What do you teach at PHS?

Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz two, Concert band, Percussion two, Marching Band, and Pep Band.

How long have you been working here?

This is my third year working at PHS.

What made you become a teacher?

I had a great experience in band in high school, and I always loved having that as a part of my day in high school, so I wanted to provide some great experiences for others as well.

What are your hobbies outside school?

I love cooking and hanging out with my family, and when I have the time, I golf.

What high school did you attend?

I went here, Pasco High.

What makes a “good day” at PHS?

A good day is when we accomplish a lot of things in all my classes, and for myself as well, getting things done that need to get done.

What inspires you most as a teacher?

I say the biggest thing is when students take the initiative to learn things on their own or take on challenges themselves, and it’s not something that I’ve suggested or talked about; it is them doing it on their own. That’s super rewarding.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I think when students that have a sense of accomplishment and that can mean very small things, like when they try to hit a high note and they are struggling then one day they get it, or it can be a really big thing, they perform really well at a festival we’ve been working towards for months. So it can mean a lot of things, but having seen that sense of accomplishment makes everything really rewarding.

Something most people don’t know about you.

I just started training in ju-jitsu as a form of exercise. I haven’t exercised constantly in my life because I hate exercising alone. In so, this has been a great activity for me, I’ve been training for about five months now.

Favorite type of music?

It depends on the setting. If I’m at home and I want to relax, I’ll listen to funk or rock, something more modern. If my wife, son, and I are hanging out in the house, I’ll put on jazz, not elevator jazz but like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and things like that. I love all kinds of music at all stages of my life, so everything.