Paul L. Parets - Director of Bands
Paul L. Parets has been Director of Bands at Alexis I. duPont High School in Greenville, Delaware since 1976. Prior to that, he was Band Director at Croswell-Lexington High School in Michigan. A graduate of Melvindale High School, he received a B.ME from Central Michigan University and earned graduate credits from the University of Michigan and the University of Maryland. During his tenure at A.I. duPont, the band has grown from 90 to well over 300 students enrolled in Freshman Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and The Tiger Marching Band.
Since 1989, his bands have received 1 st Place awards in every category of every Festival Competition they have entered. The Tiger Marching Band is currently the only high school band outside California ever to be invited to the Pasadena Rose Parade [The Rose Bowl] five times: 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004 and 2008. The Tigers have appeared in the Orange Bowl, The London New Year's Day Parade, The Macy*s Parade, the Rome New Year's day Parade, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, The Hall of Fame Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the 6ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia and the Inaugurations of two Presidents. His bands have performed at The Royal Albert Hall, The Kennedy Center for the Arts, the Grand Opera House and the Ireland National Concert Hall.
Parets was named Delaware Teacher of the Year in 1987 and recipient of the Ruth M. Jewell Outstanding Music Educator Award from the Music Educator's National Conference at Indianapolis in 1988. Governor Michael Castle named Parets to the Order of the First State in 1989. He has since been named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers on four occasions and named to Marquise Who's Who In America in 2006. Parets is credited with having created a unique band program in which an elected student Executive Board makes major decisions about music and band activities. The father of two children, Tim and Meredith, and two grandchildren, Aaron and Abigail, Parets resides in Delaware City, Delaware where he is an elected member of City Council. He is an active member of St. Mary's Anglican Church in Wilmington, DE.
Richard Weaver - Associate Director of Bands
Rich Weaver became the Assistant Band Director at Alexis I. du Pont in the fall
of 2003. As an alumni (class of 1998), Rich is honored to be back home working
with such a first-class organization. He has incredible memories from his time
in band and hopes to share them with the students at AI for many years to come.
While the trip to Rome was amazing last year, Rich is very excited about this year's
trip because it will be his second appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade
as our Assistant Band Director! Mr. Weaver also serves as our school's Jazz
Band Director. His travel expeience with the band includes trips to Rome,
London, Ireland, Canada, Arizona (Fiesta Bowl Parade), and California
(Tournament of Roses Parade).
Rich received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of
Delaware. He has studied percussion with Harvey Price, Tom Palmer, Orlando
Cotto, Jim Ancona and Tomo Azuma. Rich has been a Percussion Instructor for the
University of Delaware Drumline since 2002. He has also instructed and arranged
percussion for several local high school bands on both a competitive and
non-competitive level.
Lindsay Taylor - Band Front Advisor
Lindsay Taylor, an AI Band alum, has been teaching Spanish and Drama at AI since 2005. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor's in Theatre Production and Spanish. She became the Band Front Advisor in 2006 and works with the Pom, Silk and Twirling squads.
