From the time he was a teenager, Ben Werne knew he wanted to teach music.
Marching in band at Jasper High School was a way to satisfy his competitive and creative spirit. And he was inspired by his high school band directors who wanted to see him succeed.
Now he wants to do the same for the music students at Greenwood Community High School.
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Werne was recently named the new marching band director at Greenwood after the previous director, John Morse, took an administration job in another school district.
Greenwood’s Marching Woodmen and Irish Guard is one of the winningest marching bands in Indiana State School Music Association marching band state finals history. They have racked up the most marching band state championships in county history, including the 2018 championship in Class B.
Werne is aware of the history and it’s one of the reasons he traveled about two hours north from Paoli Junior-Senior High School to take the top job at one of the premier marching band programs in the state.
“Growing up, I competed against Greenwood and I saw how good the program was,” he said.
He was offered the job in the beginning of July and immediately began moving north to get ready to lead band camp. With a show already designed, Werne started to get to know the 163 marching band students and to learn the traditions that have helped make Greenwood a marching powerhouse.
“It’s everything you can ask for when you sign up for a band program,” he said
Werne saw the bright kids and the way they had been taught. He decided to continue the Greenwood tradition and to learn how Greenwood has done things for decades rather than insert his own ways into the process, he said.
“Rather than the kids adapt to how I do things, I want to adapt to the Greenwood way,” Werne said.
Werne thinks there are ways he can contribute to Greenwood. The marching band show is in place and it’s a great show that has set the students up for success, he said.
He is already looking past marching band to the concert band state finals, where he hopes the band can get a berth. Encouraging students to audition for the all-state band program and helping raise the success of individual students will make the band stronger, as well as concentrating on concert band, Werne said.
Werne joined band in Jasper in eighth grade as a percussionist. Most students join band in sixth grade, an opportunity he was not afforded, as his parents said he did not practice piano enough, he said.
Once he joined band, it sealed his career.
“I am a very competitive person and it is just something I was good at,” Werne said.
His band directors were encouraging and he took up clarinet and played with the Jasper band. At 16, he decided he wanted to be a music teacher.
Werne earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from University of Evansville and a master’s degree in clarinet performance from Western Michigan University.
Most music educators have advanced degrees in performance, and Werne saw the education as a way to see how far he could go with the instrument. His first teaching job was at Edinburgh Community High School.
He then was assistant director at Paoli until last year, when he took the top job. This year’s show at Paoli had Werne on the design team.
His favorite part of teaching is to help students with their music and to see their eyes light up when they understand what he has been teaching, he said.
“Just to know I had a part big or small in that kid’s success,” Werne said.
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Ben Werne
Occupation: Band director at Greenwood Community High School
Age: 31
Education: bachelor’s degree in music education from University of Evansville; master’s degree in clarinet performance from Western Michigan University
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