“PCM was exactly the kind of school that I’ve been looking for. I have heard so many wonderful things about PCM prior to the job opening, so when it opened up I knew that I had to seize the opportunity. PCM is well known for its great students, staff, and music department. I look forward to working with, and getting to know the students and staff of PCM,” band director Mr. Austin Heims said.

PCM has recently had an abundance of high school band teachers, with Heims being the third in three years. The band has still had great success though, finishing with a division 1 rating in concert band and marching band last year. Heims plans to continue the band’s success in concert and marching band along with building some new success for the jazz band.

Heims said, “The jazz band program is up and coming, it isn’t quite as established as the concert or the marching band. I like to build things up, and I hope to help the jazz band become a more established commodity for PCM music.”

Heims obtained his bachelors in arts and music education from Central College, and now he is currently working toward acquiring his masters from the University of Florida. After Heims’ graduation from Central, he took a job at Storm Lake Middle School as the middle school band director. Heims loved his time at Storm Lake, but he was ready for a new challenge, that challenge being a high school band teacher.

“I definitely prefer teaching high schoolers over middle schoolers. The difference in material is what does it for me. You can do so much more with a high school band because there is so much more variety and possibility,” said Heims. He has an abundance of family and friends in the area, so it made the move to PCM much smoother.

The construction at PCM has affected many departments at the high school, but perhaps none more than the music department. The construction on the high school‘s band room has pushed the band and choir out into the commons for at least the first semester.

”Bridges let me know all about the construction during the interview. He was very adamant about me knowing that the band was going to be in the commons, and that we wouldn’t have a band room likely until second semester. Things may not look the best right now with us being in the commons, but once the new band room is finished our music department will flourish,” said Heims.

With the band room being inaccessible until winter, and rain derailing the marching side of things, the conditions during Heims tenure at PCM definitely hasn’t been the most sought after, but he still has the band operating at peak efficiency. The band will need that efficiency in the near future for their first performance at the Pella marching invitational, hosted by Pella High School, on Saturday, September 22.