My name is Jimmy West, and I am the Band Director and Music Teacher at High Meadows School. Each day, I have the privilege of working alongside High Meadows School’s preschool through eighth grade students in the music classroom. We sing, dance, play games, and make music in a multitude of ways. We have fun in music class, much like I did as a child growing up.

Like some students at High Meadows, I participated in my middle school band, and at that time, my band director decided which instrument we would play based on our names being randomly drawn out of a hat. By chance alone, luck would decide that I would play the trombone. My director invited me to attend MidFest, a middle school band festival event at the University of Georgia. At UGA, I performed a concert with grade-level peers from across the region. After a weekend of practice, we performed, and I was hooked. My high school years included me learning to play the baritone, trumpet, and guitar, and I eventually became a drum major by leading the marching band. Ultimately, I majored in music education, which led to becoming a teacher at High Meadows after years in public school.