Director Bio
Born in Franklin, Pennsylvania, Mr. Steven R. Johnston holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education (B.M.E.) from Baldwin-Wallace College/Conservatory of Music and a Masters of Music in Music Education (M.M.) from Youngstown State University/The Dana School of Music. He has done Doctoral work in music education at Case Western Reserve University/The Cleveland Institute of Music. While a student at Baldwin-Wallace College, Mr. Johnston studied trombone and euphonium with Mr. Allen Kofsky of the Cleveland Orchestra. At Youngstown State University, he studied trombone and bass trombone with Michael Christ and Gary Sexton, respectively, both of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, and as a student at Case Western Reserve University, Mr. Johnston studied trombone at The Cleveland Institute of Music with Richard Stout of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Mr. Johnston became band director for the Franklin Area School District in 1995. His duties at the high school level have included directing the marching, pep, stage, jazz, educational outreach and concert bands, as well as teaching music theory and music for special learners. Junior High School duties have included directing the seventh and eighth grade bands, the junior high jazz band and teaching instrumental lessons. He also assists in directing the Franklin Area School District fifth and sixth grade elementary bands and is the director of the FRanklin High School Musical Broadcast.
Prior to teaching at Franklin High School, Steve served as a band director/instrumental music instructor for the Strongsville City Schools in Strongsville, Ohio from 1993 until 1995.
Under his direction, the Franklin High School Black Knight Marching Band has gained national recognition. The band has represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the televised National Independence Day Parade (1998) and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade (2000 and 2003) in Washington, D.C., as well as the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Parade (2006) in Winchester, Virginia and the National Memorial Day Parade (2008, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2022) in Washington, D.C. The Black Knight Marching Band performed for President George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential election and made its debut performance for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in 2005. The band returned to Heinz Field to perform at half-time for the Pittsburgh Steelers in December, 2013, and again for the AFC Wild-Card game in January of 2015. The band had also performed for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1997 through 2000 at Three Rivers Stadium. In 2009, the marching band began performing annually for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.
Making groundbreaking recordings of music from the 1859 Pennsylvania Oil Boom, the Franklin High School Black Knight Concert Band has gained international recognition. The complete recordings of the Drake Well Collection, arranged for modern concert band using period compositional techniques by Mr. Johnston, under the title, Oil Fever, Music of the Pennsylvania Oil Boom, were released in the spring of 2009 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the commercial oil industry. The recordings have been used for The PBS documentary, The Valley That Changed The World, as well as several documentaries on the early oil industry throughout the United States and Europe. The music has also been played throughout the country on National Public Radio.
Working closely with the organizers of the Franklin Blues and Barbeque Festival since its inception in 2015, Mr. Johnston has cultivated an experience for the students of the Franklin High School jazz program to perform alongside musical artists at the top of the Blues Music field during the nationally recognized festival. In 2018, he created the Franklin Blues and Barbeque Festival Artist In Residence Program that brings world class performers into the school music program. Guest performers have included multiple Blues Foundation award winner Venessa Collier, Pittsburgh blues icon Miss Freddye and nationally known blues guitarist Max Schang.
As far as professional performance experiences, Mr. Johnston has played Principal Trombone for the Venango Chamber Orchestra from its forming in 1993 until his retirement in 2019. He performed the Lars-Erik Larsson Concertino for Trombone and String Orchestra with the Venango Chamber Orchestra in October 2004. From 1998 through 2006, he performed as Principal Tenor Horn and Solo Baritone of the 105th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry ‘Wildcat’ Regiment Band, a 19th Century/Civil War Period Brass Band. Mr. Johnston has also been a member of the Franklin Silver Cornet Band since 1984, and has performed as soloist on several occasions. Becoming a substitute member of the Butler Symphony Orchestra in 2003, he would serve as interim-principal trombone for the 2006-2007 season. He was given a permanent seat in the orchestra from 2014 until his retirement in 2019, holding the position of Bass Trombone. Steve also served as Principal Trombone of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, performing in Severance Hall, from 1989 until 1992. His active schedule as a free-lance musician has included performances in the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Smithsonian Museum of American History, and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
In 2010, Mr. Johnston, along with Mr. John Tenney, formed the Venango Brigade. Steve, playing the Irish tin-whistle and the banjo-ukulele, and John playing the minstrel bones, make up a unique combination of period instruments performing music from the American Civil War as well as traditional American and Irish folk tunes. Performances have ranged from university concerts to regional arts and music festivals, and they are also a favorite of the Farnsworth House Inn of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The music of the Venango Brigade can be heard on the PBS Documentary, Rebels on Lake Erie. Using a straight forward approach, the Venango Brigade gives the audience a highly entertaining and enjoyable experience while always maintaining a relaxed atmosphere.
Mr. Johnston has been listed since 2000 in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. He has been listed since 2005 in Marquis Who’s Who in America and was selected for the 2007 edition of National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teachers. Steve was awarded a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the composition and premier of The 63rd Pennsylvania Regimental March in 1994.
Mr. Johnston has served as the performing arts coordinator for the Venango County Young People’s Arts Festival. Professionally, he has lectured on the topic of The Regimental Brass Band in the American Civil War for the Venango County Historical Society, the Mercer County Historical Society, and the National Park Service. He has also lectured on Identifying and Appraising Antique and Modern Musical Instruments for the North West Chapter of the Pennsylvania Auctioneer’s Association. Mr. Johnston has served as a sight-reading clinician for the Pennsylvania Music Educator’s Association adjudicated festivals since 2005, and served as a guest conductor for the 2010 Mercer County Senior High School Band Festival.