Cassidy Lester is a percussionist and educator from Kingsport, TN. She is the Director of Jazz Ensembles and Assistant Director of Percussion at Elizabethton High School. Additionally, she is a percussion instructor for the East Tennessee State University Marching Buccaneer Drumline and Front Ensemble who have been selected to perform in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Cassidy currently serves as the elected Secretary for the Tennessee Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.
At the 64th Annual TMEA Music Education Conference, Cassidy presented “She Can Drum Too: Encouraging Gender Inclusion.” She also had the honor of presenting “Forward, but not Fast Enough: An Update on the Underwhelming Progress of Female Inclusion in Percussion” at the 2022 National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. Her presentations focused on research from her 2020 thesis titled, Whence Comes the Lady Percussionist? The Changing Role of Females in Professional Percussion Positions in the United States, 2011-2020. She has also presented at the Southern Regional Honors Council Conference and the Tennessee Collegiate Honors Council Conference.
Cassidy is a member of Aleph Percussion Group, a newly formed percussion quartet based in East Tennessee. Because she and her husband, Michael Lester, love to perform together, they have also formed their own duo, MC² Percussion. They will be performing at the 2023 National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. Cassidy is a section percussionist with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra and has recently toured with Symphony of the Mountains.
Cassidy is a graduate of East Tennessee State University where she earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance. Her primary instructors were Dr. Matthew Geiger, Dr. Logan Ball, and Dr. Rande Sanderbeck.