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Post by marimba11 on Mar 12, 2023 20:27:13 GMT -6
Looks like Scotty Walker will be retiring at Lafayette LA this yr.
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Post by ohioguy2 on Mar 14, 2023 20:16:46 GMT -6
Looks like Grain Valley is hiring a new director.
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Post by kvgdc on Mar 15, 2023 11:32:08 GMT -6
I don't believe this has been mentioned yet. This past April, Jamie McDonald, associate director of bands at Seven Lakes High School, announced his retirement to the students of Seven Lakes. He is pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter for his band, Oh Hooray. He will still tech for groups such as the Boston Crusaders and Seven Lakes High School. This had been communicated to John Mays, head director of bands at Seven Lakes High School long before it was publicly announced, which allowed for the immediate recruitment for a replacement. Less than a month following the job opening, Brody Wadkins was selected to fill the role of associate director of bands at Seven Lakes High School. Brody Wadkins is a music education major who graduated from Ball State University this year (2018-2022) and was previously a member of the Homestead High School Marching Band (2014-2018) where he was a 3-year drum major for the Mustang Band. He has also marched tuba with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps for three seasons (2018, 2019, and 2021). In 2018 and 2019, Brody Wadkins taught on the marching staff at Homestead High School and finished both seasons in ISSMA State Finals and Bands of America Grand National Finals. In 2020 and 2021, he taught at Concordia Lutheran who finished the season in ISSMA State Finals. Brody Wadkins spent this past year student teaching at Carmel High School (5-time BOA Grand National Champions) in Carmel, Indiana. Huh. I take it this is Brad's kid? I marched with Brad at Northrop. I feel old now.
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Post by marimba11 on Mar 16, 2023 14:58:01 GMT -6
I don't believe this has been mentioned yet. This past April, Jamie McDonald, associate director of bands at Seven Lakes High School, announced his retirement to the students of Seven Lakes. He is pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter for his band, Oh Hooray. He will still tech for groups such as the Boston Crusaders and Seven Lakes High School. This had been communicated to John Mays, head director of bands at Seven Lakes High School long before it was publicly announced, which allowed for the immediate recruitment for a replacement. Less than a month following the job opening, Brody Wadkins was selected to fill the role of associate director of bands at Seven Lakes High School. Brody Wadkins is a music education major who graduated from Ball State University this year (2018-2022) and was previously a member of the Homestead High School Marching Band (2014-2018) where he was a 3-year drum major for the Mustang Band. He has also marched tuba with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps for three seasons (2018, 2019, and 2021). In 2018 and 2019, Brody Wadkins taught on the marching staff at Homestead High School and finished both seasons in ISSMA State Finals and Bands of America Grand National Finals. In 2020 and 2021, he taught at Concordia Lutheran who finished the season in ISSMA State Finals. Brody Wadkins spent this past year student teaching at Carmel High School (5-time BOA Grand National Champions) in Carmel, Indiana. Huh. I take it this is Brad's kid? I marched with Brad at Northrop. I feel old now. So young!
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Post by salvation on Mar 22, 2023 13:20:21 GMT -6
Timber Creek's (TX) director is heading to Wakeland
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Post by josephbandfan on Mar 22, 2023 18:53:09 GMT -6
Timber Creek's (TX) director is heading to Wakeland Is this the one that came in 2019 or was there another director change since then?
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Post by TeamIndiana on Mar 26, 2023 13:31:08 GMT -6
Some more staff changes have been announced at Homestead High School, IN - Richard Karkosky, the Assistant Director of Bands, will be retiring at the end of the 2023 school year. With Bryen Warfield also stepping down, that just leaves Jason Witzigreuter, the current Associate Director of Bands. No replacements have been announced for the two open positions as of yet.
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Post by OldSchoolTrumpet on Mar 27, 2023 13:15:35 GMT -6
Some more staff changes have been announced at Homestead High School, IN - Richard Karkosky, the Assistant Director of Bands, will be retiring at the end of the 2023 school year. With Bryen Warfield also stepping down, that just leaves Jason Witzigreuter, the current Associate Director of Bands. No replacements have been announced for the two open positions as of yet. For those who may not know, Dick Karkosky was the director at Carroll High School (Ft Wayne) for a number of years, prior to the arrival at Carroll of Doug Hassell in 2012. Around that time Karkosky joined the staff at Homestead as a brass tech. His son was a student at Homestead at the time. (I think his son was pursuing music education as well, but I'm not up to date on that today.) It's not surprising to see him retiring, Not sure how old he would be but he has 40+ years teaching, so... I'll be curious to see where the program goes. A bit of a crossroads moment. Specific speculation aside, I feel a bit anxious for them.
