To say music has been a huge part of Matthew Shephard’s life would be an understatement. The Director of Bands for Meridian Public Schools in Michigan for the last 25 years, Shephard has always been immersed in music, as he grew up in a highly musical household.
“My mother played piano and was my accompanist for solo and ensemble festivals throughout middle and high school,” Shephard recalled. “My father taught band for 34 years, making it a priority to use his passion for music as a way to help build community within his school and band program.”
Unsurprisingly, this influence was formative to Shephard’s own music education, career, and leadership. He went on to earn both his Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Conducting degrees. He also serves as Adjunct Professor of Music at Bowling Green State University, where he mentors students completing the Master of Music Education: Teaching Artistry program. The influence from his childhood also carried over into his approach for teaching his own students today.
“I had the opportunity to serve in leadership rules in our band program as a high school student, and continue those roles into college as the drum major of the Central Michigan University Chippewa Marching Band,” he shared. “By serving in these leadership roles, I was able to work with my directors and learn from them about how to plan for rehearsals, trips, and performances. I had the opportunity to travel with my high school band several times and did the same throughout my collegiate experiences in music, perhaps most notably performing in Ireland with the CMU Chamber Singers.”
Shephard’s directors provided him with truly memorable travel experiences, and he feels honored to be able to create new memories with his students through their travels today.
“Many of the skills I use in my classroom today are those that I have borrowed and tailored [from my family] to fit our program at Meridian over the last 25 years,” he shared. “My passion is to reach students through music, using the subject matter to show them how they matter. The skills we teach and reinforce in our music classrooms help shape our students into responsible, forward-thinking adults who have confidence, poise, and leadership skills to take into their future careers.”
Shephard’s accolades are aplenty, including: Leading his Junior High and High School ensembles to consistent superior ratings at both Michigan School Band & Orchestra Association (MSBOA) District and State Festivals; being named 2015 Band Teacher of the Year by MSBOA District 5 as well as a finalist for 2016 MSBOA State Teacher of the Year; being honored with the 2025 CMA Foundation Music Teachers of Excellence Award; and being a four-time Top 10 GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year Finalist (2023-2026).
Despite all of these proud accomplishments, Shephard says the real pride comes when looking back and seeing the growth (both musically and in terms of program enrollment) they’ve achieved as a band program.
“When I began teaching at Meridian in 2001, we had 31 students in the high school band. The entire band program (5th-12th grade) had just under 150 students enrolled,” Shephard recalled, noting that as the focus shifted to building a culture of family, trust, and accountability, their numbers began to grow rapidly. “Within six years, our high school band eclipsed 100 students, and our total band enrollment was just under 400 students. We have many years where over a third of our high school student population is enrolled in our band. As a small district with 350 students in the high school, it’s a great feeling to know that we can have a band of 120-130 students any given year to support our student body, administration and community.”
Shephard shared that being a GRAMMY Finalist the last four years and a CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence Award winner this past fall has connected him with a network of incredible educators, many of whom he considers to be close friends.
“We have traveled across the country to collaborate with one another and have even video conferenced with our classrooms to enhance our student’s educational experience,” Shephard said. “The GRAMMY and CMA Award process leads educators through a series of intentional questions about our pedagogical styles, educational philosophies, and core values. These questions have given me the opportunity to reflect on the type of educator I want to be and how I may be seen by the community and our country. My students and I have become connected with amazing composers, conductors, and educators throughout this process.”
Shephard is also incredibly proud that his city, Sanford (a small village of just 700 people), is now a place that people across the country associate with a quality music education experience.
“Many of the cities listed for these annual awards are heavily populated, metropolitan areas of the United States—not a little village in rural America,” he said. “I truly believe you don’t have to be from a large district to provide students with successful programs. We can provide meaningful experiences to our students in any situation, regardless of school size or financial limitations. Small schools can have big dreams!”
The Meridian Early College High Schools bands have been traveling with ETI for roughly 20 years to cities including Orlando, New York, Toronto, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis, and Cleveland.
“We travel every other year and aim to provide every traveling student with the opportunity to perform or participate in workshops in all of our travels,” Shephard explained. “Our jazz band or concert bands have performed during each of our trips across the United States and Canada.”
When preparing his students for high-profile performances, Shephard believes that one of the best ways to measure your ability is to put yourself in a position where you could fail … or rise to unexpected levels of success.
“I believe by providing my students with performance opportunities that stretch them beyond their comfort zone, we open doors that would have otherwise gone undiscovered,” he shared. “With thoughtful preparation and repeated practice, anything is possible. My job is to show my students what I believe they can achieve and then inspire them to want even more. That hunger to improve is what keeps our students focused and motivated. The performance is the payoff.”
According to Shephard, a music program is unique in that educators have the opportunity to regularly share what’s happening in their classroom with the community.
“Our ‘standardized tests’ are in the form of performances at publicly attended festivals, and our students are learning to shine brightly under big spotlights as they develop strategies to overcome the anxiety of these stressful situations,” he said. “By traveling, whether across the state or across the globe, these student performers are refining life skills that translate far beyond the music on the page. They are improving their musicianship and also experiencing cultures different than those at home. These festivals and conferences provide our students with memories, deeper relationships with their peers, and networking opportunities beyond their daily circle of friends and family.”
Shephard, who is a member of several professional music associations including ASBDA, JEN, NBA, and NAfME, has also written a comprehensive beginning method book for adults through Hal Leonard Publishing—the basis of which is using pop music and movie themes to help adults who’ve never played an instrument learn one and read music.
“Writing a method book challenged me in new ways and changed the way I now approach teaching my own beginners,” said Shephard, who’s also an avid distance runner and a Cross Country and Track and Field coach. “I feel that sports and music go hand in hand, as we use both avenues to inspire our students and student athletes to push beyond what they believe to be possible and reach from within to achieve a greater level of success. Many of my music students are on the track and cross-country teams, but coaching these sports also allows me to reach students I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to teach in the classroom. Being able to be a teacher and a coach is a special gift that I don’t take for granted!”
The most important lesson that Shephard aims to share with new or future teachers is to build meaningful relationships with their students.
“Be genuine and have fun. That goes a long way toward improving classroom management and student engagement. Students don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”
Ultimately, Shephard strives to mirror the good he sees in every child and to reflect the light they bring to school each day.
“My passion is to inspire students, educators, coaches, and administrators to continue to emphasize the importance of the role of the student within the schools and their communities,” he shared. “Travel opportunities only enhance this role for our students as we share new cultures, performing opportunities, and experiences!”
Courtesy of ETI.
Photos courtesy of Matthew Shephard.
