Sarah Neely
Associate Conductor, Oklahoma Youth Winds
Sarah Neely is currently in her sixth year as the Director of Bands at Edmond Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Oklahoma. Prior to that appointment, she was Director of Bands at Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Oklahoma for four years. A native of Oklahoma, Ms. Neely graduated summa cum laude in December 2006 with a Bachelors degree in Instrumental Music Education from Oklahoma City University. Ms. Neely continued her education at OCU, studying conducting with Dr. Matthew Mailman; in 2009 she received her Masters of Music degree in Conducting. In 2014, Ms. Neely was named the Oklahoma Music Educators Association Outstanding Young Music Educator and the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Young Bandmaster.
In addition to her duties as Director of Bands, Ms. Neely maintains a private percussion studio and is an active performer. She can regularly be seen in the percussion section of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and the Frontier Brass Band.
Ms. Neely is a member of the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, and Phi Beta Mu. She is a past President of the Central Oklahoma Directors Association (CODA) and currently serves as Wind Ensemble Chair for that organization.