Howe Area Chamber of Commerce

Elmer Schenk (1949 – ) was hired as Howe High School’s second ever band director in 1977. By the time he left Howe in 2000, he was known as one of the best band instructors in all of Texas. As early as 1979, Schenk had taken a fairly new band program and turned it into one of the most surprisingly talented marching bands in the region. By 1980, he made them the best in Texas. With a demand for perfection, his bands received over 20 Sweepstakes Awards (first division in Marching, Concert, and Sight-Reading) and were named the Class 2A TMEA Honor Band in 1986 and 2000 and was a top-five finalist three other years. His band won the UIL State Marching contest in 1980, 1995 and 1997 and was a finalist multiple other times. He is also a founding charter member of the Association of Texas Small School Bands which is an organization that has brought immeasurable recognition and opportunities for smaller school bands and their students since 1992. Though retired, he continues to mentor band directors in the area and work with band students through substitute teaching and the volunteering of his time.