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Post by dbalash on Mar 27, 2023 13:32:19 GMT -6
Some more staff changes have been announced at Homestead High School, IN - Richard Karkosky, the Assistant Director of Bands, will be retiring at the end of the 2023 school year. With Bryen Warfield also stepping down, that just leaves Jason Witzigreuter, the current Associate Director of Bands. No replacements have been announced for the two open positions as of yet. For those who may not know, Dick Karkosky was the director at Carroll High School (Ft Wayne) for a number of years, prior to the arrival at Carroll of Doug Hassell in 2012. Around that time Karkosky joined the staff at Homestead as a brass tech. His son was a student at Homestead at the time. (I think his son was pursuing music education as well, but I'm not up to date on that today.) It's not surprising to see him retiring, Not sure how old he would be but he has 40+ years teaching, so... I'll be curious to see where the program goes. A bit of a crossroads moment. Specific speculation aside, I feel a bit anxious for them. His son is the director at Paoli.
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Post by Samuel Culper on Mar 27, 2023 16:07:43 GMT -6
Bryan Christian, head director at Vista Ridge, announced this afternoon that he will be retiring as a band director at the end of the school year.
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Post by supersound on Mar 28, 2023 3:36:53 GMT -6
Bryan Christian, head director at Vista Ridge, announced this afternoon that he will be retiring as a band director at the end of the school year. This is a very big deal. He’s been there since anyone can remember. This has been brewing for a few years, since about 2018 and it looks like now is finally the time. I don’t think this’ll affect their quality very much at all but it’s still a very big retirement.
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Post by Samuel Culper on Mar 28, 2023 8:01:19 GMT -6
Bryan Christian, head director at Vista Ridge, announced this afternoon that he will be retiring as a band director at the end of the school year. This is a very big deal. He’s been there since anyone can remember. This has been brewing for a few years, since about 2018 and it looks like now is finally the time. I don’t think this’ll affect their quality very much at all but it’s still a very big retirement. He has been the director at Vista Ridge since the school opened. Came over from Stony Point in Round Rock ISD.
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Post by dbalash on Mar 29, 2023 12:49:05 GMT -6
Marian Catholic Director of Bands Greg Bimm Announces Retirement
Bimm to Continue as a Consultant and in an Emeritus Role in Advancement
Chicago Heights, Ill. – March 29, 2023 – It is with mixed emotions that Marian Catholic High School announces the retirement of Director of Bands Greg Bimm. Mr. Bimm, who has been a Marian Catholic staff member for 46 years and has led the Marian Catholic Marching Band to seven Bands of America (BOA) Grand National Championships and 42 state titles in class, will retire at the end of the current school year in June. Mr. Bimm will remain in an emeritus role in the advancement office, as well as serve as a consultant to the band program and write shows. The position for a new band director will be posted on the Marian Catholic website.
"Greg is a recognized trailblazer in high school and college marching bands, but he will never tell you that,” said Marian Catholic High School President Vince Krydynski, a 1981 graduate of the high school. “He is the gold standard of what it means to be a gentleman and an educator of supreme dignity and grace. Greg has had a profound impact on nearly five decades of students. It’s always been more than producing beautiful music, mastering complex maneuvers, or winning awards. For Greg, it’s always been about teaching young people to take responsibility for their decisions and to constantly work to be better tomorrow than they are today.”
Bobby Lambert, Director of Bands at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and former Assistant Director of Bands at Marian Catholic, added, “Greg Bimm is not only legendary at Marian, but he is also prolific in the band world. He revolutionized student leadership and student care to a level unseen before. The vast majority of band directors employ systems or standards originated by Greg.”
Mr. Bimm joined the Marian Catholic staff in 1977 as the Director of Bands. During his 46 years, the school’s band program grew from 70 students to 300 students at its peak and earned a national reputation as one of the premier high school band programs in the United States. Under Mr. Bimm’s leadership, Marian Catholic has earned 1st Place in its class at the Illinois State Marching Band Championships every year since 1980, a 42-year winning streak that is unprecedented in any arena. Last fall, the marching band received the highest scores in Class 3A in Illinois for Music Performance, Visual Performance and Effect. The Marian Catholic Marching Band has been named a BOA Grand National Champion seven times; BOA Summer National Champion five times; and BOA Class AA National Champion 23 times in 36 appearances, a record unmatched by any other high school band in the country. It has also performed in two Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade and the 2000 Presidential Inauguration Parade. The Marian Catholic Symphonic Band has been undefeated since 1981 at the State of the Art Catholic High School Band Contest. Marian has been named Honor Band in their class at the University of Illinois SuperState Concert Band a record 10 times.
