Assistant Director
Cynthia Berry
Assistant Director
Cynthia Berry is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and a graduate of Plantation High School. After receiving her Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State University (FSU) in 1975, she began her teaching career as the Assistant Band Director at Piper High School for two years, then assumed Director of Band and Orchestra duties until 1981. In the following three years she taught at Edgewater High School in Orlando before assuming duties as Director of Bands at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, where she remained until her retirement in June 2015.
Her accomplishments as an educator in Florida are well known and admired by her colleagues. Ms. Berry was elected as the first female President of the Florida Bandmasters Association from 1992-94 and has served as a District Chairman. She is often sought after as an Adjudicator for Marching, Solo & Ensemble, and Concert events throughout the state. Her bands have always earned the highest ratings of Superior in marching and concert performances, both at the District and State level.
She earned her Master of Music Education degree from FSU in 1996 and was inducted into the Florida Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame in 2002, becoming the first of only three women to achieve this recognition. Ms. Berry is an honorary member of the John Philip Sousa Foundation “Legion of Honor,” a recipient of the “Oliver Hobbs” award from the Florida Bandmasters Association for outstanding and consistent achievement as a music educator, the Ella Scoble Opperman Award for music teaching from Florida State University, and the recipient of countless awards and recognitions. Ms. Berry is also a member of the International Honorary Band Fraternity, Phi Beta Mu, a Life Member of the FBA, and a member of FMEA and NAfME.