Susan L. Smith
Assistant Conductor
Susan L. Smith, B.M.Ed, M.A.Ed., has taught general, choral, and instrumental music at the elementary through collegiate level in Florida, Virginia and Alabama and has served as an author, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the United States. She is currently Lecturer in Music Education and Horn at Troy University. She is the Past President of the Alabama Music Educators Association, Southern Division President Elect of the National Association of Music Education and Chair of the NAfME Collegiate Advisory Council and. Susan serves as an Educational Consultant for Music for All. She is responsible for the Chamber Music portion of the Music for All National Concert Band Festival and is a Co-Executive Producer for the Mind the Gap series of webinars and podcasts developed to support the young and developing music educator during the pandemic.
Susan’s previous appointment was as Director of Bands at the Saint James School in Montgomery AL. Mrs. Smith was responsible for teaching the Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Bands as well as Guitar, Jazz Band, and Music Technology. The Saint James Band consistently received Superior ratings in Concert, Jazz and Marching Band events including the Alabama Music Performance Assessment, Smokey Mountain Music Festival and Bands of America Super Regionals and Grand National Championships. She served as the Alabama Bandmasters Association District VI Vice Chairman for 1 year and Chairman for 2 years.
After completing her degree in Music Education from James Madison University where she was drum major for the Marching Royal Dukes for 3 years, she taught in the Virginia Public Schools. Her ensembles, including concert band, orchestra, marching band and jazz ensembles, consistently received superior ratings from the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association festivals during her tenure.
After completing her Masters Degree in Education from Troy State University, she served as the Executive Director of the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic and Honor Bands. Smith was integral to the founding of the Middle School SEUS Honor Bands. In addition, she coordinated the visual program for the “Sound of the South” Marching Band.
Smith has presented clinics at many state conventions including AMEA, TMEA, FMEA, IMEA, VMEA, GMEA and National and Regional NAfME conferences. Smith has presented at the Midwest Clinic three times and performed as a member of the Alabama Winds, an adult community band comprised of Alabama music educators. The Alabama Winds performed most recently at the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington.
Her professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu, National Association for Music Education, Alabama Music Educators Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Sigma Alpha Iota, Phi Beta Kappa and the National Band Association. She is also an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma. Smith is in demand as a clinician, conductor and adjudicator throughout the country. She has conducted Honor Bands and District Honor Bands in Australia, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky and West Virginia. She currently resides in Troy, Alabama, with her husband Robert. Susan and Robert have 2 daughters, Savannah and Madison, both of whom are music educators.
