With just days left before the start of the 2024-25 school year, we caught up with the Crookston School District’s new Band Director, Manny Green, in the Crookston High School Band Room. Green is very excited about his role here with the schools. “My role here is going to be teaching 5th – 12th grade band director. So, I will be teaching 5th-grade band lessons at Highland Elementary school, and over here, I will teach 6th-grade band, Jr. High Band, and Concert Band here,” said Green.
Mr. Green did some student teaching in Hastings after graduating from college, and this will be his first full-time position. “This is my first full year teaching. I graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College last December, where I student taught in Hastings. After that, I did some long-term subbing in the Hastings School District and the South Washington County School District, and then I applied here in May and got the job, and I’m super excited,” said Green.
There is a lot to cover coming as the new Band Director, and Mr. Green is ready to work with all the students, whether it be teaching lessons, pep band, marching band, or concert band direction. Mr. Green says because of his background at Gustavus Adolphus, concert band has always been one of his favorites. “I went to Gustavus, where concert band is super big, so that is probably my bread and butter. I really like that, and I that is where you really get to teach and learn the music skills, and then those extra co-curricular things like pep band and marching band that’s where the kids get to really have fun,” says Green.
Turnover has been a problem for the position, says Green, and he hopes to change that. “There’s been a lot of turnover. I think I’m the third band director in three years, so I’m hoping to finally have someone solidify the band program and start to build some culture where the kids are proud of what they are representing.”
The Crookston Public School District’s school year starts next week. The High School and Middle School start classes on Tuesday, September 3, and Highland Elementary starts back on Wednesday, September 4.
