Greg Grant is a modest guy. He'll tell you so himself. The new Gilroy High School band director prefers to let the achievements of his students do the talking. With 10 years of experience under his belt, the 31-year-old comes to Gilroy from Sonora where he served as band director at the local high school for a year. "I saw a fantastic opportunity in a fantastic town," he said of Gilroy. Newly married, he and his wife, a school teacher, will begin their new life together here in Gilroy.
Hired to replace longtime band director, Joey Fortino, Grant's main goal is to maintain consistency in the band program to make the transition as "smooth and unnoticed" as possible.
"It's tough anytime taking over for someone," Grant said. "Especially for someone who's as integral a community member (as Fortino)."
He met his pupils during band camp in the weeks leading up to the start of school and described them as a "polite and courteous" bunch.
"I'm impressed with the youth in Gilroy," he said. "The students are really nice students."
One of his favorite parts of the job is "seeing them grow and develop from freshman to seniors," he said.
"He's not trying to change anything in a big way," said Gabe Gutierrez, 17, a senior drum major. Gutierrez remembered playing in a "really good" band his freshman year followed by sophomore and junior years that were "a little rough."
"This year is solid already," he said.
"We're off to a good start," agreed Donavan Jones, 16, a senior drum captain.
During camp, Grant weaved in and out of the intricate formations, joking with his new students and making adjustments as they practiced drills during band camp.
"Greg's very hands on," said Bobby Frey, one of Grant's assistants, contrasting the new director to Fortino, who would "very much leave you to your own devices."
"He doesn't like to be left out of the loop on anything," Frey said.
In addition to overseeing the marching band, Grant will be the full time band director at the high school, teaching the jazz and concert ensemble classes. His receives an annual salary of $62,126 plus a $2,392 band director stipend. He has yet to select a benefit package, according to Kim Filice, director of human resources.
Grant played tuba in his own high school band, graduated from University of the Pacific with a bachelor's degree in music composition, and went on to earn his master's degree in music education from California State University, Fresno. He was married in June, hired in July, moved to Gilroy and said he's excited to become a member of the community.
"It's important to live where you work," he said.
He enjoys sports, outdoor activities and playing video games.
"These are all answers like a teenager would give," he laughed, trying to steer the conversation back to his students.
"This band program was made a priority," he said. "I'm going to give it everything I have."
