During my time as a high school band instructor, a high-profile business leader once told me:

“If you can transform classrooms of hormonally hopped up high schoolers whose abilities are all over the map into one of the most high-achieving programs in the state, you can transform any group.”

That was part of what moved me to take the strategies that worked for me in the bandroom and apply them to work in the corporate world. However, my first love is music, and working with groups of students on leadership training and development continues to be a great joy. They are the business leaders of tomorrow, and those who learn leadership in the bandroom have a leg up on the competition.

Education

  • Bachelor of Music Education, 1991, Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa
  • Master of Music Education, 2003, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa

Instrumental Music Teaching Experience

  • Guttenberg Community School District, Grades 5-12, 1991 to 1995
  • Sumner Community School District, Grades 5-12, 1995 to 1999
  • Selected as Class 1-A Honor Band by Iowa Bandmasters Association in 1997
  • Winterset Community School District, Grades 9-12, 1999 to 2010
  • Invited to perform at State Football Championships in 2008
  • Selected as Class 1-A Honor Band by Iowa Bandmasters Assocation in 1997 and again as Class 3-A Honor Band in 2009
  • Five trips to Iowa Jazz Championships, 2005 to 2009

Other Education Experience

  • Present staff member of American Legion “Hawkeye” Boys State since 1994
  • Counselor at Amago Dei and EWALU Lutheran Camps
  • Advisor and Lime Coach Coordinator for Iowa’s Ambassadors of Music European Tour since 1996
  • Co-Chair of Iowa Jazz Championships since 2003
  • Guest director for Southwest Iowa District Honor Band, South Central Iowa District Junior High Honor Band, Buena Vista University Honor Band, Meistersinger Honor Band, Lenox Junior High Honor Band, and several conference honor bands

Professional Affiliations in Education

  • Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers
  • Iowa Alliance for Arts Education
  • Iowa Bandmasters Association