Sounds of brass, woodwinds and percussion resonated throughout the massive auditorium.

Mr. Joseph Antonucci — or Mr. A —  was directing the rehearsal for the last concert at Langley High School, Va., but little did he know, some of his students snuck out to the parking lot while he was busy. 

When Mr. A left the school to go home after the concert, he saw a large group of his students gathered around his car, and he realized that they put “thousands of sticky notes” on his car.

“They rainbowed up my car,” he said.

Mr. A is the one and only band director at West Potomac High School. He has been working at West Po for almost a year, as he started working in November 2022. 

His parents dwell in Long Island, New York, where Mr. A grew up. His lone sister resides in Boston, Mass., and Mr. A currently lives in Alexandria, Va. His father is a doctor and his mother is a bookkeeper. 

He decided to work at West Po because he wanted to be a head band director, and he thought West Po would be a good fit. 

Starting band in fourth grade, Mr. A said that he “was drawn to [band] at a very young age” and “really enjoyed it.” 

He played trumpet all throughout grade school, however he didn’t think that he could make a living off of band or directing until high school. 

He went to Harborfields High School on Long Island before moving on to George Mason University. During his time at George Mason, Mr. A studied music education and trumpet performance. 

Mr. A decided to become a band director because he likes “working with people more than by myself,” and he wanted a career in music. 

He likes interacting with music by playing, practicing, and, of course, conducting. He enjoys directing bands because of how it has multiple aspects. He likes that he “gets to build [the band] from the ground up,” and the control he gets over the band. 

“I’ve really enjoyed seeing the growth in my students over the year at West Po,” Mr. A said. “I want to keep performing music.”