“There is no way in just a few words to encapsulate my feelings of 46 years here at Marian. It has been everything and more than I envisioned for my career,” Mr. Bimm said. “Marian has always been so supportive of me, the band, and the arts in general. When you combine that support with intelligent, hardworking, upward- looking students and dedicated parents, you get a real recipe for success and a recipe for a very happy home for a band director! That said, time is inevitable,” Mr. Bimm added. “After much deep reflection, I know that this is the right time for me to step aside and allow new young talent to ‘run with the ball.’”
Current Assistant Director of Bands Jeremy Turner studied under Mr. Bimm when he was a student at Marian Catholic. He graduated from Marian Catholic in 2009. Mr. Turner said, “You never really stop being a student of Greg Bimm. Even as a colleague and a friend, you never stop learning from him.” When asked about the future of the band program, Mr. Turner commented, “Greg Bimm’s legacy is the lessons taught about empathy, humanity, responsibility and the relentless pursuit of excellence, lessons all taught through music, dance and art. Carrying on that legacy will always start with continuing to build good people.”
While retiring as Director of Bands, Mr. Bimm will continue to serve as a consultant for the band program and write shows. Additionally, Mr. Bimm will have a part-time, emeritus position within the advancement office, where he will engage the community and advise on special initiatives.
“The emeritus role allows Marian Catholic to recognize and thank Greg for his 46 years of service and affords him the opportunity to remain connected to the school and the thousands of people he knows through the Marian Catholic Bands,” President Krydynski said. “His willingness to serve as an emeritus is a huge blessing.”
Mr. Lambert added, “Now Greg embarks on another journey to continue helping Marian to thrive while also imparting his knowledge and experience directly to programs across the country. Marian will always feel the influence of this great teacher, as will the profession of music education.”
Plans are being finalized to raise funds to create the first-ever endowed position at Marian Catholic in Mr. Bimm’s name. The endowment would fund the Director of Bands position, demonstrating Marian Catholic’s commitment to the band program and ensuring its strength for years to come. Any other plans to recognize Mr. Bimm and the accomplishments of the Marian Catholic Bands will be shared at a later date with alumni and friends of the program.
About Greg Bimm
As a young band director, Mr. Bimm received the American School Band Directors Association (ASBDA) Stanbury Award (1983). In addition to being elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 1994 and being the first high school band director in 25 years to be invited to conduct the Illinois All-State Band in 1995, Mr. Bimm was among the first to be awarded the Mary Hoffman Award of Excellence by the Illinois Music Educators Association (1999). He received the Sudler Order of Merit from the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 1991 and 1997, and in 2005, was inducted into the Music for All Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact on music education in America. In 2006 he was named a Lowell Mason Fellow by the National Association for Music Education and was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2010. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Illinois State University College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame in 2010 and was the first active band director awarded the Chicagoland Music Educator John Paynord Lifetime Achievement Award (2013). Mr. Bimm was also the first recipient of the Fine Arts Achievement Award in Marian Catholic’s Hall of Fame.
Mr. Bimm holds degrees from Illinois State and Western Illinois Universities and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music Education from the Vandercook College of Music. In addition to his role as Director of Bands, Mr. Bimm has performed as conductor, clinician, adjudicator, drill writer, and music arranger throughout the United States and Canada. Professional affiliations include the American Bandmasters Association, the American School Band Directors Association, the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA), the National Association for Music Education, the National Catholic Band Association, the National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi Mu Alpha. He has served on the Illinois High School Association Music Advisory Committee, and has served as Band Division chairman, District I and state equipment manager for ILMEA.
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Post by principalagent on Mar 29, 2023 13:46:19 GMT -6
Thread’s over guys. Your staff changes can’t compare.
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Post by paddy on Mar 29, 2023 18:49:25 GMT -6
Bimm is retiring. I have zero info that leads me to believe this is true, just wanted to the first to say it in 2023… Nailed it. You’re welcome.
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Post by es203 on Mar 29, 2023 19:14:29 GMT -6
Never EVER thought this day would come.
At least he isn't fully leaving the program, unfortunately I can't see how any new hire could possibly do a better job than he has done considering the difficulties the program has had (obviously that's not the point I'm just being pessimistic.)
