Abby Francis (she/her/hers), originally from Illinois, is in her third year as the Director of Bands at Mountain View High School.
Abby taught in Illinois for two years prior to moving to Tucson. Upon moving to Arizona, she taught for three years at Coolidge Junior High and High School.
Abby enjoys her time as a band director while also continuing to perform in her spare time.
This year she was nominated as Teacher Of The Year by the University of Arizona Athletics department! See more about the bands she directs in the video below.
We asked Abby six questions about her life as a music teacher:
What Instrument Do You Play?
Trumpet!
Best flavor of Pop Tart?
Definitely chocolate frosted fudge.
Favorite Piece to Conduct?
Anything by John Mackey! I love his use of mixed meters.
Baton, Pencil, or just your hands?
Baton for sure, but I've been known to have butter fingers and frequently lose it in the middle of conducting which my students always get a kick out of seeing me flail while trying to catch it mid-air.
What Instrument do you WISH you knew how to play?
Any type of marching percussion, but especially bass drum. I love getting to hear some great splits.
Best piece of musical advice you’ve been given?
This is such a hard question! I've had a lot of great mentors over the years. More than any specific advice I've received from them, I think the most important lesson I have learned from my mentors is that music has the ability to teach us so many things about life as a whole. It's important to carry those life lessons with us and share them with others.
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