Our Music Director/Conductor is Faye Rader
Faye founded the North Star Community Band in 1988 and has been conducting it ever since. Despite the fact that most of the time we only let her use the one stick, Faye really is a good percussionist. She earned her degree in music education/percussion performance from the University of Missouri, Kansas City and is certified in vocal, orchestral and band instruction. She studied conducting with Paul Backlund. Her performance credits include the Kansas City Symphony, St. Joseph Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Young Audiences of Greater Kansas City, The Mannheim Steamroller Orchestra and the Alexander Trio.
She has designed the Band Buddies program to match up her adult community band (that’s us!) with her school bands in the past. This program has won her several awards, including one of ten “Excellence in Teaching” awards (the only winner that year from the Kansas City, MO school district), a 1997 John Tesh Avalon World Tour Award from performing artist John Tesh, and recognition from the Music Educators National Conference. Faye received the 1998-99 Distinguished Band Directors Award presented by the American School Band Director’s Association and United Musical Instruments. In addition, she was also the recipient of 7 GREAT IDEAS (Innovative Dedicated Educators Advance Students) grant awards from the Kaufman Foundation.
Her 5th Grade Band was invited by Will Schmidt, along with the North Star Community Band, to play on the 1996 National Biennial Music Education In-Service Conference based on merit!
Faye retired from public school teaching in 2016. As past President of the Mid-America Music Assoc., she still serves on the Board of Directors and is a member of NAfME, MMEA, and the Missouri Women Band Directors Assoc.
Assistant Conductor Teresa Farley
Teresa Farley joined North Star in 1989 and has enjoyed playing flute in the ensemble and flute, clarinet and sax in the Gladstone Theatre in the Park pits since 1990. She participated in her 61st show in the summer of 2024. She was very honored to start directing the pits in 2005 and as of 2024, has conducted 23 shows.
Teresa served on the Gladstone Theatre in the Park Advisory Board, retiring in 2020 after 9 years and served on the Gladstone Parks and Recreation Board for 21 years, retiring in 2017. She is a former member of the Northwinds Symphonic Band and was the recipient of the Missouri Municipal League’s West Gate Division Civic Leadership Award and a NKC School District Volunteer of the Year.
After studying music education for 3 years at Wichita State, Teresa changed her major to Accounting and received a BBA from WSU and MBA from UMKC. She works as a Financial IT Consultant and is just months from retiring. She and her husband Jim, bass trombonist in North Star, reside in Gladstone.
Teresa gave up on playing while in college. Being a music major created burn out and she thought she would never go back. But after a few years, she saw an ad for this band and gave it a try. It was life changing!! The people and the music are a huge part of her life, and being asked to be an assistant conductor in 2014 was a dream come true!! Her motto is work hard, but HAVE FUN!!
Assistant Conductor Steve Lindsay
Steve Lindsay received a B.S. in music from William Jewell College, where he studied instrumental music conducting with Dr. Phil Posey, and Vocal Music conducting with Dr. Wesley Forbis. Steve has been director of Handbell choirs at North Cross United Methodist Church since the mid 1980’s, and directed the children and youth choirs for a time. His “day job” is with Vocational Services, Inc. as a floor supervisor for their sheltered workshop. Steve and his wife Peggy are lifelong northlanders with 2 grown children.
North Star Community Band 