Bruce Herrmann winds his way through the Durant High School band room full of exhausted students. He steps over instrument cases as he makes his way to the back office. It was July. School hadn’t even started, but the marching band was already practicing for first semester football games under its new music director.
“Our first performances are the second and third week, so we have to get a jumpstart,” Herrmann said.
Herrman previously served as the music director at Eastbay High School, a position he obtained after graduating from the University of South Florida in 2003. After East Bay, he moved on to Chamberlain High School. He was there for eight years before taking a break to earn his master’s degree. When he was finished with school, he saw the opening at Durant.
“It was time for a change, time for something different,” Herrmann said. “I had always seen the Durant band. The parents were involved with the booster club, the kids are really hard-working.”
Not only is Herrmann at the helm of Durant’s music program, but also he plays in a professional band, the Florida Wind Band.
The New Port Richey native started playing music when he was in the fourth grade on alto saxophone. It was the cheapest to rent. In seventh grade, he switched to euphonium and never went back.
“The sound — it has a really unique sound and quality,” Herrmann said.
When he enrolled at USF, he became one of the first members of the Herd of Thunder. The band started two years after the football program began.
Playing in the Florida Wind Band fills the void teaching takes away. But, he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
“My goal is to give every student that comes to the program … an opportunity to develop themselves musically and teach them leadership,” Herrmann said. “For me, it’s not just about offering the musical experience. I want them leaving with a little bit more than how to play music.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.