An Inspiration to Young and Old

This morning Hernando Today ran a story about Joe Harrin, the new band director for Hernando High School. Believe it or not, this article brought a smile to my face because I truly admire and respect Mr. Harrin. I met him during his first year of teaching at Central High School in 2001 when he brought the band to the Veterans Parade. The kids only knew one marching tune at that point but the enthusiasm Mr. Harrin had instilled in this young adults was remarkable. Mr. Harrin has attended the veterans parade with the school bands 4 out of the 5 years. At the parade last Saturday, I watched Mr. Harrin marching backwards, in formation, with his young musicians throughout most of the route giving instruction and support. At the end of the parade in the city hall parking lot, Mr. Harrin called out to his musicians to remove their heavy uniform jackets. The temperature was well over 8o degrees and the kids were extremely overheated at this point. I watched him assist the drummers with their uniforms, by marching backwards, to open theirs collars. The love and respect Mr. Harrin shows to his kids comes back tenfold with their admiration for him. Angela Taylor of Hernando Today could not have stated it better when she wrote that Joe Harrin, Jr is an inspiration to the young and old. The Hernando Royal Regiment Marching Band is fortunate to have Mr. Harrin as their new music director. Our county is truly blessed to have this remarkable teacher in our community!