Niles West
Bands

Justin Johnson is in his 8th year as Director of Bands at Niles West where he conducts the concert band, symphonic band and symphonic wind ensemble. Mr. Johnson also oversees and directs the pep band, marching band, and jazz band in addition to conducting the pit orchestra for the spring musical. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Memphis and has completed additional coursework at Eastern Illinois University. Under the direction of Mr. Johnson, the program has performed and toured many wonderful venues during his short tenure. The wind ensemble performed in the 2016 Music for All Regional Festival at O’fallon High School and received a superior rating from all adjudicators. This marked the first time in many years that the ensemble had performed in an adjudicated festival. The program has also participated in the Disney World Main Street Parade in Orlando, during halftime of The Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, and most recently, Pearl Harbor while touring Hawaii. The marching band under his direction has been very successful in recent years. They have won numerous caption awards for percussion, guard, visual, and music. They regularly win first in class and were named the division champion at the Metamora Marching Band Invitational in 2017.

Mr. Johnson comes to Niles West from Tennessee where he was the Director of Bands at Central High School in Memphis for 4 years. Under his direction, the band program received superior ratings at every festival it attended in both the concert and jazz band medium. Mr. Johnson’s jazz bands where amongst the finest in the area. While under his direction, the wind ensemble performed at the State Concert Festival in 2011. He routinely placed over a third of his band in all region honor bands and had several all state students every year. He brings the same expectations to Niles West. Mr. Johnson is a very active educator, serving on staff for a number of nationally recognized ensembles. This past summer marks the 10th year he has been a staff member for the 2016 DCI World Champion Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps, which has also earned a silver or bronze medal four out of the past five years. He was also a member of the Bluecoats where he performed on mellophone. Johnson also serves on staff for the US Army All-American Marching Band and has done so from 2013-2015 and again in 2018.  He has adjudicated and given clinics for concert ensembles, marching band, indoor drumline, winter guard, and jazz ensembles in Illinois, Tennessee, Mississippi, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas, New York, Indiana, Michigan, and Georgia. Mr. Johnson was also selected among over 400 applicants as a finalist for the 2016 Golden Apple Award. He received recognition as being named a teacher of distinction. The Golden Apple Award is one of the most prestigious awards offered to teachers in the state of Illinois. He is also an active member of NBA, ILMEA, TMEA, NAfME, and JEN.