Cyndi Napierkowski, woodwinds player and conductor for the North Shore Concert Band, has a long and varied career as a music educator and musician. She served as PreK–12 Coordinator of Music for the Salem Public Schools for 38 years, where she taught instrumental lessons, conducted ensembles at every grade level, and built a vibrant music program. Under her leadership, high school ensembles performed across the United States and Canada at festivals and civic events, including appearances at Carnegie Hall and Boston’s Symphony Hall.
Beyond her work in the schools, Cyndi is the founder and director of the Salem Community Band and Salem Community Jazz Band, a member and guest conductor with the Salem Philharmonic Orchestra, a faculty member at Salem State University and UMASS Lowell, and a part-time instrumental music teacher in Middleton. She also maintains a private woodwind studio, performs in pit orchestras and local ensembles throughout the Boston/North Shore area, and serves as the Higher Education Representative for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Northeastern District.
Her dedication has been recognized with numerous awards, including the J. Michael Ruane Community Service Award, the North Shore Salvation Army’s Community Service Award, Salem High School’s Outstanding Teacher Award, and the City of Salem’s Outstanding Employee Award. She has been featured in North Shore 100 magazine and was named one of SBO Magazine’s “50 Directors Who Make a Difference” (2013). In 2014, she received both the inaugural Educator of the Year Award from the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival and the George N. Parks Leadership in Music Education Award from the National Association for Music Education and Music for All. Most recently, she was honored with the Paul Harris Award from the Salem Rotary Club and the Margaret Voss Howard Award for Excellence in Teaching (2017).
