AvonSchoolDistricthasanewband instructor, Joe Sexe, as of January 3rd. This is Joe’s first official teaching job. He is very excited and happy to be a new part of the Avon school and community.

Joe went to high school in Estherville, Iowa located near the Okoboji area in Northwestern Iowa. He then attended Iowa Lakes Community College earning an Associate of Arts degree. Joe then attended the University of South Dakota where he studied for three years to earn his bachelor’s degree in music education. This past fall, Joe did his student teaching at the West Central School District in Hartford.

Before even taking the teaching position, Joe visited Avon. Joe knew that itwouldbetheplaceforhim.Everyone has been so welcoming and kind to him. He enjoys the small-town atmosphere where everyone knows each other. It gives him a feeling like home does. Avon has such a strong sense of community amongst its students and teachers. It is such a refreshing and welcoming atmosphere for Joe. Since movinghere,somanypeoplehavegone out of their way to introduce themselves and ask Joe if there is anything they can do to help him settle in.

Musicisveryspecial.Musicissomething that everyone can connect with and is uniquely human. Each person has a connection with some music in some way. Especially for his students, music can be an escape. When Joe was a student himself, he always looked forward to band class, as it is such a contrast to the normal classroom environment. Band is also 100% a team effort and being a part of band makes you a member of the team. It is the only team sport where every player starts every game.

Teaching band is the perfect job for Joe. It combines two of his favorite things music and working with kids.Joeknewfrom an early age that teaching would be the path he was going to take. He first learned this while teaching guitar lessons in his hometown. Seeing the growth and excitement as kids learned new musical skills was such a special experience. Joehaslearnedthat sometimesallaperson or child needs is for their teacher/ coach/parent to see their success before they can and encourage theperson/ student.

Joe feels that being a new face in the banddepartmenthasstirredupalotof excitement around the band program right now. He plans to try to stoke that excitement. For the 5th graders just comingintothebandprogram,Joehas them look at the high school students and tells them “See, look at this cool stuff that they can do” and this is what happens if you stick with it. For his high school students, Joe points to all the numerous opportunities for music afterhighschool.Joewouldreallylike to see all his students continue music as a hobby for the rest of their lives whetheritbewiththelocalcommunity bands or being a part of a college band.

As a teacher, Joe hopes that his students willlearnthevalueofworkingfor something. One does not just sit down and magically play an instrument. It takes time and effort to develop and hone those skills. As with anything else in life, he hopes that his students will look back and remember band as a place where they felt included and felt a sense of community.

Joe has a vision for the band. He sees so much potential for his group of students. There is a very good foundation of kids who want to be there and have a genuine desire to do well. Joe believes that whenstudentstruly wanttosucceedthat the sky is the limit. Bandwillalwaysbe fun, but it is more fun when the music is good. There is always room for improvement, and Joe plans to constantly push every group he leads to be better than they werethedaybefore. Joe would like to see the students start to take ownership of the group and see the band become a point of pride for the students and community.

When picking musical pieces for his studentstoplay,therearemanyfactors thatgoesintoJoe’sdecision.Ofcourse, hewantstoplaysomethingthatsounds good. Joe tries to find music that kids know and will get excited about. He takes into consideration the level that the band is at and what can actually be played well. He would rather give the most beautiful performance of Mary had a Little Lamb than try to play a Beethoven symphony that ends in a disaster. At the same time, he believes that he should always be challenging his students in a healthy way as he wants his students to grow. He also looks at concepts that the group needs to improve on and will find music that has those concepts in it.

Joe has always admired band directors; theywerelikesuperheroestohim. They were the ones leading the team, and had all eyes on them. As a band instructor, one has to know how to play all the instruments in order to be able to effectively teach students. They fixed instruments, and made sure the marching formations were correct on thefield.Bandinstructorsturnedacollection of random sounds into music. Joe’s father is a retired band director in Estherville. From a young age, Joe would watch his father lead bands and attend concerts with him. He knew from these experiences that being a band instructor was what he wanted to be when he grew up. Teaching is in his blood and if he was not going to be a band instructor, he still would have been a teacher. Both of his parents are teachers as is one of his brothers.

As a band director, Joe feels that he should be able to play all the instruments that he expects his students to. He can play all the instruments, currently at about a 7th and 8th grade level, but plans to continue his lifelong journey to keep improving. The instruments that Joe played growing up were the trumpet and guitar. His favorite instrument to learn as he has gotten older has been the piano.

Both of Joe’s parents are teachers, his father being a retired band director and his mother currently teaching at a nearby town in Iowa. He has two older brothers who have blessed him with many adorable nieces and nephews that help keep Joe busy and entertained. Although his family is still mostly in Iowa, Joe has plenty of friends and his girlfriend nearby in Vermillion.

In his spare time, Joe loves watching sports and going to games. He is a big fan of the Minnesota professional sportsteams.Joeenjoysspendingtime with his friends and family. Being the “band guy”, Joe always has instruments around that he practices on in his free time.

Welcome to the Avon school and community. We cannot wait to see what wonderful and fun experiences you will create as the band instructor.