Music Director

Allen Slater- Flathead Community Band Music Director

A Miles City native, Allen Slater earned his bachelor of Music Education from the University of Montana and a Masters of Music Education from Vandercook College in Chicago. He retired in 2016 after 37 years of teaching high school bands in Montana, with the last 28 as the director of bands and the music department chairman at Flathead High School.

Mr. Slater has earned many awards during his teaching career including Arts Educator of the year in (1999), Two Gold Star Awards (2001, 2012), being listed in BOC magazine as one of 50 directors that make a difference (2007), selected by the National Federation of High Schools as the Outstanding Music Educator for sections 8, (Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Alaska and Montana) in 2013, Distinguished Service award (2016) given by the Montana Music Educators Association, and chosen for the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Mr. Slater has appeared as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator at events in Montana and Washington. Mr. Slater has conducted bands in Japan as a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholar, in Europe with the Northern Ambassadors of Music and as a guest clinician for the ISB Band Festival in Bangkok. 

In addition to music, Mr. Slater enjoys golf and woodworking.