T-Jon Kelly, director of the Mighty Hornet Band, chose his career because he enjoyed his time in the band in high school; it was a fun experience.

One of Kelly’s biggest accomplishments at Hooks High School is the number of students who have received scholarships from being in the band. He enjoys the challenge of teaching students about band and music, and he appreciates the encouragement of the other band directors.

His hobbies outside of work are reading and watching college basketball. If he could go anywhere in the world, he would visit Japan and all of the Disney parks. An interesting fact about Kelly is that he has been married to the same woman three times. His biggest “ick” is when people chew sunflower seeds and leave the shells on the ground.

Kelly said that if he could tell his younger self something before he started teaching, he would say, “Most things aren’t as important as you make them out to be.” He finds inspiration in a famous quote by Henry David Thoreau, which states, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him keep step to the music which he hears, however measured or however far away.”