“I love the opportunity to meet a whole new group of people and any opportunity you get to make musicians with people or any opportunity you get to meet musicians and an environment where people are very, very into making music,” Tark Katzenmeyer said about how it feels to be taking up a new position in a new band community.
This year Katzenmeyer took over the band director role from Dennis Lindsay who held the position for over 20 years. This is a big change for the band.
Katzenmeyer had many roles in communities all across the country from New Port Richey, FL to the nearby towns of Edina and Woodbury. Katzenmeyer attended the University of Minnesota Twin Cities where he graduated with honors and went on to VanderCook College of Music where he got his masters degree in music education. Since then he has taken up the position of band director in multiple different high schools and even directed the Gold Campus Band from his alma mater. He has come to the high school and is ready to take on the challenge of a new community.
When asked about how his previous experiences in other schools have helped to prepare him for teaching here at the high school, Katzenmeyer said, “Every year I feel like my toolkit as a teacher gets a little bit bigger, and that I have few more things that I feel comfortable utilizing the classroom to make it the best experience for students that they could possibly have.”
Every year I feel like my toolkit as a teacher gets a little bit bigger, and that I have few more things that I feel comfortable utilizing the classroom to make it the best experience for students that they could possibly have. — Tark Katzenmeyer
The students have noticed. Band president and senior Lorelei Fierro gave a glowing explanation of her current experience with Katzenmeyer saying, “He’s kind, he’s willing to work and he’s so open to suggestions which I love a lot.”
Katzenmeyer has his students’ interests at heart. Naturally, Lorelei, who is very involved with our band community said, “He comes up to me, and he comes up to other people on the band Council and he’s like, how do I do my job so that the students will be more connected to me.” This shows just how much his students matter.
Dennis Lindsay, the previous band director, had only good things to say as well. Lindsay has decided to step down to educate new fifth grade musicians and help them start their journey through music. He strongly believes Katzenmeyer is a “pretty exceptional,” director as well as one of the best people to take his place.
Katzenmeyer has a big vision for our bands as well as pep band hoping to participate in more community events and invest in new equipment and training for the percussion section. In terms of more pep band improvements Katzenmeyer wants to look to the cheer book and “modernize it.”
With high praise from peers and students alike we are glad to welcome Katzenmeyer to our community with open arms. The transition to a new director may be difficult for our musicians but with Katzenmeyer’s experience and readiness to take on the challenge then the sky’s the limit for the bands.
