Eric Menderski - Director of Bands - Marching Band Director

My band experience began in 6th grade after very effective recruitment efforts from my first band director, and now Parkway South Middle School director, Tricia Holm. I played baritone and euphonium through grade school in Washington, Missouri. My senior year I was section leader of the baritones and earned a gold medal on my solo at the state level. In addition to participating in band, I played football, baseball, golf, and track. 

The most important lesson I learned in college is that you have to expand your world view and try new things. Doing so will grow you as a person and greatly increase your potential. I first attended East Central Community College in Union, Missouri. For two years I worked toward my Associate’s Degree of Fine Arts. It was at ECC where Aaron Bounds, director of bands, handed me a trombone and told me to learn it so I could play in the jazz band. Learning jazz music changed the course of my music journey. I chose the University of Missouri - St. Louis as my next college because it had such a robust jazz program at the time. For the following three and a half years I went on to pursue my Bachelor’s of Music Education at UMSL. Here I played in many ensembles. The Wind Ensemble conducted by the great Gary Brandes performed very demanding and quality literature. The Orchestra conducted by Darwin Aquino, who also leads the St. Louis Philharmonic, introduced me to the orchestral world of music, something my high school experience didn’t give me. I also took private lessons with Matthew Banks, former Broadway performer and current Kirkwood band director, where my understanding of the world of music expanded widely. Lastly, the UMSL Jazz Orchestra led by Jim Widner and Ken Kehner was the most enjoyable music experience I’ve ever had. We played all sorts of challenging music with a broad variety of genres. The greatest piece of music we performed was the arrangement of Caravan recorded by the Jim Widner big band, featured in Whiplash. Mr. Widner even took the Jazz Orchestra to Europe in the summer of 2018 where we toured the Italian and French countryside and performed at 3 jazz festivals. I finished my degree student teaching at St. Charles West High School with Ben Meyer, Jeff Collier, and Curtis Vahle in December 2021.

In January 2022, I got my first paid job as a substitute teacher at Pattonville. Later that semester I covered a maternity leave at Elsberry Middle and High School for a band director and got my first band teaching experience where I was the lone teacher. This prepared me for my first full-time position in Hermann, Missouri where I taught middle and high school band by myself in July 2022 - June 2024. I ran marching, jazz, pep, and concert bands.

If there were anything in life that could challenge music for being my first love, it would be food. I’m not a picky eater, but I’m very particular about the way a dish is prepared. I love authentic ramen, teppanyaki (commonly known as hibachi), sushi, Korean and American BBQ, wings, fried chicken, fajitas, tacos, and ice cream. I’ve had great successes in the kitchen and epic failures. My greatest victory in the kitchen was when I made the perfect spicy teriyaki beef ramen. My greatest failure in the kitchen was when I was a senior in high school, I tried making macaroni and cheese. Apparently you have to boil the noodles before adding them to the pot…

Assistant Director of Bands, Percussion Specialist

My name is Emma Kanerva and I am very excited to join the team at Parkway South High School! I grew up in the Saint Louis area and graduated from Webster Groves High School. While in the Webster Groves School District, I was a band student of Mrs. Jill Young, Mr. Kevin Cole, Mr. Andrew Pulliam, and Mr. Dane Williams. I am incredibly lucky to have been mentored by them during my student teaching placement. While in high school, I also studied piano with Mr. Mo Egeston and percussion with Ms. Erin Elstner.

I attended Truman State University and was admitted into the Percussion Studio under the direction of Dr. Michael Bump. While at TSU, I was involved in a variety of ensembles, including Percussion Ensemble, Truman Steel, Marching Statesmen, and Wind Symphony. I was actively involved as the President of the University Percussion Society, and as Vice President of Sigma Alpha Iota, and a punk band called Pink Lemonade where I played drum set!  I graduated in 2021 with my BA in Music Pre-Certification from and again in 2022 with my Masters of Arts in Education, Music. 

Prior to my position here as Assistant Band Director, I taught drumline and percussion in the Webster Groves School District and the Kirksville School District. Post college, my first teaching job was at Ritenour High School, where I taught for 4 years. I was initially hired as the general music specialist, teaching Guitar 1 & 2, Audio Engineering, and Songwriting. In 2023 I served as  the Director of Bands for 3 years. As the head band director, I taught Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Chamber Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, Pep Band and Marching Band. 

Outside of teaching, I am also an active performer! I regularly perform for churches in the St. Louis area, have been a percussionist with the St. Louis Metro Singers, and am an active member of the St. Louis Wind Symphony. 

I still live in the St. Louis area, enjoying time with my family, my husband Tristan, and our pets:  Hippo the dog and Kilpi the turtle. I love punk and bluegrass music, regularly attending concerts with my Dad, reading, horror movies and spending time outside gardening!

- Color Guard Director