Mr. Todd Smith

Mr. ​Todd Smith has been Director of Bands at River Trails Middle School in Mount Prospect, IL since 1999. He was previously Director of Bands at River Grove School in River Grove, IL. A native of Dayton, OH, Mr. Smith received his B.S. in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1994, and received his Masters in Music Education from Vandercook College of Music in 2001.

Ensembles under Mr. Smith’s direction have been awarded high honors at numerous festivals, including IGSMA (concert and jazz), Plainfield Invitational Concert Band Festival, Lake County Live (concert band), Music in the Parks in Chicago, IL, St. Louis, MO and Cincinnati, OH (concert and jazz), Chicagoland Invitational Concert Band Festival, Northshore Jazz Festival and Jazz in the Meadows. In addition, Mr. Smith has taken bands on several occasions to perform at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.

In 2005, the River Trails Middle School Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Smith, received the Toast of the Town Award at the Annual Shining Star Awards Ceremony in Mount Prospect. This award was given to the ensemble for the numerous ways that the group has given back to the community. In 2011, the River Trails Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Band was selected to perform at the Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival at the University of Illinois.

Mr. Smith is an active member of the National Association of Music Education (NAfME), Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) and the Northern Illinois Music Conference (NIMCon). He was an ILMEA District VII Junior Jazz Representative from 2009 to 2012. Students in the River Trails Middle School Band program are currently very active in ILMEA (concert and jazz) and the NIMCon Solo and Ensemble Contest.

Mr. Smith performed as a member of the trombone section in the Northshore Concert Band under the direction of Dr. Mallory Thompson, from 2007 to 2016 . This adult community wind ensemble, based in Evanston, IL, has over 100 members and a rich history of spreading a “Lifetime of Music” to young area musicians. In 2011, the NCB was invited to perform at the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Convention which was held at McCormick Place, West in Chicago, IL. During the summer of 2012, the NCB toured the Black Forest region of Germany.

Mr. Smith currently resides in Des Plaines, IL with his wife and daughter.