Andrew Carr is the director of bands for Lakota West High School. Prior to his return to Lakota West in 2014, Mr. Carr worked for three years as associate director of bands at Kettering Fairmont High School. He taught students from the sixth through twelfth grades. Prior to his employment at Kettering Fairmont, Mr. Carr was the director of jazz studies at Lakota West High School, teaching five curricular jazz bands. Previous to his time at Lakota, he was the director of bands at New Richmond High School for five years.
Mr. Carr is a 1998 graduate of Lakota West High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Miami University. He is currently working on his masters of music degree at Miami University during the summers.
Mr. Carr has extensive marching experience. He marched with Lakota West and Miami University. He also has a DCI world championship ring earned with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps during the 2000 season.
Mr. Carr has taken three trips to Europe and Russia on choral tours. During one of these trips, he sang in St. Peter’s Basilica for Pope John Paul II. He has also had the good fortune to perform with or under the direction of many well-known artists: Gunterh Schuller, Michael Colgrass, Fredrick Fennell, Steven Reineke, Jeff Folkens, Scott Belck, Dana Hall, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis and A.R. Rahman, to name a few.
Mr. Carr remains an active trumpet player, having performed with many professional and amateur groups. He plays regularly in the Emerald City Jazz Orchestra and often performs in and directs musical theater productions. Mr. Carr is an active member in the Ohio Music Education Association. He has regularly attended OMEA contests and often hosted events, acting as the chair of several All-State ensembles. He is also a member of the International Trumpet Guild, and NAfME.
Mr. Carr resides in West Chester with his wife Alyssa and two sons, Chandler and Maddox.