Steve Butcher ready to take baton and lead WHHS band
Steve Butcher, West Holmes Middle School band director, left, will replace the retiring Brian Dodd as the WHHS band director next year. Butcher said he is taking careful notes so he can continue the legacy Dodd has built at West Holmes High School.
For a quarter-century, Brian Dodd has been directing the West Holmes Knights band groups and instilling knowledge of music into his students.
At the end of this school year, Dodd will step down, retiring from a role that has endeared him to so many and handing the directorial baton to Steve Butcher, current director at West Holmes Middle School.
For a man who has invested so much into a program, it might be hard to let go for Dodd, but he said he is excited to hand the future over to Butcher.
“I have the person I want to take over, and I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t absolutely comfortable in putting this program into good hands,” Dodd said.
Dodd had actually considered retirement two years ago, but when Mike Pacula, assistant and middle school director, passed away during the pandemic, he stayed on board.
Then Butcher returned to the district and made an immediate impact on Dodd.
Butcher said stepping into some big shoes is a challenge and an honor, and he said continuing a program recognized state-wide will be fun.
“I’m both excited and nervous to follow Brian, but he’s put everything in place for me to continue the legacy he’s built,” Butcher said.
Butcher had been at Danville Schools, where he was teaching band for three years and serving as choir director for 11 years prior to that while assisting with the band.
He moved into the WHMS band role this year but had experienced his first year of teaching as Dodd’s understudy at West Holmes before budget cuts initiated the move to Danville.
As a resident of West Holmes School District and a former teacher, Butcher said he always felt someday he might return to the district.
He did so this past year, in the process receiving a healthy dose of learning from one of the state’s finest directors.
“I get to learn from the best,” Butcher said. “I take tons of notes. I have a file on my computer titled ‘Things for next year.’ It’s full of wisdom from Brian, and I ask a lot of questions. I am so thrilled to be taking on a program built by the legend that is Brian Dodd.”
Dodd said he doesn’t expect Butcher to become the next Brian Dodd, but rather the best version of Steve Butcher he can be. He did say Butcher understands the core principles of the band program, and he knows he will continue to provide excellent leadership in a program built on excellence.
“He’ll bring his own style and flair, but most important to me has always been being a positive influence on the kids, and I know Steve will continue to do that,” Dodd said. “The music is the tool to reach kids in a unique way.”
He said Kristen O’Brien, WHHS choir director and a former Dodd student, also understands that, and the music department at WHHS is in great hands moving forward.
“They know what’s important,” Dodd said. “The kids come first, then the music. The music takes care of itself because we take care of the kids.”