Recent Music Conference Handouts and Publications

• SBO+ - Finding Success in Small Schools May 2024

• Midwest Clinic December 2024   Elevating the Small School Music Education Experience

• NAfME Blog - Keys to Elevating the Small School Music Program May 2025

• Eckroth Music Reading Session July 2025 - Music Selection

• Eckroth Music Reading Session July 2025 - Selective Repertoire List for Quality Band Compositions

• Eckroth Music Reading Session July 2025 - Elevating the Small School Music Education Experience 

Professional Music Educator, Speaker, Conductor & Clinician

• Retired Director of Bands for the School District of Kohler, Kohler, Wisconsin

  • Music Educator for 36 years
    Aug 1987 - June 2023

  • Taught middle and high school concert bands, jazz ensemble, pep band, drumline and secondary general music. 

  • Immediate Past-President for the National Association for Music Education - North Central Division

  • Past-President for the Wisconsin Music Educators Association

  • Active speaker, adjudicator, guest conductor/clinician

Education

• B.M. in Music Education from St. Norbert College 

• M.M. from Northwestern University (Music Education with an emphasis in Clarinet Pedagogy)

Academic Experience

Richard Tengowski recently retired after thirty-six years as a music teacher for the School District of Kohler in Kohler, Wisconsin.  He taught middle and high school concert bands, jazz ensemble, pep band, drumline, and secondary general music.

Tengowski has taken leadership roles in the field of music education. Currently, he is the President for the National Association for Music Education North Central Division and serves as the NAfME Small School Initiative Task Force. He is on the leadership team developing state music standards for Wisconsin on behalf of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association.

Tengowski is the Past-President of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association, Past-President of the Wisconsin Association of Music Supervisors, Coordinators, and Department Chairpersons, and a member of the Wisconsin Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance Project. 

His work has been published in Shaping Sound Musicians and MENC publications entitled Performance Standards for Music, Strategies for Teaching Beginning and Intermediate Band and Strategies for Teaching High School Band.  He has also served on the NAfME Music Educators Journal Editorial Committee.

Tengowski is a Herb Kohl Educational Fellowship Award Recipient, a School District of Kohler Teacher of the Year and was inducted into the Wisconsin Bandmaster Association. 

Tengowski is an active clinician, conductor, master adjudicator, and speaker. He has addressed numerous state, regional and national education groups including the Midwest Clinic and NAFME national conferences.