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NS alumni Marley Booher has returned to assist the high school in the new job of pepband director in preparation for her future career.
While a student at NS, Booher discovered her passion for teaching and music while participating in the many music pro- grams here.
“I have always wanted to be a teacher of some sort,” Booher said, “and then in high school, I fell in love with music, and I said, ‘Oooh I love this, I want to teach this’, because I want to share what I love with other people.”
After graduating from NS in 2019, Booher continued her education in music at Snow College. She had only finished one full year when the pandemic of the Covid-19 struck. Covid made being a music major super hard because they could not meet or play in groups. That was when she decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She left to serve in the Iowa City, Iowa, mission at the end of September 2020 and returned in March 2022.
Since returning, she has continued her education at Snow College. She is currently in her 3rd year at Snow College and she hopes to finish her music degree by 2025.
Earlier this year, Timothy Kidder, music director at NS, first encouraged her to apply for a new job opening at NS, pep-band director. She did so, and to her delight, she was hired for the job.
“I really like the high school, and it’s also a great opportunity for me to have this on my resume for when I try to get my own jobs as a director at any other high school,” Booher said.
As the pep band director, she directs the pep band in playing music at all of the basketball games and the football games. She even helps out now and again when she can with just the regular band and percussion class.
“She has been really great about coming in and helping out with everything,” Kidder said, “There is part of me that struggles to give up control, but it’s been really nice having help.” With her new job, she has not only been able to use it as an opportunity to help Kidder but also the various high school students involved in music classes at NS.
“She is patient when she’s helping [students],” said concert band member freshman Taylor Michie. Booher often helps struggling individuals, and even sections, by sitting and playing with them to make sure they are playing the music correctly and help them out with whatever they need.
“She helps [students] understand their music better,” senior percussionist Tori Day said, “She’s always willing to learn new things too.”
As Booher an aspiring band director, she has also become willing to learn how to play new instruments, thus making her a multi-instrumentalist — she knows how to play multiple instruments: bassoon, saxophone, flute.
