Steven Potter grew up in Concord, CA and began playing percussion in his middle-school band at the age of 11. Over the last ten years, Steven has continued to develop as an exceptional percussionist in both concert and marching performance. He has studied with well-renowned percussion instructors including Robert Hamaker, Jack Van Geem, and Galen Lemmon. Steven is currently in his fourth year as a music education major at University of Nevada, Reno studying under Dr. Andrew Heglund.

Steven has performed in local youth symphonies and community bands all across the San Francisco Bay Area and Reno-Sparks Area such as the Walnut Creek Concert Band, Diablo Wind Symphony, Palo Alto Philharmonic, Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, San Jose Wind Symphony, Reno Chamber Orchestra, and the Silicon Valley Philharmonic Orchestra. These ensembles include some of the areas’ finest conductors such as Harvey Benstein, Lara Webber, David Ramadanoff, Kelly Kuo, and John and Diane Maltester. His playing has gotten him accepted into some of the country’s most distinguished summer orchestra festivals including the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra and the Disney Performing Arts Conservatory. Along with his classical training, Steven’s marching history includes performing with Blue Devils B and Blue Devils C Drum and Bugle Corps, Blue Devils Entertainment, and Vanguard Entertainment.

While still in high school, Steven began giving private percussion lessons in his hometown. In 2019, Steven joined the staff of Christopher and Gilroy High Schools in Gilroy, CA as percussion instructor and coordinator for the concert and marching bands. Along with his responsibilities at the high schools, Steven also led the district-wide percussion sectionals and gave private lessons to the students of the three middle schools in the district. When moving to Reno, Steven landed a job at Robert McQueen High School as the percussion instructor for the MHS Marching Band and front ensemble instructor for the MHS Indoor Percussion Ensemble. In his first two seasons with the program, his students won Outstanding Percussion at the 2021 and 2022 Sierra Nevada Band Series (SNBS) Championships as well as first place overall in the percussion division of the 2023 Northern Nevada Indoor Association (NNIA) Championships.