Sheldon A. McLean
Sheldon A. McLean is currently the Director of Marching and Wind Bands at Dillard Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is a product of the Broward County School System, having graduated from Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, FL. Mr. McLean went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree (B.S. 2010) from Florida A&M University(FAMU) and his Master’s Degree (M.M.E. 2015) from The Florida State University. Some of the highlights of his educational experience include participation in the FAMU Marching 100(NFL Superbowl XLI Halftime with Prince & the 44th United States Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama) and a semester studying abroad in London, UK (Conducting Members of the Royal College of Music & Patronizing the BBC Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall).
After matriculating through FAMU, Mr. McLean returned to his alma mater where he served as Assistant Band Director at Blanche Ely High School from 2010-2011, and as Band Director at William Dandy Middle School from 2011-2013. In the summer of 2013, Mr. McLean accepted a position as Director of Bands at Dillard High School. Mr. McLean is a 2017 recipient of the Florida Bandmasters Association’s “Tom Bishop Award”; awarded to recognize an FBA member who has gone into a band program and turned the program around, making a huge positive difference in a relatively short period of time in the position of band director. McLean has served as an FBA District officer( Secretary and Chairman) for the past 4 years and currently serves on the FBA music commissioning committee. Most recently, Mr. McLean was nominated by his Dillard 6-12 peers and is now a district finalist for Teacher of the Year.
Very active in the music community, educators, peers, community members and music professionals of various backgrounds frequently boast of Mr. McLean’s talent and innate ability to inspire, motivate and connect with students. He is constantly in demand as a percussion and band clinician in band rooms throughout Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach Counties. He’s presented twice at the Florida Music Educators Association professional development conference in Tampa, FL. His global music consultations include work in Nassau, London, Paris, Frankfurt and a host of European cities. His interscholastic work includes consulting as a coordinator for the Broward County Athletic Association All-Star Band and the Miami Dolphins All-Star Band. His bands at Dillard consistently earn superior ratings at district and state performance assessments while maintaining a national presence and student exposure radius, performing in cities to include Orlando, FL, Atlanta, GA, New Orleans, LA, Los Angeles, CA, and Indianapolis, IN. Most recently his band traveled to New York City to take masterclasses with members of the New York Philharmonic, patronize a concert at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, tour historic Harlem and present a concert as a featured band at the renowned Carnegie Hall (2020). Sheldon’s guest conducting performances include the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic (2019), the Broward County Young Musician’s Honor Band (2020), and the Florida Music Educators Association President’s Concert (2020). Mr. McLean’s most recent musical collaborations include projects with Demondrae Thurman, Otis Murphy, Mark Ford, Chandler Wilson, Dunwoody Mirvil, Aaron Spears, and Carl Wittrock.
Sheldon’s love, dedication, and consistent need for an intimate relationship with music-making has been encouraged by Richard Beckford, Dr. Shelby Chipman, Richard Clary, Dr. Shaylor James, Dr. Patrick Dunnigan, Dr. Julian White, Dr. Alexander Jiménez, Dr. Nicholas Thomas, Christopher Dorsey, Israel Charles and Dr. Clifford Madsen.
Mr. McLean is a proud member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity Inc, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, the National Association for Music Education, Florida Music Educator’s Association, Florida Bandmaster’s Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the Percussive Arts Society.
