New Shaw High School band director Nicholas Harper outlines plan to expand music program

Nicholas Harper, introduced to the board by a committee member, told the East Cleveland City School District board he recently accepted the position of band director at Shaw High School and plans to broaden the district’s music offerings beyond the marching band.

Harper said he is a native of Toledo who most recently served as band director in Maple Heights and now lives in Avon, Ohio. “My thing has always been giving kids scholarships,” Harper said. He outlined a plan to create a comprehensive music program that includes symphonic band, jazz band and percussion ensembles, and to prepare students for scholarship opportunities at a range of institutions, from historically Black colleges and universities to conservatories such as Juilliard.

Board members welcomed Harper to the district and invited him to answer questions; no formal vote or employment resolution was recorded in the meeting minutes at the time of his introduction. The presenter said the hire followed the departure of the previous Shaw band director, Randolph Woods, and that Harper was selected after an interview process.

Harper acknowledged the upcoming transition year and said the program would grow over time to give students more exposure to diverse music tracks and post‑secondary opportunities. Board members applauded and welcomed him.