With a vision for maintaining a community of excellence and support, Band Director Thomas Perry plans to develop students’ talents on and off the musical stage.

Starting band in fifth grade and never leaving the field, Perry’s interest was driven by family.

“When I was a kid, we didn’t have a [working] radio in our car. It was broken, and we couldn’t afford to fix it,” Perry said. “My mom would drive around me and my two sisters and ask us to sing to her, which helped with that initial spark.”

Now, as a dedicated Jazz Band Director of WMS and CHS, Perry instructs all middle and high schoolers.

“I look forward to watch[ing] my students grow from sixth grade beginning band students to [high school] graduates,” Perry said. “This is one of the most rewarding things as a music educator.”

Perry takes a quick pulse of his students’ energy with a thumbs-up/down check-in.

“I think you could [go] back [to] former students or even a lot of students I’ve only had for about a month this year, and I could tell you things about them: maybe they play on a select hockey team, or maybe they’re into gymnastics, or maybe I can tell you who their favorite NFL team is,” Perry said. “[I am] just trying to create those relationships and that can help foster a good teaching environment.”

Perry is navigating the transition to a block schedule and collaborative teamwork, a significant adjustment after years as the sole Director of Bands at Fox High School.

“In my previous position, I made almost of the decisions for students on my own,” Perry said. “Now, working closely with others, it’s been exciting and encouraging to hear their input, add my own, and come up with innovative solutions that truly serve our students’ best interests.”

Teachers took a bus tour around the district during the new teacher orientation.

“[We went into] every building, and they explained to us what makes each building unique,” Perry said. “And in every single one, there was an aspect of community.”

Outside the classroom, Perry is an outdoorsman who participates in archery, geocaching, and hunting. He said these hobbies taught him that failure is necessary for success.

“I think sometimes kids can get [too] wrapped up in being a perfectionist, or [too] wrapped up in having to do everything at 99 percentile or higher,” Perry said. “Band should be a class that you [participate in] to enjoy.”