The Trinity Marching Band started their season this year with some new help! Ms. Bumpus is the new band director/general music teacher at the middle school and the assistant band director at the High School. Bumpus took over after Mr. Lowry’s recent retirement, and she has already brought new ideas to the music department. Trinity has also gotten a new elementary school band teacher, Mrs. Graham. Mr. Hilty, Bumpus, Mr. Conkle and Mrs. Graham are all closely working together to continue to revive the band programs at Trinity. 

Bumpus has had a great passion for music since she was young and has also loved making positive impacts on people’s lives. She has been playing the trumpet as her primary instrument since the fifth grade. In high school, Bumpus knew that being a music teacher would be the perfect job for her. Bumpus went on to graduate from West Virginia University, where she was in their marching band. 

Bumpus always has heard excellent things about Trinity and was thrilled to hear that the middle school music position had opened up. When she was being interviewed for the position, she was excited to hear that the arts were equally important as the athletics and academics at Trinity. After that, Bumpus knew that she was in the right place and would be able to provide students with the same life-changing musical opportunities that she had.

“I am so thankful for Trinity’s music department.  They are incredible people and top-notch educators. We are constantly supporting each other and working together to do the very best job we can for all of our students. I could not have asked for a better team to work with,” Bumpus says.

 Bumpus also has some great ideas to get the middle school band involved with the high school band. The band directors are planning to do a concert band camp, a social for all band students in the district, a pyramid concert and many other things to come. 

 Bumpus hopes to make her class a safe space for her students to be able to learn and express themselves. She wants all of her students to be able to grow as students and musicians, while also learning everything there is to know about music. 

“Ms. Bumpus is very hands-on with her teaching. I think I learn more and have a lot of fun in her class. The atmosphere feels a lot more alive within the room,” Stephen Bryant, an eighth-grader in the marching band, says.

Bumpus’s first few weeks as a teacher here have been wonderful. This is her first year teaching and she is excited to start her career here. She is very hands-on with her teaching and she’s happy to get to watch her students grow each day. She considers it an honor to be able to guide them along their journey to becoming better musicians. Bumpus also plans on starting up a jazz band, so be on the lookout. Welcome to the Trinity Hillers, Ms. Bumpus!