Eric Songer

Eric Songer was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in nearby Wales. He began playing trombone in fifth grade and was always really into pop music. He enjoyed listening to American Top 40 in order to learn what the top songs of the week were. In high school, Eric was involved in band as well as many other activities including golf, bowling, drama, and the school newspaper.

Eric attended college at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire where he earned his degree in music and math education. He participated in many performing groups including Jazz One, the symphony orchestra, the brass choir, the wind ensemble, the symphony band, the trombone choir, the Singing Statesmen, the Blugold Marching Band, the Andante Brass, and various jazz combos. Highlights of his college days included going to England with the jazz ensemble, organizing the UW-Eau Claire Jazz Festival, forming the nation’s largest collegiate chapter of International Association of Jazz Educators, performing officer duties in MENC and Phi Mu Alpha, and even DJing on the collegiate radio station. Eric completed his Masters in Education at the University of St. Thomas in 2004.

During the summers of his college year, Eric performed in groups such as the Kids From Wisconsin, a performing group at Great Escape Fun Park in New York and the Beach Band at Valleyfair! Amusement Park in Shakopee.

This is Eric’s 29th year teaching at Chaska Middle School.  He was named Teacher of the Year in District 112 in both 2007 and 2021 and was a semifinalist for 2008 Minnesota Teacher Of The Year.  He was named Young Band Director of the Year in 2008 by the American School Band Directors Association.  The Chaska Middle School-West Band Department was featured in the February 2009 issue of “The Instrumentalist”.  Eric has also written articles for “Music Education Journal” and was featured in the first issues of “Modern Band Journal” in 2022. Eric was the runner up for Minnesota Middle School Teacher of the Year in 2009 and was inducted into the Kettle Moraine High School Hall of Fame in March 2010.  In 2013, Eric was awarded the ing (now Voya) Unsung Heroes Second Prize Award for his project Music Education for the Next Generation which was a grant for $12,000 to his school music program.  In 2014, Eric was named a quarterfinalist for the Music Educator of the Year Grammy Award.  In 2015, he won a $5,000 grant from Century Link Foundation.  In 2019, he was awarded a Give A Note Innovator in Music Education Award and presented at the NAfMe National Music Education Conference with his co-award recipients. In 2022, he was named Schmitt Music’s Middle School Teacher of the Year. In 2023 and 2025, he was named one of 10 National Music Teachers of Excellence by the Country Music Association (CMA) Foundation. He has presented on music education at many conferences and colleges across the country.  Most notably he presented “The Next Generation of Music Education” at the National Association of Music Educators National Conference in Dallas, Texas in November 2016 and at the Association of Popular Music Education National Conference in Boston, Massachusetts in June 2016, Denver, Colorado in June 2017, Nashville, Tennessee in June 2018, New York City in June 2019, Chicago, Illinois in 2021, Detroit, Michigan in 2022, Los Angeles, California in 2024, and Memphis, Tennessee in 2025.  His modern band program has performed at the Minnesota State Music Education Conference in 2017, 2022 and 2025.  Eric has also guest conducted for many district band festivals as well as regional and state honor bands.

Eric directs the 6th, 7th and 8th grade bands and elective course Wide World of Music at Chaska Middle School-West.  He has implemented elements of modern band, songwriting, music production, guitar and improvisation into traditional large ensembles. Eric also takes pride in running many co-curricular activities which benefit the students’ love of learning music.  In his district, he directs and teaches jazz ensembles, the the middle school marching band, the middle school honor bands, the Latin/Mariachi Band, the Garage (rock) Bands, student and adult guitar courses, Music Production, Country/Bluegrass Ensemble, Movie Band, Pop Ensemble, Hip Hop Club, and School Of Rock.  Eric also organizes the CMSW Talent Show and his district’s middle school Solo/Ensemble Festival.

Eric served as the secretary of the Minnesota State Unit of IAJE (now JEN) from 2005-07 and also belongs to APME, ASBDA, MBDA, NAfME and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He is the president of the South Central Chapter of MBDA (Minnesota Band Directors Association) and Vice President of Ensembles-Plus of MMEA (Minnesota Music Educators Association). He is on the National Innovations Council for NAfME. He started and co-organizes the Minnesota Modern Band Festival which takes place every year for K-12 music programs that run modern bands.

In 2024, he published his first book “Starting a Modern Band Program”. He is host of the podcast “Band AND” and co-host of the podcast “Pop Life”.

Outside of teaching, Eric still loves to perform. He plays in the C5 Brass; Rank & Style Brass Band; Exodus Jazz Combo; Brass Menagerie; Power Tap, And Then There Were Eight (Genesis tribute band); subs in various popular and jazz ensembles; and has played in the BellaGala Big Band, The Wolverines, Kev’s Cool Gospel Orchestra. Along with his wife Heidi, Eric leads worship and plays at many churches around the Twin Cities.  Eric also loves to bowl, golf and play volleyball. He loves to watch the Packers and Badgers, read, Disney, be outside, do anything related to technology, compose and arrange music, spend time with his lovely wife Heidi and his children Caleb and Abby and be with friends and family.