I knew from an early age that music was going to be part of my future. While listening to music, I was hearing many different leaves and harmonies that most 9-year-olds didn’t realize. I started plating trumpet in the 6^thgrade and played all the way through high school. As a junior in high school, I auditioned for the School Band and Choir of America that was made up of students from all over the country. I was selected to the group and toured Europe for three weeks, visiting six countries.  After high school I decided to study Music Education, and attended Quincy College, in Quincy Illinois. After studying there for two years I transferred to Truman State University, in Kirksville, Missouri. It was there that I received my Bachelors of Music degree.

After graduation the urge to preform could not be denied, so I moved to San Francisco, Ca. During the 15 years that I lived in California, I performed with many different groups. At times I was playing with two Big Bands, a Jazz Octet, a top 40/original group, and rehearsed with “The Funky Doctor, the Bari player from Tower of Power. The Jazz Octet had the privilege of performing at the World Cup Soccer Tournament in Palo Alto, Ca. In time I realized that I wanted to use my music degree and go into teaching. Not feeling comfortable to put myself in a class room, I enrolled at Southwest Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas and earned my Masters of Music, and that is where my teaching career began.

My first position was at a small 3C school, and was a great community to begin. Very supportive parents and administration, and then is when I learned how important it was to build great relationships with my students. Once you start building those relationships your job becomes much easier. The students become much more willing to work hard and as they progress so does their confidence. I then got a position in a much different school. I went from a 3C to a 6A school which is the largest category in Texas based on the school’s population. This was Robert E Lee High School in San Antonio, Texas. In Texas, the Band Programs are highly competitive and many of the 6A school bands perform on a college level. The band at Robert E Lee, while I was on staff, went to the finals at Bands of America competition, held in the Almo Dome, two years running and placed in the top ten both times. This was an amazing accomplishment for myself and the students.

After teaching in Texas, I was lucky enough to find the Band Director job at Yuma High School, Yuma, Az. The band program at Yuma High was on the small size but the students had excellent attitudes and marvelous work ethics. Our very first year together we advanced to the marching competition that qualifies you to compete at the State Finals. We repeated this honor four years in succession. The more years I taught, the more my students became my second family.

I am now retired but staying busy playing with the Yuma Big Band, the AWC Community Band, and the Yuma Civic Orchestra. Being one of the directors on the Yuma County Arts Association has been very rewarding and we have many more things to come in the future.