Havre High School band instructor leaves for love

David Johnke has been whisked away by love and will be leaving Havre after 11 years as the Havre High School band instructor, leaving some big shoes for the next instructor to fill.

Under Johnke, the school band has been repeatedly recognized for its excellence.

Trying to be as modest as possible, he said, in a hush-hush tone, "I don't mean to brag, but I think we are the best in our class."

Johnke said he began dating a woman he'd known for a long time a year and a half ago.

"We knew when we started dating that we're probably going to get married," he said during an interview Wednesday.

He and his girlfriend made a deal. If a job opened up in Flathead County, he would apply. If a job opened in Havre, she would apply. Whoever got a job would move.

Johnke said he did not want to leave Havre.

"I really have strong ties to this area. You become emotionally involved in this place," he said.

Johnke was one of four interviewed for the band instructor position at Flathead High School. It didn't take him long to figure out the score.

"Right away, when I walked into the high school to go to the main office to interview, it felt right. The interview felt right. Doors were opening. They gave me a tour of the school. Everything was there. Even though I was a little conflicted, my gut was saying yes, if they offer it to me," he said.

He was offered the job.

Johnke took over as band instructor at Havre High in fall 2005. He said there was an "off-and-on" jazz band, and the marching band was "nominal at best." He was looking to change things, to "do this right."

Although he had been a music instructor for five years by then, he said he knew he had a lot to learn, and he was determined to pull his students up with him.

"It was more me raising the bar for myself, and in the process of doing that, I was raising the bar for my students," he said.

Johnke discovered his teaching calling out of necessity. He was a poor college student, working on a music performance degree at Montana State University, when a secretary at the school asked if he gave trumpet lessons.

"I said no. Then I said, 'Wait a second - does it pay money?' She said, 'Yeah, you can charge for it.' I thought, 'Oh, great,'" he said

Johnke said the first lesson didn't go well. The student didn't understand the answers Johnke had given to his questions. Johnke, on the other hand, didn't understand why the student didn't grasp what he thought he had made clear. He said he felt like he didn't know what he was doing after the lesson.

During that week, Johnke said he "did some problem solving" and discovered a different way to approach each question the student brought up.

"That helped me understand my craft more, which kind of convinced me that teaching is kind of a cool thing. It was a way I could also learn more about the craft I enjoy, which is music," he said.

Johnke said the second lesson went very well, and he changed his major to one with an emphasis on teaching music immediately.

With Johnke, there is no middle ground.

"If we're going to perform for one game, we're going to do all of it," he said. "So we did a camp the first years, which was only a couple of days. A lot of kids dropped out. It went from 95 to 85 almost in a day. Over the course of five years, I started bringing in instructors, kept making the camps longer. The instructors had outside perspective and experience."

Johnke said he believes in getting as much exposure as possible and making the most of it. He told the students the more people heard them, the more recognition they got. And the more recognition they got, the more support they would get. So the goal was to play as often as possible.

"At a game, for example, you have coaches and bands from other schools, and they go back and report to their school - 'You should've heard this band.' And that's exactly what has happened," he said.

Johnke stresses to the students that everything they do has a purpose and is done with that in mind.

"Everything we do in class is a means to an end. Always. There's never busy work. Busy work never happens in this room," he said, nodding in the direction of the band room.

"Anybody can play notes, but can you play it musically? Can you play it with soul? Can you make it have meaning? Play the scale like you were romancing that special somebody," he said, smirking.

But as much as Johnke stresses hard work, he said he hadn't figured it all out - there's an aspect to his success he has no control over.

"Even I'm not very clear myself how it all comes together. ... It's not just by working hard alone - you gotta have a little more than that, a little push from behind," he said. "Honestly, a lot of times it's divine intervention. Literal intervention. There's something happening - God's there. "

Johnke remembered a time when they played "The Star-Spangled Banner."

"We played it at divisional basketball tournament last February in Billings," Johnke said. "This band director from Hardin, Montana - he was up in the booth above 'cause he was in the hospitality room. He was talking to somebody, and when he heard the 'Star Spangled Banner' start he said he stopped. He turned and he listened – and I know this because he said this as a Facebook post. He said he'd never heard anything more beautiful in his life. He never heard a high school band play the 'Star Spangled Banner' played so beautifully - ever. He had tears streaming down his face. Unbelievable."

Johnke's last year in Havre will crescendo with a trip to Washington, D.C., where Havre High's marching band will perform. He said it's a huge honor.

Although he's looking forward to building the program at Flathead High School the same as he did Havre High's, he said the move is bittersweet.

"I'm going to miss the kids and the people and the infrastructure that's been built up. Also, the administration here is probably the most supportive administration, despite what some of the disgruntled teachers may think. This is actually one of the best school districts to work for," he said.

"I'm really glad to have been given the opportunity to come and work in this district," he said. "I've grown so much because of the support I've gotten over the years. The kids are energetic and they're fun. Ultimately, I honestly feel that I'm blessed."