Josh Barro has heard it all.
The screech of 40 recorders. Dozens of third graders strumming ukuleles. The first notes out of a trumpet or clarinet.
And, usually months later, the chatter of success and tears of joy when students make music.
“From the first squeaks to actually being able to play songs, it was rewarding,” Barro said.
Barro, 33, is the band director at Mountain View High School in Meridian, where he has nearly doubled marching band participation since he took over five years ago. His ensembles routinely win competitions, and Barro is gaining recognition.
Last month, the West Ada district named him teacher of the year. National music publication SBO+ recently recognized him as a music teacher who makes a difference.
Barro attributes the program’s success to students’ buy-in and creating a welcoming community.
He has a saying: work, good, fun.
“It’s this circle of, if you work hard, then you get good at it. If you become good at something, you have fun with it. Therefore, you want to work hard even more,” Barro said. “Then it’s just a repeating cycle.”
‘I wanted to do that’
Barro started playing the violin in fourth grade. In middle school, his band had an instrument tryout session.
At first, he wanted to be a percussionist, but the trumpet intrigued him. Then he tried the trombone and fell in love. The instrument was unique, and he stuck with it.
Barro remembers his middle school band director as a “happy-go-lucky” person who was positive and caring. In high school, his band director was strict but showed he cared.
“Just watching how he ran the program and ran class, and how it influenced so many people in a positive way, I wanted to do that,” Barro said of his high school band director.
He studied music education at Boise State University and started his teaching career at Pioneer School of the Arts, teaching general music. Barro has since taught every grade, except fourth.
He enjoyed teaching instrument basics, but he always wanted to become a high school band director. So when the job at Mountain View opened, he jumped at the opportunity.
His love for teaching classical and symphonic music grew so much that he thought about going back to school to become a conductor. But the teaching bug stuck.
In his personal life, though, Barro isn’t rocking out to Bach. He’s into punk rock from Blink-182 to Sum 41.
Marching band teaches life lessons
It’s not the first day of school Barro looks forward to every year; it’s the first day of band camp.
Barro also runs Mountain View’s marching band, which involves 12-hour band camp days starting three weeks before school.
“It’s very much like a sport where we’re working on fundamentals,” he said. “We’re talking about how to work hard, how to have a good work ethic, how to work as a team, and how to cheer each other on.”
Barro grew up in a parade marching band, which largely played pop tunes, did a couple of halftime shows and pep rallies. That differs from Mountain View’s competitive model.
“Marching band to the public is just an entertainment for the crowd, entertainment for halftime,” Barro said. “But there’s actually this whole other side to it, where we start preparing early on before school starts for our competition season.”
The group puts together a near-theater production on a field, which lasts six to eight minutes.
The team first won a district competition in 2023 and has continued stacking up wins since.
Marching band season runs through October. Barro then turns to concert season, preparing the symphonic, concert, jazz and percussion ensemble for a series of annual performances and festivals.
“It’s pretty chaotic,” Barro said.
An unexpected part of the job is managing schedules, inventory and the budget. Barro fundraises about $40,000 a year to send the marching band to competitions and hire 15 support staff to help instruct the 120 members.
One of those alumni, 2018 graduate Mary Elliott, helps teach percussion. She pointed to Barro’s emphasis on culture and growth.
Barro helped the program grow from about 65 students in 2021 to nearly 120 expected next fall.
The program needed someone to “connect students and create culture,” Elliott said, “and he was the perfect person to do that. He’s a visionary, but he does it with grace.”
Barro relies on student section leaders, giving them the opportunity to support their peers. That responsibility and camaraderie creates a great band environment, Elliott said.
“He’s really good at listening to what the team wants as a whole,” said Shiloh Arlit, a co-color guard director.
Arlit attributes the program’s growth to Barro’s structure and support.
“He’s really good at finding the balance of being professional and getting things done,” Arlit said. “And also being relaxed enough where the kids feel very comfortable to come talk to him.”
Creating that place of belonging has made the band popular among teens.
“He’s really good at cultivating a community of kids that want to come back,” Arlit said.
Barro does middle school tours with the band in the fall to recruit students and has worked with the school’s athletic directors to create more performance opportunities.
For Barro, the wins aren’t the goal, though. It’s helping his musicians become confident, caring people.
“When you get into the real world, you’re going to have to work with people,” he said. “You’re going to have to learn how to be kind to people. The sooner they can do that the better.”
Josh Barro
Years teaching: 10
Grades taught: All grades but fourth
What advice would you give to newbies?
Find a mentor who will help you through everything. Always ask questions. Even if you think it’s the dumbest question, still ask it. Even if people give you different answers, getting a consensus on these questions can help you figure out your own philosophy.
What do you wish parents knew about teaching?
