Sindt Earns New Award
Launch the media gallery 1 playerBy Lauren Delka
Michael Sindt was recently named the 2025 Nebraska Music Educator of the Year by the Nebraska Music Educators Association (NMEA) for teaching high school students.
“I’m very appreciative of all the support I’ve had throughout my whole career from the community,” Sindt states. “The administration here at Pierce has been very helpful and very supportive, and of course, the students are like the life force.”
He goes on to say, “I have to acknowledge my family. Kelli has been wonderful all the way through, as well as my boys.”
Sindt has been teaching and directing bands at Pierce Public Schools for 28 years, working with students from grades 5-12. He earned his bachelor’s degree in music education and performance in 1998 and his master’s degree in music education in 2012, both from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
“This is a well-deserved honor for someone who has made not only a musical impact, but also a real-world impact on so many kids in our school and community,” Gaye Delka, parent of a band student, explains how appreciative she is of Sindt.
Sindt is the president-elect of the NSBA (Nebraska State Bandmasters Association) and is an active member of both NMEA and NSBA. He also chaperoned the Nebraska ambassadors of music on their European tours in 2005 and 2007. He is a member and former state chapter president of Phi Beta Mu, the International Bandmasters Fraternity, and he currently serves as the treasurer for the Nebraska Class B All-State Band.
At Pierce, Sindt has helped many groups achieve big accomplishments. The Pierce High School jazz band was chosen to perform at NMEA in 2023, and the Pierce junior high band was selected as the music reading band in 2017. He has also organized the Pierce marching festival for 28 years and the Pierce Honor Band for 22 years, both important events for local band programs.
Sindt is part of the negotiation’s team for the Pierce Education Association. Throughout his career, he has earned awards like the Nebraska Bandmasters Jack Snider Young Band Director Award and the Nate Metschke Creative Teacher Award. He has also directed many area honor bands and used to help direct the Northeast Nebraska All-Star Marching Band.
In 2019, he retired from the National Guard after serving 20 years as a trombone player and featured soloist with the 43rd Army Band in Lincoln. He has performed with many groups around Northeast Nebraska, including the Northeast Area Jazz Ensemble, Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Plainview Klown Band, A Touch of Brass, Yankton Area Summer Band, The Leo Lonnie Orchestra, and the Crazy 8 Brass Band, along with several church bands.
Sindt is very thankful for the experience he has had, and he is very proud of where music has got him.
He really appreciates this award, stating, “It’s an honor to be recognized.”
