orchestra Magazine. In 2017 Steve was named Davis School District Teacher of the Year and was the first runner up for Utah State Board of Education Teacher of the Year. He is also a recipient of the Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts Education and the Jon M. Huntsman Award for Excellence in Education. In honor of his retirement, a consortium of music educators from Utah and Indiana commissioned Another Day in the Park by Benjamin Dean Taylor.
Steve is an active adjudicator and clinician throughout the United States. He is a current or past member of the National Association for Music Education, the Utah Music Educators Association, the National Band Association, and the National Education Association. He served as the UMEA Marching Band Committee Chair and as the UMEA Vice President-Band. He counts among his greatest accomplishments his marriage to his wife Tammie, their four children—all of whom were members of the Davis High Band—and their eight grandchildren.
Session Titles
Creating a Culture
Student
Why do great music programs continue to succeed year after year, regardless of student or staff turnover? The answer lies in their culture—great programs have an established culture that leads to continued success. This session, intended for all students in your program, addresses the five pillars of successful cultures, helps you define your culture, and sets your program on a path to creating a culture of excellence at your school.
Guest Conductor
Student
Invite a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician to conduct a rehearsal, honor band, or All-State Festival to engage your students and help your community reach new musical heights.
Core Leadership
Teacher
The best leaders don't sacrifice their core values for the sake of leadership. In this session we look at leadership from the inside out, first examining our value system and then applying it to how we lead others. This session can be used both for directors and student leaders.
Daring Greatly
Teacher
Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech continues to resonate in the lives of just about anyone who has been willing to go into the arena and compete. This session breaks down some of Roosevelt's most famous words, and in the process helps directors see how to use competition to make their program better and build positive relationships with other directors and schools they compete with.
The Power of Choices
Teacher
We make so many choices every day, and what we often don't realize is that those choices define, shape, and change us. The several little choices we make every day add up. Why do people make excuses when their music program isn't successful? Usually it comes down to a choice they made somewhere in the past. This session looks at how powerful even the little snap decisions can be on our lives and our music making.
What I Wish I Had Known
Teacher
This session, designed for prospective and younger teachers, covers several "nuts and bolts" items that generally aren't discussed in music education courses. We will discuss the many different responsibilities of music educators, how to work with administrators, and tell you who really runs the school!