First Name:
Prof. Ed
Last Name:
Whitener
Main Title:
Adjunct Instructor of Music Education
Email:
Type:
Area(s):
Mr. Ed Whitener is an adjunct instructor of music education in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University. As an accomplished music educator, he began his career in 1971 serving as the Band Director for Surry County Schools until 1976 and then for William Lenoir Middle School until his retirement in 2005. During his tenure, his bands earned 23 Superior Ratings at the Northwest District Concert Band Festival, with his Eighth Grade Band achieving 21 consecutive Superior Ratings. His students consistently excelled in the All District Honors Band. Whitener attributes his success to mentors like John D. Miller and Bernard Hirsch.
Mr. Whitener was named Caldwell County School System's Educator of the Year in 1997 and was a regional semi-finalist for North Carolina’s State Teacher of the Year in 1998. He received the State Human Relations Award from the North Carolina Association of Educators the same year. Whitener chaired the Northwest District Senior High Band Festival from 1993 to 2002 and served on the North Carolina Bandmasters Board of Directors. He was inducted into the American School Band Directors Association in 1999 and the North Carolina Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2023 he was inducted into the Caldwell County Schools Hall of Honor.
Mr. Whitener participates with the Blue Ridge Winds of the James C. Harper School of Performing Arts. He chairs The Whitener Foundation and has served on several boards, including Caldwell People and the Caldwell Arts Council. Active in his church, Ed and his wife, Karen, have been married for over 55 years, and they have two children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandsons.
Mr. Whitener holds a B.M.E from Appalachian State University.