I've been teaching for 25 years and the last 17 in at Karrer Middle School in Dublin Ohio. I am the director of bands and teach the 6, 7 and 8th grade bands throughout the day. It's about 225 students every year. The highlight of my career was having my three children all in my bands at some point. My oldest daughter is a History Ed major at Miami and plays in the Marching Band. My youngest children are 9th graders at Dublin Jerome and play tuba and the oboe. It was amazing to direct them everyday.

I'm a tuba player and studied with the late Michael Thornton of the Cincinnati Symphony. He drove up every week to work with the tubas and euphoniums. He really was a special teacher.

At Miami I participated in the Marching Band, Hockey/Basketball Pep Band, Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble.

I made a lot of lifelong friends in the Miami Marching Band. So much of my college years were based around the characters I met there and in KKPsi. We made music, played hockey and broom-ball together and went to class. (Have to love those 8am music classes) My professors were all amazing as well. Jack Liles, Dave Shaffer, Gary Speck, Sam Reynolds, and many others helped shape me into the teacher and person I am today. It really is crazy now getting together at Miami Football games to watch our children march together.

For students studying music education now, I would play as much as you can now, esp. on secondary instruments.  You are surrounded by people who are great at their instrument.  Switch and play with them and absorb as much as you can.  Also, learn how to work on basic instrument repair.  I took that class as a graduate student and I use it daily.