Air Academy High School (AAHS) has gotten a new staff member who has won the hearts of students in band. His name is Mr. Allenson and he is the brand new band director this school year. However, several students, parents, and staff members who are not involved in band may still need an introduction to Mr. Allenson and the impact he has already had at AAHS.

Mr. Allenson discovered his passion for band during his adolescent years similar to the students he teaches.

The thing he liked most about band is that “it’s not about knowledge or book learning, it’s about building experiences and communicating emotions or ideas and I think that’s a really cool thing that we get to do,” band director, Mr. Allenson shared.

Having a teacher who has a genuine passion for what they do is crucial to a students viewpoint of the class. Mr. Allenson not only enables their creativity, but has a friendly and sincere attitude towards the students.

“I try to approach each kid like they’re a human being. I think people really appreciate that and they respect that, and I want to be treated the same way,” Mr. Allenson remarked.

It’s evident that his teaching style is appreciated since his students speak so highly of him.

“He’s really sweet, he’s a really good band director. I feel like we haven’t gotten the full experience because he came in during the middle of our season, but I think next year will be better,” sophomore Isabelle Schiff conveyed.

Even though he arrived during the season, Mr. Allenson has had a positive impact on the band’s performance.

“I think our competition season’s going really good. It’s a lot better than last year,” sophomore Margaret Dyre stated.

Since the competition season has been going admirably well with Mr. Allensons directing, the band members are getting pumped up for the state finals.

If students would like to meet Mr. Allenson, they can pay a visit to the band room to chat. Better yet, they could sign up to join the AAHS band to be directed by him the whole school year. Some students may think they won’t be able to join because of other clubs and things, but it’s definitely possible to balance more than one.

Even students who are in clubs that require a large time commitment, like the student council, have enough of a passion for band that they make it work. Several student council members are involved in the band as well. One student who is an example of this is the junior class vice president, Daren Butterfield.

“In the past there’s been schedule conflicts but that’s normal when you’re in multiple different groups,” Butterfield clarified.

With the positive changes to the band environment, more students may consider joining.  If students have an interest in joining but already have some prior commitments, there will usually be a way to work around that.

With Mr. Allensons new leadership, the AAHS band could be champions during this competition season and in the next years to come.