Creekside Performing Arts

Wendy Higdon is the Director of Bands and Unified Arts Department Chair at Creekside Middle School.  She began her career as Director of Bands at Lebanon Middle School (IN) in 1991 and came to Carmel Clay Schools in 1999 where she taught band at Carmel Middle School until the opening of Creekside in 2004.  Under her leadership, the performing arts programs at Creekside have grown from 400 students in 2004 to nearly 900 students this year. 

Under her direction, the Creekside Wind Symphony was honored to perform at The Midwest Clinic in December 2013.  The Creekside Wind Symphony has also been a featured performing group at the Indiana Music Education Association Conference under her direction.  Her bands have consistently earned high praise from judges, clinicians and guest conductors, including twenty-six consecutive Gold Awards at the Indiana State School Music Association Organizational Contest and many Best in Class and Overall Grand Champion awards at competitions around the Midwest.  The Creekside Wind Symphony has also served as a rehearsal clinic band at the 2013 Midwest Clinic and at the 2015 Indiana Music Education Association Conference. 

Mrs. Higdon performs frequently with bands and orchestras in central Indiana.  She has served as an adjudicator, clinician, guest conductor and guest speaker around the country.  In 2013, she received the “Fifty Directors Who Make a Difference” Award from School Band and Orchestra Magazine.  She has had articles appear in The Instrumentalist magazine and Bandworld magazine. Her blogs have been reprinted by NAfME and Conn-Selmer, among others.  She has been a frequent presenter at the Indiana Music Education Association Professional Development Conference, and has presented a clinic session on beginning band recruitment at The Midwest Clinic.  In 2016 she was a featured conductor for the Music for All Summer Symposium's inaugural Middle School Concert Band Camp.  

Mrs. Higdon earned her degree in music education from Ball State University Honors College, graduating summa cum laude.  She also holds two masters degrees from Butler University, one in clarinet performance and the second in education administration. 

Mrs. Higdon resides in Carmel with her husband and two sons, two Italian Greyhounds and two tabby cats. 

Nicole Johnson is the Director of Choirs at Creekside Middle. The choral program has doubled in size under her direction with a consistent focus on developing excellent choral tone, building strong music literacy skills, performing a variety of high quality literature, and connecting with the expressive and creative elements of music. While at Creekside, her choirs have performed Group I high school literature and have consistently received superior ratings at Music in the Parks events as well as distinguished ratings from visiting judges and clinicians. In 2012 her students participated in premiering "Honor" by Cindy Baney in the Palladium at Carmel's Center for the Performing Arts.

Outside of her teaching responsibilities, Nicole directs the annual school musical and co-sponsors the Tri-M chapter. She has enjoyed serving as a clinician and judge throughout the state of Indiana for both middle and high school choral ensembles. Nicole has been honored to support future music educators by welcoming student teachers into her classroom while collaborating closely with supervising professors.

In 2002, she received her B.A. in choral and general music education from Ball State University where she graduated cum laude. During her undergraduate experience Nicole received the Outstanding Future Music Educator Award in 2002 from the Indiana Music Education Association and the Outstanding Senior Award in 2001 from the Ball State University music education department. 

Nicole remains active in the profession as a member of the National Association for Music Education and has presented at the Indiana Music Education Association Conference in 2014, 2015, and as a panel member in 2016. Nicole was awarded the Outstanding Middle School/Junior High Educator of the Year Award from the Indiana Music Education Association in January 2016.  

Nicole currently lives in Westfield, Indiana with her husband Greg and two children Kaylyn and Kameron.  

Becky Sendi is the Director of Orchestras at Creekside Middle School in Carmel, Indiana. Mrs. Sendi has taught orchestra in the Carmel Clay Schools for 25 years at Carmel High School, Clay Middle School, Carmel Middle School, and now Creekside Middle School.

Throughout the years, her orchestras have performed at the Indiana Music Education Association and, in 2001, the Carmel High School Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras performed in New York City at the prestigious Carnegie Hall. Carmel High School Orchestra was State Champions eight times while she worked as the upper strings specialist. With the opening of Creekside Middle School in 2004, she pioneered the orchestra program, continuing the tradition of excellence in the Carmel Clay Schools. The orchestras at Creekside have received top ratings at the Indiana State School Music Association, the Indiana Music Education Association, and contests throughout the Midwest. They have also been honored to perform at The Center for the Performing Arts.

Mrs. Sendi received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Violin from Heidelberg University and her Master’s Degree from Butler University. Mrs. Sendi has served as a Master Teacher and Literacy Mentor for the Carmel Clay Schools. She lives in Westfield, Indiana with her husband and son.

Mr. Brough joined the Creekside Middle School Band program in 2016 after teaching for nine years in Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Brough received his B.A. degree in Music Education from Miami University in 2007. He spent six years as the band director at Tri-Village Schools, teaching beginning, middle and high school band. While at Tri-Village, he also taught the Northmont High School Marching Band, serving as an assistant director. In 2013, Mr. Brough became the high school band director within the Northmont City Schools District. In addition to his duties at Northmont, Mr. Brough has been an instructor for many Ohio band programs including Fairfield High School, William Mason High School, Miamisburg High School and Valley View High School. He also spent four years marching with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps from Madison, Wisconsin from 2001 through 2004. In 2014, Mr. Brough was appointed as a brass instructor for the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps.