As a native of Florida and a graduate of Ft. Lauderdale High School and Florida State University, Mr. Hendon’s teaching career in Florida began at Miami Norland High School for half a year, and then Roosevelt Middle School in Cocoa Beach for one year. Mr. Hendon subsequently taught at Stranahan High School in Ft. Lauderdale for ten years and Coral Springs High School in Coral Springs for eleven years. He finished his thirty-two and one-half years teaching at Howard Middle School in Ocala for ten years, where he was selected “Teacher of the Year” for the 1995-96 school year.
Mr. Duane Hendon is a member of the Florida Bandmasters Association, The Florida Music Educators Association, The Music Educators National Conference, and Phi Beta Mu.
As an active member of the Florida Bandmasters Association for over forty years, Mr. Hendon has been District Chairman (1977-78), a member of the Concert Music Committee (1980-88), Sight Reading Chairman (1981-86), a member of the Clinics Committee (1990-94 and 1998-present), President of the Florida Bandmasters Association (1986-88), and an active adjudicator of Marching, Concert, Sight Reading, and Solo and Ensemble Festivals (Music Performance Assessments) for the past twenty-four years. Since his retirement from teaching in 1999, he assumed the position of Executive Director of the Florida Bandmasters Association in October 2000.
Bands at all of Mr. Hendon’s schools have received Superior ratings at the Florida Bandmasters Association Concert and Marching MPA’s. Mr. Hendon is very active as a guest conductor throughout the state of Florida.