Congratulations on 7 Grand National Championships, A gajillion years in a row making GN finals, and a fantastic career, Mr. Bimm.
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Post by Allohak on Mar 29, 2023 19:25:17 GMT -6
Wishing nothing but the best in Mr. Bimm's future, he's always been an absolute pleasure to interact with on the grass/turf and obviously there is no one with a more storied tenure at least in the summer/fall outdoor show portion of his field. Great to see the school honoring him in the right way - the emeritus position is beyond fitting, and I can't think of any better way to show him the respect he deserves than building an endowment in his name to reinforce their commitment to the arts despite his stepping away. Kudos to you, Greg, on a phenomenal and impactful career. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement!
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Post by dbalash on Mar 29, 2023 19:28:24 GMT -6
Bimm is retiring. I have zero info that leads me to believe this is true, just wanted to the first to say it in 2023… Nailed it. You’re welcome. I know it's too early to be presumptive, but I'd love to know who gets an interview and eventually the job. I have my list of who I'd like to see.
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Post by ilikeguard on Mar 29, 2023 20:04:47 GMT -6
I couldn’t check HR whenever I first saw the news (I have a job) but i had a feeling we would all be exploding over here
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Post by bandirectorman on Mar 29, 2023 22:37:21 GMT -6
Wishing nothing but the best in Mr. Bimm's future, he's always been an absolute pleasure to interact with on the grass/turf and obviously there is no one with a more storied tenure at least in the summer/fall outdoor show portion of his field. Great to see the school honoring him in the right way - the emeritus position is beyond fitting, and I can't think of any better way to show him the respect he deserves than building an endowment in his name to reinforce their commitment to the arts despite his stepping away. Kudos to you, Greg, on a phenomenal and impactful career. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement! It can be argued that Marian Catholic needs the band to be successful in order to have a chance to survive as an institution long-term. A good percentage of that school’s enrollment participates in band and the brand remains strong, despite some leaner years compared with their historic run of marching success. This is a very solid & necessary business move. It is truly one of the few draws remaining at a private school whose enrollment is continuing to decline….. due to factors that are largely out of their control.
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Post by dbalash on Mar 30, 2023 5:56:21 GMT -6
Jeff Handel is leaving Wando, so an assistant position is open there.
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Post by paddy on Mar 30, 2023 7:22:00 GMT -6
I couldn’t check HR whenever I first saw the news (I have a job) but i had a feeling we would all be exploding over here You're lack of dedication to these boards is...disappointing. Job is no excuse. Honestly, for me there is very little sense of surprise. It has been looming for years. Great career, impressive educator.
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Post by OldSchoolTrumpet on Mar 30, 2023 9:52:55 GMT -6
Nailed it. You’re welcome. I know it's too early to be presumptive, but I'd love to know who gets an interview and eventually the job. I have my list of who I'd like to see. I don't know much about the Band Director game, but I'm curious if MC would be considered a desirable gig at the higher end for directors in 2023. The history is undeniable, but the future, even in the best hands, seems like a tough road. A wise man recently told me that all the talent is going to Texas. I'm not sure what Marian's current staff looks like, but might they hire from within?
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Post by principalagent on Mar 30, 2023 11:50:47 GMT -6
I know it's too early to be presumptive, but I'd love to know who gets an interview and eventually the job. I have my list of who I'd like to see. I don't know much about the Band Director game, but I'm curious if MC would be considered a desirable gig at the higher end for directors in 2023. The history is undeniable, but the future, even in the best hands, seems like a tough road. A wise man recently told me that all the talent is going to Texas. I'm not sure what Marian's current staff looks like, but might they hire from within? Band is increasingly expensive and to have a world class, finalist level program takes a lot of work. Marian, more every year, is losing ground against programs based in (often upper) middle class suburbs. It would take a particularly mission-driven director to jump from more fertile grounds to go to Marian. Especially if rumors about their student base getting thin are true. That director’s road will get harder before it gets easier. If it gets easier.
