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College Station ISD to add additional Band Director positions at both area high schools

Posted at 6:21 PM, Mar 27, 2024
and last updated 2024-03-27 19:21:53-04
  • March 19, College Station ISD School board approved to add one additional Band Director position at both College Station and A&M Consolidated High Schools.
  • The additional positions will help alleviate educational and safety concerns.
  • The district anticipates a combined 400 students in the band programs from both schools for the 2024-2025 school year.
  •  If you are interested in the Band Director position, you can apply here: https://csisd.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

BROADCAST SCRIPT:

The end of the school year is a few months away for Jon Seale, Band Director of College Station High School.

“There’s just so many administrative tasks and then much less you’re teaching the kids in front of you,” Seale said.

Seale has been leading the band since 2019.

With so much on his plate as Head Director, Seale feels the pressure of leading more than 200 students.

“Probably every year — every year is a new animal,” Seale said.

While he has help from an Assistant Band Director now, more help is on the way.

A third Band Director will be added before the start of the 2024 school year this fall.

Seale says it’s much needed.

“Being able to have another person with another set of eyes and ears on things will just make things more manageable and we can give better instruction — better feedback,” Seale said.

The College Station ISD board decided to add an additional band director at both College Station and A&M Consolidated High Schools.

The District says safety was a major consideration due to the high number of students and the desire to match other 5-A schools with three or four directors as opposed to only two at each school.

In a quote by the Chief of Staff, Sara Goolsby, at the College Station School board meeting on March 19 said:

“Back in 2020 the conversation began of the needs of our band programs. With a projection of a combined 400 students next year in the program at our schools. We not only consider the program’s excellence, but student safety,” said Goolsby.

Senior Drum Major Brayden Senkel has witnessed the hard work both of his directors have put in.

“When I started it was Mr. Seale and Mr. Dixon against the world — I’ve gotten to see a lot of what they did and how much extra time they devoted to the band," Senkel said.

"I think adding a third director will alleviate some of that stress."

“We were so excited the district said 'Hey, look how successful your program has been, we want to do what we can to support these students,” Seale said.