Voices of ZCS:
The Sound of Connection

For 25 years, Zionsville Middle School band director Josh Weirich has been shaping young musicians while still performing as a professional saxophone player across the Midwest. In this Voices of ZCS feature, Josh reflects on the joy of blending performance and teaching, the traditions that unite school and community, and the lasting lessons he hopes students carry with them long after the final note.

Voices of ZCS: ZCS Superintendent Rebecca Coffman sits down for a conversation with ZMS Band Director Josh Weirich

Music is
Play Time

Zionsville Middle School Band Director Josh Weirich on performance, passion, and the power of community

For 25 years, Zionsville Middle School band director Josh Weirich has been helping students discover that music is more than notes on a page. It’s teamwork, discipline, joy, and community. A professional saxophone player who has performed with national acts such as The Temptations, The Four Tops, The O’Jays, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and the Lawrence Welk Orchestra, Weirich blends a performer’s heart with an educator’s steady guidance.

“I grew up wrestling with whether I should be a performer or a teacher,” Weirich said. “What I’ve learned is you can do both. You just have to be okay being busy all the time.”
ZMS Band Educator and Professional Performer Josh Weirich

Balancing Beginners and Professionals

On any given day, Weirich might be directing a class of 110 sixth graders or performing at a jazz club in Indianapolis, Louisville, or Chicago.

“It’s fun to work with professionals on the weekends, but it’s just as exciting to stand in front of a seventh-grade band that finally has their piece ready and say, we are ready to rock and roll,” he shared.
ZMS Band Educator and Professional Performer Josh Weirich

He describes teaching middle school band as “steering a cruise ship.” With so many students, the smallest moments, like greetings during passing periods, hallway conversations, or chats at bus duty, are the places where Weirich forges personal connections.

“Kids remember the teachers who made them feel seen,” he said. “Sometimes that 30-second conversation before or after class is the most important time I spend all day.”
ZMS Band Educator and Professional Performer Josh Weirich

Tradition, Teamwork, and Joy

From Veterans Day convocations to the Lions Club Fall Festival parade, Weirich treasures the way music brings school and community together.

“There is no performance we do that’s seen by more people than the parade,” he explained. “The whole town is there, and students realize they’re part of something bigger.”
ZMS Band Educator and Professional Performer Josh Weirich

He hopes his students walk away with two things: “An appreciation for music, and an understanding of what it means to be part of a team. Not every kid is on a baseball team, but this is a team too. When everyone does their part, the result is greater than the sum of its pieces.”

A Career Rooted in People

Looking back, Weirich credits mentors like the late Sandy Graff for shaping his teaching philosophy. Her influence still echoes through his classroom.

“She took this lost puppy and showed me the ropes,” he said.
ZMS Band Educator and Professional Performer Josh Weirich

Even after decades of teaching, his energy comes from his students.

“They keep me young,” he said. “And teaching my own kids has been a joy. My daughter, who’s in fifth grade, still gives me five hugs a day. I’ll hold on to that as long as it lasts.”
ZMS Band Educator and Professional Performer Josh Weirich

Weirich’s bucket list includes traveling to Europe with his wife and exploring more of the national parks he loves. But when asked his favorite sound, he didn’t hesitate:

“Our band, right before a performance. That moment when all the work comes together, that’s my favorite sound in the world.”
ZMS Band Educator and Professional Performer Josh Weirich