About Craig Mandelbaum

Craig Mandelbaum is currently serving as the interim band director at the Nazareth Area Intermediate School. In this role, he teaches all woodwind lessons across the district and directs the 5th- and 6th-grade concert band. While in this role, Craig served as a co-host for the 2026 PMEA Elementary Festival.

Craig Mandelbaum began his professional music education at Lehigh University where he studied conducting and percussion performance. During his time at Lehigh, Craig was selected as the assistant conductor for the Symphonic Band, the only student to ever to be selected to this position. In addition, Craig took on additional conducting responsibilities with the Wind Ensemble and the Philharmonic Orchestra. For his senior conducting recital, Craig won a prestigious grant which allowed him to hire a professional wind ensemble for a performance of Mozart's Gran Partita and Beethoven's Octet. In addition, Craig served as an arranger for the Lehigh University Marching 97, where he helped arrange over 20 shows for the group.

Following his time at Lehigh University, Craig returned to school at Kutztown University to receive his post-baccalaureate music education certification and begin work towards his Masters of Music Education. Craig Mandelbaum also continued his percussion studies because he believes a great music educator must also be a great performer. In addition to his coursework, Craig served as the first ever Graduate Assistant for the Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research. Through the Graduate Assistant position, Craig has worked with giants of the percussion world such as Leigh Howard Stevens, Gordon Stout, Gary Kvistad, Valerie Naranjo, Matthew Coley, and many others.

In addition to his studies, Craig has studied wind pedagogy with one of the most prominent woodwind players on the East Coast, David Diggs. These studies included discussions on inotnation, pitch tendencies, reeds, mouthpieces and other technical aspects of wind playing. These in depth studies into wind instruments have strongly influenced Craig's approach to wind pedagogy across all level.

Craig began teaching with the Nazareth Area High School Blue Eagle Marching Band in 2018, first as an instructor and then as the Front Ensemble Percussion Caption Head. During his time in this role, the band has received six first place consecutive championships and four consecutive high percussion awards. Craig has also been a percussion consultant for Pennridge High School, Parkland High School, Whitehall-Coplay High School and Northern Lehigh High School.

Craig maintains an active performing schedule performing as a percussionist with a variety of orchestras and wind bands in the area. Craig serves as principal timpanist with the Allentown Band, the oldest wind band in the country. Craig has performed many solo works with groups including "Run To The Light" By Ivan Trevino, "Raise the Roof" by Michael Daugherty and "Xylophonia" by Joe Green. Craig has performed all around the east coast including at Carnegie hall and Constitution Hall in Washington DC

Craig is a proud Endorser of Artifact Percussion.