With three days left before the start of the school year, the band program lost one of their directors. 22 days later Danny Tedeschi was hired and begun to work alongside Greg Hensel on this year’s marching band show, entitled The Arena.

Tedeschi is a DGS alum having graduated in 2013. Immediately after college he joined the staff as the marching band brass caption head.

“I became a member of the marching band staff five years ago as the brass caption head. So I worked with brass players, but I [really] worked with everyone throughout my years on staff,” Tedeschi said.

Before applying to work here as a band director, Tedeschi spent the last four years serving as the band director at Eisenhower Junior High School. However, he left that job at the end of last year’s school year.

“I actually left Eisenhower in the summer to take a job at Mount Prospect. Telling my Eisenhower students was very hard, I built really great relationships with a lot of those students. That’s one thing I pride myself on as a teacher is making really great relationships with whoever I am teaching,” Tedeschi said.

Then Tedeschi went on to explain what becoming the band director here meant to him.

“About three or four days into the school year I accepted the job here. … And that was an awkward situation; however, I had to pursue my dream job. Working at South High is literally my dream job, it’s something I’ve always wanted, and I would have been upset with myself if I had this opportunity at my dream job and didn’t take it,” Tedeschi said.

Greg Hensel, the other co-band director at DGS is currently in his 10th year teaching here and had Tedeschi as a student. Hensel expressed his excitement about the staffing change.

“I was very happy, I am very happy, Mr. T and I are friends. Being able to work with a friend and come to work everyday to enjoy being around the office and just doing stuff makes everything easier and more fun and better. I am really pumped about it,” Hensel said.

One thing that Tedeschi wants to obtain is a sense of consistency. Since Tedeschi joined the marching band staff five years ago, there have been three band directors working alongside Hensel and Tedeschi is number four.

“The biggest challenge that me and Hensel are trying to deal with is establishing some consistency and getting you guys the chance to build this program and continue to build it. … [When] the staff are comfortable with the students and the students are comfortable with the staff, that’s when really good learning takes place,” Tedeschi said.

Hensel also commented on the inconsistency.

“The program had a little bit of bad luck in that regard, but I’m feeling pretty good about things moving forward,” Hensel said.

Tedeschi and his family were very happy when they found out the news.

“[They’re] almost more excited for me than I was for myself. My family is my biggest support system. They’re always in my corner, there always wanting to see what’s best for me. They knew how much this job meant to me, and I think them seeing it happen was really special for them as well,” Tedeschi said.

Tedeschi’s father, Thomas Tedeschi, is the co-band director at Lakeview Junior High School in Darien, and his younger brother, Sam Tedeschi, is the band director at Heritage Middle School in Summit, IL.

Many students feel that Tedeschi will be a good fit. Senior Nathan Casey has cultivated a close bond with Tedeschi over the last three years in marching band.

“He’s already in the marching band, so kids know him and he’ll be well liked. He’s going to learn the ecosystem of the school real well,” Casey said.