Smoky Mountain High School is proud to share exciting news for our Mustang family!

We are thrilled to announce that Steve Smith will serve as our new High School Band Director and Marching Band Director starting the 2026–2027 school year. Mr. Smith brings a wealth of experience, passion, and proven success, and we couldn’t be more excited about the future of Mustang Band.

A graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, Mr. Smith holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music Education. His career has taken him across New York, Minnesota, Ohio, and North Carolina, and for the past nine years, he has served as the Middle Grades Band Director here in Jackson County.

Throughout his career, Mr. Smith has grown band programs in size and quality. While at Mound Westonka High School in Minnesota, his band earned a perfect score performing at the highest level of literature. He has experience teaching beginners through high school students in Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Marching Band.

In addition to teaching, Mr. Smith is an accomplished performer—serving as principal euphonium with Mountain Winds, our local community band, and performing principal trombone in several productions, including at SMHS. He has also served as a visiting Music Education Professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, teaching courses, conducting, and supervising student teachers.

Mr. Smith and his family have been part of the Sylva community since 2015. His wife is the Music Department Chair at Western Carolina University. Their son, Parker (SMHS Class of 2022), studies Audio Engineering at Appalachian State, and daughter, Kenzie (SMHS Class of 2025), studies Music Composition and Saxophone Performance at UNC Greensboro.

Having witnessed the strength of this band program over the past nine years, Mr. Smith is eager to build on its foundation. Please join us in welcoming him back—the future is bright for Mustang Band!