Associate Director of Bands
Savannah Starks
Associate Director of Bands
at Beechwood Since 2022
savannah.starks@beechwood.kyschools.us
859-331-1220 ext. 5182
Savannah Starks has been the Associate Director of Bands at Beechwood Independent Schools since the summer of 2022. During Ms. Starks' time at Beechwood, the middle and high school concert bands have earned distinguished ratings at each KMEA concert assessment event including exemplary awards in 2023 and 2024. The Marching Tigers have earned placement in KMEA State Finals each year and were KMEA State Champions in 2023. The Marching Tigers were Bands of America Grand National Semifinalists in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, the Marching Tigers were awarded the John Philip Sousa Foundation's Sudler Shield. Currently, Ms. Starks is the Vice President and Middle School Band Chair of KMEA District 6.
In the spring of 2022, Ms. Starks graduated from the University of Kentucky with two degrees in Music Education and Clarinet Performance. During her time in undergrad she was heavily involved with teaching and performing. Ms. Starks spent her summers as a music and visual tech for the Beechwood Marching Tigers from 2019 to 2021 and Adair County High School Marching Band from 2018 to 2020. From 2018 to 2022, she gave clarinet lessons to young musicians across the state in which many of her students made it into their All-District and All-State Bands.
While at the university, she performed with the University of Kentucky Wind Symphony, University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, Prague Summer Nights Music Festival, and other chamber groups playing clarinet. She has also performed with the University of Kentucky Concert Band and Philharmonia playing oboe. Since the fall of 2023, Ms. Starks has been a member of the Cincinnati Wind Band and Cincinnati Chamber Winds playing clarinet. Involvement in these groups has allowed her to perform in places such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Rudolfinum and Estates Theatre in Prague, Czechia, Louisville, Ky for KMEA, and Columbus, Ohio for OMEA.
Ms. Starks grew up in Columbia, Kentucky where she was a part of the Adair County Band. With the marching band, she became a two-time KMEA State Champion and a four-time BOA Class A National Champion. Her senior year she was selected as Drum Major, and her junior and senior year she was a featured soloist. During this time, she was accepted into the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts for Instrumental Music and participated in the KMEA All-State Bands four years in a row. Ms. Starks currently resides in Fort Wright, Kentucky.