The recent departure of beloved band director, music teacher, and jazz ensemble conductor Mr. Stroup left a gap in Lower Moreland High School’s teaching staff. Recently, this gap was filled by Mr. Obringer, the newest addition to the faculty, and someone with a very interesting backstory.

Mr. Obringer grew up on a farm in the state of Ohio and went to school in a very small town. He attended college at  Ohio University, where he majored in Music Education and played in both marching and jazz bands. After studying there for four years, Mr. Obringer came to Pennsylvania to start teaching as a graduate assistant, and he currently works at West Chester University part-time.

As the youngest child in his family, Mr. Obringer first experienced music by playing drums with a screwdriver on top of a bucket. Eventually, he started taking music lessons from the members of his family, who all played in the band as well. The first director Mr. Obringer ever had was his uncle, who would conduct the family band during holidays.

Mr. Obringer continued to play in the band during his school years, playing percussion and trumpet throughout middle and high school. In college, he had to take classes that focused on every single band instrument for his major.

Mr. Obringer eventually decided to become a music teacher/band instructor and pass on the skills he admired so much when he was younger.  “I wanted to continue being a part of that, and help people continue to have the same positive band experience that I had in high school,” he said.  “I knew that Lower Moreland had a great music program, and I had heard wonderful things about the staff and the music teachers here.”

When asked for his favorite thing about his experience at Lower Moreland so far, Mr. Obringer mentioned the recent Winter Band Concert (January 13) and how fulfilling it was to get the band playing again at real concerts. In his words, “The winter concert was a big deal because the students hadn’t performed in front of a live audience in a long time, and as musicians, that is a big part of what we do.” Mr. Obringer also expressed how proud he was with how seriously all of his students handled their big performance.

Apart from the concerts scheduled in the near future, Mr. Obringer has many more ideas planned for this school year. He has already stated that the jazz ensemble will be traveling to the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival. He has also expressed a desire to start up the wind ensemble again, and to create more opportunities for students to meet in different-sized groups.

Mr. Obringer currently teaches five classes of band, acting as the conductor for the concert and symphonic bands, as well as one period of AP music theory.  He also directs after-school rehearsals and jazz ensemble.

Some of Mr. Obringer’s non music-related hobbies include playing and watching various sports, such as football, baseball, tennis, and basketball, skiing, and watching movies like Harry Potter and Star Wars.

As a final statement, Mr. Obringer had this to say about his experience: “I think that Lower Moreland is a really excellent school. I feel really lucky to be here, and I am very appreciative of all of the kids and staff who have helped to welcome me to this new school. A big thank you to all of the students and teachers that have welcomed me here! I hope that [students] get the chance to participate in music somehow when they are in high school, and if they have never had the chance to participate in music, whether it is in band or something else, then to give it a try and see how much they enjoy it!”

Although Mr. Obringer has only been at Lower Moreland for a couple months, he has already had an astounding impact on our band, jazz ensemble, and music students. Students have quickly gotten used to his style of instruction during band classes, and he has already been featured on our very own LMHS news.  We will have to wait and see what the future holds for Mr. Obringer at LMHS!