Cathi Leibinger

Originally from Illinois, Cathi Leibinger moved to Miami in 1989 as a first-year teacher and began her 37-year teaching career with Miami-Dade Public Schools. In 2000, she moved to Ransom Everglades Middle School, an independent school in Coconut Grove, from which she retired in June 2026. A Past President of the Florida Bandmasters Association, she also served multiple terms as District Secretary and District Chair, Junior High/Middle School Representative to the Executive Board in 2002-2004, and President in 2018-2020

Ms. Leibinger earned a B.M.E. from Millikin University in Decatur, IL, an M.S. in Music Education from the American Band College/Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, and a Master's degree in Nonprofit Management from the University of Central Florida. She was a member of the American Band College graduate staff and the Western International Band Clinic Staff in Seattle, Washington, from 2000 to 2018. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Band Directors Group on Facebook, a professional learning group with over 40,000 members from around the world. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Music Mentor Network, a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide student musicians with equal access to highly trained music mentors to help them reach their full musical potential. 

Ms. Leibinger’s students have consistently earned superior ratings at Solo, Small Ensemble, Concert Band, and Jazz Band Music Performance Assessments. Her students have worked with or performed with the Dallas Brass, the Boston Brass, soloists Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan (tuba), Brian Neal (trumpet), conductor Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel (US Air Force, retired Conductor Emeritus), and have premiered commissioned works by Robert Longfield and Brian Balmages. She serves as an adjudicator and clinician throughout Florida and is a member of FBA, FMEA, and NAfME. She is a member of the Broward Concert Band and the Greater Miami Symphonic Band on horn.