JHS Directors

Patrick Kearney

Patrick Kearney became Director of Bands at Johnston High School in the fall of 2000. At Johnston High School he is the director of the Wind Symphony, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band, as well as the JHS Varsity Marching Band. During his tenure in Johnston the bands have had significant success in all areas of the program. Concert Bands under his direction have received nothing but superior ratings at the state large group contest, his jazz bands have consistently qualified for the Iowa Jazz Championships, the Marching Band has won numerous contests, the band program has seen a record number of All-State musicians, and enrollment in the 9-12 band program has doubled since his arrival.

Mr. Kearney is a graduate of Drake University. Prior to teaching in Johnston he held teaching positions at Remsen St. Mary’s High School, LeMars Gehlen High School, Des Moines Hoover High School, Stilwell Junior High in West Des Moines, and Dallas Center-Grimes High School. For three years he was was an instructor at Drake University where he directed Drake Jazz II. During his tenure at Drake, Jazz II finished as high as second (behind Drake Jazz I) at the prestigious Eau Claire Jazz Festival. Mr. Kearney has been President of the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Iowa Jazz Championships and Executive Director of the Adventureland Festival of Bands. He is married to Cathy Kearney and has a wonderful son, Brogan.

Richard Wolfe

Richard Wolfe, a native of Chicago, has been a band director and music educator in the state of Iowa for over 33 years until his retirement from full time teaching in the spring of 2007. During this time he was a frequent adjudicator and clinician for marching and concert bands at the junior high and high school level. Richard served for eleven years as host for the IHSMA Marching Band Contest while teaching at Lincoln High School in Des Moines and has served as the chair of the IBA Marching Affairs Committee.

He is currently treasurer for the Iowa Jazz Championships and served several years past as co-chair for this organization. Richard also taught in the Alden, Sidney, and North Polk School Districts in Iowa, as well as Roosevelt High School and Weeks Middle School in the Des Moines Public Schools. After 2 years of retirement he returned to teaching part time in the Johnston School District.

Richard and his wife, Peggy, live in Johnston where Peggy is the seventh grade band director in the Johnston Community School District.