Bandmaster of the Year

     Matthew P. Bufis joined the music faculty at Evanston Township High School in June of 2012 and was later named Director of Bands in June of 2016.  Mr. Bufis leads the Wildkit Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Wind Symphony, teaches Guitar classes, and is an instrumental sponsor for the YAMO pit orchestra – the musical accompaniment to a student written and directed theatre production at ETHS.  Under his direction, the ETHS Wind Symphony has risen to new levels of distinction, with multiple invite performances at the University of Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival (Class 4A Honor Band in 2019), a 2018 Illinois Music Educators Conference performance, and a 2019 performance as a featured band at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival.  The Wildkit Marching Band also continues an upward trajectory, with a seventy percent enrollment growth rate and steady progress in placements at competitions over the last thirteen seasons.

     Mr. Bufis is actively involved in activities that enhance learning at ETHS, having served on the Disciplinary Literacy, Teacher Evaluation, School Day (scheduling), Insurance, Principal's Advisory, and ETHS Foundation committees, and currently serves as an elected member of the ETHS Teachers Council Executive Board (union).  He also maintains the role of Lead Teacher for Music through which he organizes events, maintains the department facility and equipment, plans professional development opportunities, and facilitates the music honors program.  Externally, Mr. Bufis serves on the ILMEA Music Education Division committee and the Phi Beta Mu rejuvenation committee.

     Prior to his appointment at ETHS, Mr. Bufis completed two successful tenures at Westmont High School in Illinois and Great Mills High School in Maryland, where he is responsible for leading both programs to distinction.  Ensembles under his direction performed at the Maryland State High School Band Festival and the Illinois Superstate Band Festival many times.  Mr. Bufis is responsible for pioneering artist-in-residency programs at each of his former posts, collaborating with guest performers and conductors – most notably Ronald Romm (The Canadian Brass), Thomas Jöstlein (St. Louis Symphony), and composer Eric Ewazen (Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra – wind ensemble transcription premiere 2006).  The Great Mills Wind Ensemble also performed annually at the Maryland Day ceremony in historic St. Mary’s City, including a performance attended by then Governor Robert Ehrlich.

     A native of New Jersey, he holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, a Master in Music Education degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Masters Degree in Principal Preparation from Concordia University.  Mr. Bufis studied conducting with Stephen G. Peterson, James F. Keene, Joseph Manfredo, and Donald Schleicher and has pursued additional training through conducting symposiums led by Mallory Thompson, John Whitwell, Jamie Nix, H. Robert Reynolds, and Allan McMurray.  He studied euphonium, his primary instrument, with David Unland, Mark Moore, and Kenneth Steinsultz.

     Mr. Bufis is an active guest lecturer on the topics of leadership and management, curriculum design, music teacher evaluation, music technology, and music education advocacy, presenting his work in these areas at state and national conferences and universities. He is also an active clinician and adjudicator, working with bands of all ages and ability levels.  He has served as a leadership consultant for bands and sports teams on the East Coast and throughout the Midwest working with students, coaches, and teachers.  Mr. Bufis has received many National Band Association Citations of Excellence in recognition of the Westmont and Evanston Township High School band performances at prestigious events and has been nominated for inclusion in various “Who’s Who” publications since 2004.  He received the 2018 Crystal E Award by the ETHS Booster Association, the Quinlan and Fabish 2018 Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award, and the 2024 Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster of the Year Award.  He is an active member of ILMEA, NAfME, NBA, ASBDA, Phi Beta Mu, and was a collegiate member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.  Mr. Bufis is an Eagle Scout of Troop 76 in Ringwood, New Jersey and garnered a varsity letter in collegiate men’s swimming for his three years as an Ithaca College Bomber.