Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Meeks
Hi Brandon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Dr. Brandon Meeks is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and is currently the Director of Athletic Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. He is a graduate of Florida State University where he received his PhD and Masters in Music Education. He is also a 2009 graduate of Western Carolina University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. While at WCU, Dr. Meeks was a recipient of the prestigious North Carolina Teaching Fellows scholarship program. From 2009-2016 he served as the Director of Bands at East Lincoln Middle School in Iron Station, NC. During his tenure at East Lincoln, the band program experienced growth, consistently received Superior and Excellent ratings at state festivals and maintained a culture of high expectations and musical excellence. Dr. Meeks is a National Board-Certified Teacher, holds honorary memberships to Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, was named the 2013 East Lincoln Middle School Teacher of the Year, and was named the 2016 NC South Central Bandmasters Young Director Award for Excellence. He is an active presenter across the southeast, enjoys fitness activities and playing the piano and currently resides in Woodstock, Georgia.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not smooth at all…haha! Going back to graduating from Western Carolina University, I went on a total of 13 interviews and got turned down to all of them. I landed my first job teaching middle school band at East Lincoln the week before school started. I had two days to get everything set up for what would be a seven year stay. The first year at East Lincoln was tough. I was trying to change the culture of the band program, we went through 9 different leadership changes for various reasons and I honestly had no idea what I was doing. Every year after got better and better as I became a better teacher and as the culture began to change. Around year six things begin to change in terms of legislation for public schools and student accountability. This was when I made the decision to begin looking for new opportunities. I had planned on leaving education and music all together and start a career in accounting. I applied for masters programs and everything. Then I had the realization that I simply cannot function in life without band. This was when I made the choice to go FSU for graduate school. The goal was to get the masters and come back to teaching in North Carolina. I had the chance to stay and get a Phd for free through an assistantship so I took it. The hardest part of graduate school was going from a full time salary to nothing. I had to work at Publix to pay rent and bills. Thankfully, my school was paid for. Working that much in a service field like Publix does take a toll especially when I knew that was not my end goal. Then the pandemic came. That was an entire set of challenges, then i found my self graduating in 2021 as the pandemic was ending. Like undergrad, it was hard to find a job. I found one in Houston, TX at the University of Houston and it was miserable. Hands down, the worst year of my life. I hated living in Texas, it was far from everything and everyone I knew and Texas is just different. Then I got the job at KSU. Again, the first year at KSU was rough for the same reasons as East Lincoln. Leadership changes and a host of other issues. Three years in things are headed in the right direction!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
A part of this job that I enjoy the most is I write the drill, which is our formations we make on the field. The first year I did this, our drill was AWFUL ! haha! This season was probably some of the best drill I have written and the pictures of it look great. I also arrange the music for our basketball band. The basketball band is a throwback ensemble playing music from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000. Basically my childhood. I love writing those tunes and exposing my students to “real” music! haha!
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a perfectionist. I was terrified to get in trouble and I always had to be the best. I will never forget the C I got in 8th grade in Language Arts and I thought the world was ending! I got that work ethic from my parents. They demanded that I get a good education and that has served me well. I was also a fat kid in middle school and got picked on for being short and fat. When I got to high school, I refused to let that happen. That was when my fitness journey began and I have never looked back. I loved roller coasters and theme parks and still do to this day. I love cheesecake and desserts. To this day, I will only eat at restaurants with good desserts and if they have cheesecake it is an automatic yes! I also liked working when I was a teenager because I had my own money and I had the freedom to go and do what I wanted with my money.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kennesaw.edu/marching-owls/
- Instagram: @KSUmarchingowls
- Facebook: Kenensaw State University Bands
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennesawStateUniversityBands