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hdni
Full Member
Posts: 43
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Post by hdni on Mar 30, 2023 15:20:24 GMT -6
I don't know much about the Band Director game, but I'm curious if MC would be considered a desirable gig at the higher end for directors in 2023. The history is undeniable, but the future, even in the best hands, seems like a tough road. A wise man recently told me that all the talent is going to Texas. I'm not sure what Marian's current staff looks like, but might they hire from within? Band is increasingly expensive and to have a world class, finalist level program takes a lot of work. Marian, more every year, is losing ground against programs based in (often upper) middle class suburbs. It would take a particularly mission-driven director to jump from more fertile grounds to go to Marian. Especially if rumors about their student base getting thin are true. That director’s road will get harder before it gets easier. If it gets easier. I've got to agree here. I think Marian has been great because Greg Bimm has willed it into existence. Most people don't know this, but Marian doesn't really have a feeder system - they have a handful of private catholic middle schools that they pull from (his wife is actually a band director at one of them) and they might pull 0-3 kids from each middle school ever year. These middle schools have band 1-2 times a week - the kids he gets normally can't play anything outside of a beginning band method book 1 only because they're not getting instruction consistently. Rumors went around for awhile that most every kid in the program takes private lessons, but I've heard him say most of the kids cannot afford them. Greg is a superb teacher and has done so much there despite many things stacked against him - would another band director who already has a band in semi finals jump off what is probably more fertile soil to Marian? I think a more likely scenario is moving the assistant up or hiring someone who has graduated from Marian who wishes to continue the legacy. I really hope for that community that they're able to find the perfect fit - whoever it is is about to get the best mentor they could ever dream of in Greg Bimm.
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Post by marimba11 on Mar 31, 2023 14:50:54 GMT -6
Jeff Handel is leaving Wando, so an assistant position is open there. He is going to Sullivans Island Elementary, which IMO sounds like a heavenly place to teach being right on the beach!
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Post by hewhowaits on Mar 31, 2023 16:51:49 GMT -6
Jeff Handel is leaving Wando, so an assistant position is open there. He is going to Sullivans Island Elementary, which IMO sounds like a heavenly place to teach being right on the beach! Sullivan's Island is the home of Fort Moultrie, one of the forts involved in the shelling of Fort Sumter to being the American Civil War/War Between the States/War of Northern Aggression (select your personal favorite descriptor). The school appears to be just the other side of some trees from the sand bordering the Atlantic.
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Post by marimba11 on Apr 1, 2023 21:52:19 GMT -6
He is going to Sullivans Island Elementary, which IMO sounds like a heavenly place to teach being right on the beach! Sullivan's Island is the home of Fort Moultrie, one of the forts involved in the shelling of Fort Sumter to being the American Civil War/War Between the States/War of Northern Aggression (select your personal favorite descriptor). The school appears to be just the other side of some trees from the sand bordering the Atlantic. That’s correct! It’s all pretty close. The company I used to work for had an oyster roast every fall at a country club also along that stretch of beach in between the elementary school and the fort. Fort Moultrie is a very cool. Most of it is still intact- sort of has a pirates of the Caribbean vibe. Definitely recommend a visit if anyone is ever in the CHS area.
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Post by FaultLineBlues on Apr 2, 2023 13:46:47 GMT -6
Uh, not quite sure if this was known, as it's a surprise to me, but while scrolling through job openings, I noticed Cedar Ridge (once again) has an opening for head director.
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Post by dbalash on Apr 6, 2023 8:16:03 GMT -6
Band is increasingly expensive and to have a world class, finalist level program takes a lot of work. Marian, more every year, is losing ground against programs based in (often upper) middle class suburbs. It would take a particularly mission-driven director to jump from more fertile grounds to go to Marian. Especially if rumors about their student base getting thin are true. That director’s road will get harder before it gets easier. If it gets easier. I've got to agree here. I think Marian has been great because Greg Bimm has willed it into existence. Most people don't know this, but Marian doesn't really have a feeder system - they have a handful of private catholic middle schools that they pull from (his wife is actually a band director at one of them) and they might pull 0-3 kids from each middle school ever year. These middle schools have band 1-2 times a week - the kids he gets normally can't play anything outside of a beginning band method book 1 only because they're not getting instruction consistently. Rumors went around for awhile that most every kid in the program takes private lessons, but I've heard him say most of the kids cannot afford them. Greg is a superb teacher and has done so much there despite many things stacked against him - would another band director who already has a band in semi finals jump off what is probably more fertile soil to Marian? I think a more likely scenario is moving the assistant up or hiring someone who has graduated from Marian who wishes to continue the legacy. I really hope for that community that they're able to find the perfect fit - whoever it is is about to get the best mentor they could ever dream of in Greg Bimm. Current assistant Jeremy Turner has 1 year of experience, but did design/work for Greenfield-Central for quite some time. The position has been posted on Marian's website, and they're looking for someone with "significant experience as a band instructor – preferably at the high school or collegiate level, though veteran middle school directors would be considered. - have significant experience in managing the logistics of a large program and supervising other staff."
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