Center Grove’s New Band Director Aims to Elevate Storied Program
Photography / Lauren Casey Bemis, Center Grove Community School Corporation
Honoring the legacies of the past, while elevating the program to excellence – that’s the goal for Center Grove High School’s new Director of Bands, Reggie Humphrey.
“Historically, this band program has a long line of success in terms of the excellent expectation put upon the members,” Humphrey says. “Like my predecessors, Kevin Schuessler and Thomas Dirks, there is definitely a legacy and I want to be a part of the story to help elevate what they’ve brought into this program.”
Humphrey hails from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. As the son of a musician and band director, he recalls spending his childhood and teenage years becoming immersed in new genres of music. His curiosity and passion eventually led him to study music education in college and to work as a band director in school districts across Georgia and Arkansas.
The husband and father of two young kids was recruited from his home in the south to White River Township, in part by Director of Percussion Josh Torres, who was Humphrey’s wife’s teacher when she was a student at Center Grove. Humphrey says he and Torres had many conversations, including a dinner at St. Elmo Steakhouse, in an effort to convince him to make the move to the Hoosier State – known as a hub for the marching arts.
Humphrey came into the program knowing he had big shoes to fill, but bringing his own flair. He started by returning a big part of the focus of the band program to concert band – where students can participate, play and grow as musicians.
“We’re trying to perform as much as possible, not just in the outdoor venues, which a lot of people do see,” he says. “In the concert setting, that’s where I think the root of all of our teachings should come from.”
He’s also bringing southern school traditions to Center Grove – stepping up the pep band’s participation during football games to give members more opportunity to play in front of the community’s largest local audience. The students plan to learn new songs to play next season to energize the crowd throughout the game, which allows them to play a bigger role in the school spirit experience.
“Coming from Georgia, the southern football tradition is that the band is always there playing the whole time. I just didn’t think anything about it,” he says. “The payoff seems like the community loves it, and it’s something that I hopefully can keep elevating.”
In the marching arts, Humphrey’s goal is to get the program into the top five in the state and then qualify for Bands of America Nationals. This season, he was proud of the students for placing seventh in the ISSMA State Marching Band Finals with their performance of “Dream About Lightning Bugs.”
“The excitement on the students’ faces, it seemed like this was what they were meant to do and they very clearly showed that their work and dedication paid off,” Humphrey says.
Humphrey says strong performing arts opportunities in schools provide important outlets for kids to help them grow and belong, especially in a big school corporation.
“ It allows the students to have a creative outlet, maybe a point where they can relax,” he says. “It challenges them in a different light than just the pure academics. But I think the biggest thing is music gives them a sense of belonging, a place to be within the hallways of Center Grove.”
With almost one semester under his belt, the thing that has impressed Humphrey the most in his short time at Center Grove is the people. The amount of parent participation is unlike anything he has seen in past positions, and he adds that the students are motivated to be the best.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a group of kids that really shine like these do,” Humphrey says. “They are some of the best working kids I’ve ever worked with and they always rise to the expectation and the occasion.”
To learn more about opportunities for your child with Center Grove Bands, visit centergrovebands.com.
