Butler Area band director enjoys last alumni night
BUTLER TWP — Jeff Kroner celebrated one of his last games as head director of the Golden Tornado Marching Band alongside both current and past members as he prepares to retire from the role.
The band was joined by more than 100 alumni for alumni night Friday, Oct. 3, on the field of Art Bernardi Stadium before the Butler versus University football game. The alumni joined the rest of the band in its pregame performance, including the playing of the district’s alma mater.
Kroner said the band used to do annual alumni nights, but they were placed on hiatus after the COVID-19 pandemic. Before leaving, he decided to bring back the program but instead hold it once every four years.
“The reason I wanted to do that is to make it special,” Kroner said. “A lot of these kids had their parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents in the band. If I do it every four years, it forces them to do it that one year because it’s the only shot to be with their relative on the field.”
During prior alumni nights, he said turnout usually was about 20 or 30. While he attributed the increase to the changes made, some of the alumni painted a different story.
Their reason for being here? Kroner himself.
“People are back tonight, right? That doesn’t happen without him,” Josh Croupe, a 2014 graduate, said. “He was talking before the game about all the kids he’s counseled over the years. He’s more of a counselor now than a music teacher.”
Devyn Bauer, a 2002 graduate, had Kroner as her music teacher throughout her time at Butler Area School District. She said she was not a regular attendee of alumni night until this one.
“I’ve only come once, and then I came this time because he’s retiring,” Bauer said. “He taught me how to play.”
She said discipline was the main lesson she learned from Kroner.
“You can’t quit, you can’t, because somebody is going to see you put your arms down or see you out of step. Just get back into step, get your arms up, put your horn out and keep moving. You’ve got things to do,” Bauer said.
Kroner was hired by the district in 1993 and began working with the marching band in 1998. He said he has served as the head director of the marching band for 13 years.
“There’s a lot of pride about the band in this community. A lot of people don’t realize how special are the things we have here in Butler, and it’s been an honor to be a part of it,” he said.
He said marking moments throughout his last season has been a bittersweet experience, but knows the hardest parts are still ahead.
“The band banquet is going to be tough, because that’ll be the true closure of my last season. My last concert in May is going to be tough after all these years. There’s a lot of these moments.”
Despite being a lifelong educator, Kroner said he’s learned from and earned so much from his time at the district.
“Just watching these kids go from scared little freshmen that don’t know what they're doing to young adults, and seeing all the alumni come back, they’ve got families of their own. A lot of their kids are in the band now,” he said.
Before the alumni left, many stopped to say “hello” to Kroner and give him a hug, which he returned every time. He said his first goal was always to help positively change the lives of his students.
“I’ve had 35 student teachers in my career and every one of them, when they walk in I’ll say, ‘you can either teach music to kids or you can teach kids using music.’ I’ve always used music to get them into my area so then I can teach them how to be responsible, respectful, on time, do their job, count on others and lead by example,” he said.
