“Music is the great communicator,” said Alex Binek, the Kewanee High School band director for the past 10 years.
And it’s that one idea that he has kept in mind. His philosophy when it comes to teaching music is this: “To create lifelong lovers of music- people who appreciate the emotional and storytelling nature of music, and how impactful music is to the world,” he said.
The impact the students have on him is his favorite thing about teaching and Binek said his main focus is “more about the people than the music”. The relationship he’s been able to build with the students that he’s watched grow up, from fifth grade to graduation, is what makes it all worthwhile.
Since childhood, Binek has been passionate about music. He was raised in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago, and his own music instructor, Brayer Teague, had an enormous impact on him. Learning the trumpet at age 10, Binek joined his school’s band in fifth grade. Ever since then, music has been his focus. Binek graduated from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, with a major in music and a desire to one day be a high school band director.
The KHS band director has received community accolades for his work, but he’s the first to say he doesn’t do it alone. Joining Binek is Band Director Brittany Krohn and Melissa Maxon, the music booster president. Binek said he owes the growth of the KHS band program to Krohn, who he said is great at building relationships with the students, and that, as a team, they fill in the gaps of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Maxon, he said, is “the glue that keeps it all together”. Between Binek and Krohn, they teach music for the entire school district, from Belle Alexander School to the high school, and even Neponset.
Binek also attributes the KHS band’s successes to the school administration.
“We are very fortunate that the school board and Dr. (Christopher) Sullens are financially supportive of the band,” said Binek.
The administration, and especially the superintendent, have refused to let Kewanee’s lower socio-economic status be a barrier to allowing students to focus on their passions, said Binek. The KHS band not only gets new equipment such as new drumline instruments, but also seeks used equipment to ensure that the kids have the means and the tools to learn what they love.
The KHS band has had a string of successes, which Binek can list. Last spring the band won runner-up in the IHSA State Music Sweepstakes out of 97 schools. They’ve also been chosen as an IHSA State Finals Pep Band four out of the last six years. Just a few weeks ago, the KHS band hosted its first annual music festival for bands from around the area to come together and share their love of music and competition.
In addition to the band playing at sporting events, competitions and concerts, the KHS band performs at local nursing homes and fundraisers. Coming events for Binek and the KHS band are the Three Rivers Music Festival in October; IHSA State Pep band performance in November and ILMEA District Festivals at Augustana where select students get to play on campus for a day.
As for Binek’s future plans, he said that coming from Chicago, he had never heard of Kewanee before joining the faculty. But a decade later, he’s fallen in love with it, not only because it’s a diverse and close-knit community, but because the school district is fortunate to have ambitious, empathetic and determined students.
Binek is working on earning his principal’s certificate, but said he’d spend his whole career here at KHS if they’d have him. He said he absolutely loves teaching band and it’s his main passion. He’s in no hurry to stop anytime soon and wouldn’t have it any other way.
