Morus hired as new band director

By Conner Stroud

David Morus has been selected as Tyrone’s new school band director, replacing Mark Murphy.

Morus went to Duquesne University for music education and graduated magna cum laude. Although he said he cares more about the knowledge he gained, and can now use with the band, than the grade.

He’s been teaching for five years total, Windber and Highlands as choir director and Steel Valley as band director. While at Steel Valley he helped the band to a Chapter championship.

Morus said that the interview was very long, but not intimidating. He was being interviewed at the same time as he was planning his wedding and found out he got the job the week of his wedding.

He said it was a little intimidating coming into a band that has been so successful in the past, but he got more comfortable as he got to know the students and the dynamic of the group better.

Some of Morus’ short term goals are to change up the recruitment in the band program. He wants to go after the fourth graders so he knows who will be in his classes before the year starts. He also wants to continue the success for all bands.

As for his long term goals Morus “Wants the band program to be so big and visible that people will see us and assume that we’re from a Quad A school.”

He teaches all the band classes, from fifth grade band to the high school Jazz Band. He also teaches seventh grade general music. Morus really enjoys having band classes from start to finish.

“Everyone at Tyrone Area School District is very supportive and there is a lot of enthusiasm.” Morus stated.

He plans to stay for a while. He says he can see himself being very happy here for a long time.

His hobbies are reading, hiking, and geocaching. Geocaching is a sort of treasure hunt, where people leave “caches” in the woods or some other secluded place, and log their latitude and longitude so others can find them. Morus even proposed to his wife through the use of a geocache.

Morus says that if you want to know more about him, you can join the band and get to know him yourself.