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Ames is PHS band director |
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Friday, 22 June 2007 |
 Bryan Ames By Rusty Nixon
Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — The Plymouth School Board introduced its new band director for Plymouth High School at its meeting Thursday.
Bryan Ames will take over the post in the new school year, replacing long-time director Cindy Wagoner, who left the post to pursue a doctorate in music.
Ames is a graduate of Ball State University and has spent his entire 13-year teaching career as the band director at Knox High School.
A native of Monticello, Ames said family is important to him, and his wife, Lisa, who have three children of their own — and who are raising a niece and a foster child as well. That devotion to family is part of what made the Plymouth job attractive to him.
“It’s what really made it a good fit,” he said. “I never really have had a desire to teach at a giant school. Plymouth is a big school but it still has that feeling of family. Plus, my wife is from Knox and our kids have grown up in the area with all of their friends here, so it’s nice to stay close.”
Ames is also a close friend of Wagoner, who he says encouraged him to try for the job.
“We’ve been friends for quite awhile,” he said. “When she knew what decision she was going to make, she called me and let me know that the job was going to be open. I have some big shoes to fill.”
Musically, Ames is experienced in many ways.
“I’m pretty well-rounded,” he said. “When I started playing, it was in the woodwinds, then I majored in percussion at Ball State and when I marched, it was in the brass section at Ball State, so I’ve done a little bit of everything.”
Ames has built the Knox marching band into one of the area’s best and will try to continue that emphasis at Plymouth.
“We’d gotten to the point where if we didn’t make state it was a disappointing year,” he said. “That will be an area I hope to continue to emphasize at Plymouth.”
Ames says he’s looking forward to his knew position and its challenges.
“I think the biggest challenge to start is going to be getting to know everybody,” he said. “It’s not like Knox where I got to know all my students for years. I’m going to have to get acquainted with everybody and their parents.”
He does have one regret in leaving his old job.
“The selection process took so long that I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to my kids at Knox the way I would have liked,” he said. “I would have liked to be able to talk to them and their parents to let them know why I made the decision I did, that it had nothing to do with them or the school. My time here has been great; this was just a career move for me.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 June 2007 )
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