University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Director of Bands
- Email:
Michael Buckstein joined the University of Pittsburgh athletic department in August 2025 as Assistant Director of Bands. He assists with instruction, conducting and general administration of the Varsity Marching Band, Volleyball Band, Men's and Women's Basketball Bands, Summer Concert Band and Symphonic Band.
In this role, Buckstein has brought the sound of the Pitt Bands to some of the most prominent stages in athletics, including College GameDay, the NFL draft and the NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four. On the concert band side, he is co-founder of the University of Pittsburgh Summer Concert Band and the University of Pittsburgh Spring Festival of Bands.
Prior to his appointment at Pitt, Buckstein served as band director at Mount Pleasant Area Junior/Senior High School, where he led multiple ensembles across the junior and senior high levels. Under his direction, the Mount Pleasant Area High School Symphonic Band earned an overall "Superior" rating at a Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Music Performance Assessment held in Heinz Hall. His tenure also saw the revival of the high school pep band and junior high jazz band, and the founding of an alumni band that drew nearly 130 participants in its inaugural year. At Plum High School, Buckstein served as assistant band director, contributing numerous musical arrangements to the marching band and leading a chamber music program whose ensembles performed at venues including the National Aviary and the Benedum Center.
In addition to his work as an educator and conductor, Buckstein remains an active performer in the Pittsburgh area. He plays repiano cornet with the Allegheny Brass Band and performs in summer reading sessions with the Pittsburgh Creators' Project. He frequently performs on horn in pit orchestras for local high school musical productions, with credits including "West Side Story," "Shrek," "Anastasia," "White Christmas" and "The Wizard of Oz." He has also marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, as a member of the Saluting America's Band Directors Marching Band.
Buckstein's professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association and the National Association for Music Education. He is also a life member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary band fraternity.
An alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh, Buckstein earned a Bachelor of Arts in music with a concentration in composition and a Bachelor of Science in psychology in 2018. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Pitt Band, serving as a trumpet section leader and working in the band office, where he helped lead the push to transition the band to digital music distribution. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in music education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2020, followed by a Master of Music Education from the American Band College of Central Washington University in 2025. Through the American Band College program, he collaborated and performed with many of the band world's most distinguished composers and performers, including Frank Ticheli, John Mackey, Johan de Meij, Gordon Goodwin, José Sibaja and Project Trio. He is pursuing a Doctor of Education with a focus in higher education at the University of Pittsburgh.
A native of Plum, Pennsylvania, Buckstein resides in Monroeville.
