Stewart Alloway has been hired as the new Director of Bands at Washington High School.
Alloway previously was the Assistant Director of Bands at Jefferson City High School for eight years. During his time there, the Jefferson City High School band program went from 110 students to 205 students. They were honored with two Missouri Music Educator Association Conference performances in 2015 and 2019, awarded several Bands of America (BOA) Super Regional Top 25 Placements/Division 1 ratings, and consistent Superior (1 Ratings) at the MSHSAA Large Group Festival.
“It’s awesome to be here in Washington. Coming from Jefferson City, one of the largest school districts in the state, I was part of rebuilding the band program there and we had a lot of success. I felt it was time for my first head gig and this is the perfect opportunity. It’s exciting,” Alloway said. “There are a lot of similarities between Washington and Jefferson City. It’s nice to be back close to where I grew up and moving back to this area. It will be nice to experience the St. Louis area as an adult. I haven’t been back here since 2006.”
Alloway grew up in Lake St. Louis and attended Holt High School in Wentzville for the first three years of his high school career. He then attended Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kan., during his senior year and graduated from there in 2007. He went to college at the University of Kansas, where he holds a bachelor’s degree in music education. He also holds a master’s degree from the University of Central Missouri.
“I want to instill accountability and success in our students here at Washington. I was very fortunate to have dinner with Julie (former WHS color guard director) and Troy (former WHS band director) Bunkley recently. Knowing that I’m only the fifth band director here in the program’s history, there’s a lot to be proud about,” Alloway said. “Keeping the students accountable will be important. The resources are here to be one of the top five programs in the state. I think it’s all here for us. I’m hoping to increase the number of students we have in the band, like we did in Jefferson City, and to make sure our students are successful.”
Alloway already is busy preparing for the 2021-22 school year.
“There’s a lot to do. We still need to hire a color guard sponsor and a new assistant band director. Alfredo (DeLeon) got a director job in his hometown, which he couldn’t pass on. So we need to replace him. Jacob (Bisaillon) and I are busy planning for the school year. We’re hitting the ground running,” said Alloway, who has big goals for the WHS band program.
“When the students can be accountable for themselves and push each other, that only makes the band better,” he said. “We want students to enjoy playing their instrument, but understand there’s an expectation they need to have. You always have to be hungry. It’s OK to be satisfied, but you have to be satisfied and still hungry to be even better. One of my goals for this program is to get to the state convention in the next four years, get that band size back up, and see where it goes. All the tools are here.”
Alloway’s parents live in the Kansas City area. He has a brother who lives in St. James and a sister who resides in Webster Groves.
Stewart Alloway