66. Conversation with Heather Nieto of Hamilton Southeastern High School in Indiana

A graduate of Butler University in 2002, Heather
Nieto is in her twenty-first year as a music educator.
She started her career at Belzer Middle School in Lawrence
Township, Indianapolis, Indiana, where she taught elementary and
junior high string orchestra for eighteen years. Heather also
served as the Belzer Middle School Performing Arts Department
Chair and Lawrence Central High School Assistant Orchestra
Director. During her time in Lawrence, Heather sat on various
committees including the Performing Arts Curriculum Redesign,
Equity and Access Committee, and the Lawrence Township Performing
Arts Council. While always looking to expand performance
opportunities for her students, Heather co-founded the Lawrence
Township Honor Orchestra performing at Disney World and the
Belzer PopZ Orchestra performing for various school games and
community events. Her groups have been invited to perform for the
ASTA National Orchestra Festival as well as IMEA Honor Orchestra
Ensembles. Additionally, Heather was named the Belzer Middle
School Teacher of the Year in 2018 and recognized in four
different years by Top 30 Seniors as an honored educator. 


The 2023-2024 school year marks Heather’s third year as the
Director of Orchestras for Hamilton Southeastern High School. In
just a few short years, Heather has worked with Associate
Director, Charles Kunz to create a culture that promotes respect,
fosters pride, and inspires excellence with the Southeastern
orchestras. During her first year she led the Southeastern
Symphony Orchestra to ISSMA State Finals for the first time in
the history of the program and she continues to hold the program
to a high standard of performance.


Volunteering her time beyond the classroom, Heather has spent
time working with DePauw University as a part of their Unit
Assessment System Review Committee in addition to their Music and
Teacher Education Program. She has presented sessions at DePauw,
IMEA, and INASTA and was a featured clinician for the String
Teacher Workshop at the Luebke String Festival in 2019. 


Heather currently serves as President for the Indiana chapter of
the American String Teachers Association, where she works to
support orchestra directors across the state of Indiana. During
her time with INASTA Heather has continued to grow the chapter
and event opportunities for its members. She continues to
advocate for string education and maintains a focus on creating
opportunities for members to communicate, collaborate and support
one another.


Heather currently lives in Noblesville with her husband, Victor,
two children, Sophia (13) and Ivan (9) and their dog, Hachi.






hnieto@hse.k12.in.us