Back to school with Mr. Dennee

Each new school year, The Denmark News likes to sit down with members of Denmark School District staff to learn more about them and their insights on education. This year, we spoke with longtime Denmark Middle School Band Director Bill Dennee to gauge his perspective on his impressive tenure of helping make music in the district.

For over two decades, Bill Dennee has been inspiring young musicians and igniting lifelong passions in his students. Raised in Menasha, Dennee graduated from Menasha High School before attending UW-Green Bay and obtaining a degree in Music Education. He says it is hard to pinpoint just when his passion for music began, but he credits a "really great high school band teacher" as well as his college instructors for steering him into music education. He says he is "very thankful I've always had very passionate teachers".

After graduating college, Dennee spent ten years teaching at Algoma Middle School before making his way to Denmark. When asked what brought him to the district, he explains it was then DHS Band Director Karen Johnson, saying, "I really wanted the opportunity to teach with her."  Dennee took over as the DMS Band Director in 2001 and has been a fixture of the district ever since. When asked what has kept him in Denmark all these years, Dennee responds it is "the support of the community" adding "the Denmark community is so supportive of the band program". He also says the teaching staff and administrators he has worked with have been "just awesome".

Dennee says his favorite part of teaching is "the process". He explains, "I get to start with them from the very first day they ever hold an instrument and get to see what great musicians they become in three short years." As to why music education is important, Dennee says, "It makes students well-rounded and lets them get into their creative side…I don't think there is another classroom where students can feel such emotion." He says his favorite parts of each school year are the annual Band Extravaganza concert with the DHS Band and the Veterans Day Program each November.

As if the hectic schedule of a band teacher was not enough to keep a person busy, Dennee also spends a great deal of time outside of school sharing his talents with others. He is a founding member of "Big Mouth and the Power Tool Horns" which has been delighting audiences across the area and beyond with their funky sounds for over 32 years. Dennee explains the "Power Tool Horns" was formed out of a group of his college friends and originally consisted of four members before growing to nine. The band now performs around seventy performances a year and were featured in a concert at DMS this spring. In his free time, Dennee says he enjoys spending time with his mom.

If you speak with any of Bill Dennee's students from throughout his time at DMS, you will find he is all but universally respected and held in high esteem by those who were lucky enough to call him a teacher. Over the past 23 years, he has transformed the middle school band program into a powerhouse of talent that continues to ignite new artistic passions year after year. As one of these former students himself, this reporter would like to wish Mr. Dennee the best of luck this school year and express his gratitude for years and years of music.