Occupation: I am the director of bands at Newtown High School. I’ve been here since 2002.

Family: My wife is Linda, and we have two children. Hannah is 21, and she is going to school at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, majoring in fashion design. Brianna is living in the City. She’s 25 and she’s writing, acting, singing, and making her way through the audition circuit.

Pets: We have two dogs, both lab mixes. Oscar is 4 years old and Theo is 2 years old. Both are rescue dogs. They are super sweet dogs, both of them.

How long have you been in Newtown? We moved to Sandy Hook in 1992. Both of our kids graduated from Newtown High School. When we moved here, I was teaching band and jazz ensembles at Joel Barlow, in Redding. It was a great job, but I was always impressed by how supportive Newtown has been of its music programs, so when the opportunity came along, I was happy to be here.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love to bicycle and frequently go 20 or 30 miles at a time, or more. I enjoy it and it’s a great way to stay in shape. I’m a freelance musician. I play jazz in Broadway shows, rock bands, or anything. I’m mainly a trombone player, but I like to play trumpet. I’m a big reader, and I love to do crossword puzzles.

What are you reading? I tend to like nonfiction. I recently read Every Man Dies Alone, an account of a couple during World War II in Germany. When their son, in the German military is killed, they wage a secret campaign against the Nazi regime. They were eventually caught and executed. It’s based on a true story. I recently read a couple other books about what would happen if a nuclear weapon is detonated in the atmosphere, and how disastrous that would be to our society. One was 1 Second After by William Fortstchen, the other was 77 Days in September by Ray Gorham. I also recently enjoyed reading Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? Linda is a travel executive, and travels all over the world — but I don’t. I love going back to Wisconsin, where I have family. We’ve also rented a house on the beach in the Outer Banks, and I loved that. And someday, I want to go to Alaska.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The people. I get to work with among the best kids in the school, and also with their parents. The parents do so much for the band program, and for their kids.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? Fred Sturm. He taught at Lawrence University, where I did my undergraduate studies. He’s been a mentor and a friend for over 30 years. He is a great writer of music and a great humanitarian. I think of him, because he just passed recently. I think of my father, too. He was so passionate about beauty in music and the arts. He had a very tolerant outlook of people who are different. I’m grateful I grew up with that kind of influence.

Do you have a personal philosophy? It has kind of evolved since that day here in Newtown, 12/14. Now, I think of the quote from [the late Sandy Hook School principal] Dawn Hochsprung: “Be nice to each other. It’s really all that matters.” That has become so much more important in how I view life. I’m lucky to work with the kids I do. They are great kids and I remind myself to tell them that more often now.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? I love to eat!