I have been teaching orchestra in Des Moines Schools since 2000. I have experience teaching band and choir as well. I have lived in or near Des Moines my whole life, and even went to college here at Drake University. Outside of school I enjoy playing trumpet, riding motorcycles, and traveling.

Hello Pleasant Hill Families!

May I start by saying I have the most AMAZING job in the world!! I get to do two of my most favorite things all day: create works of art and help students learn and grow artistically!

I graduated from Iowa State University with a BA in Curriculum & Instruction (K-6) and an endorsement in Art Education (K-8). I have enjoyed being a teacher in the Des Moines district for many years. I taught first grade for 7 years and Kindergarten for 4 years before deciding that I needed to grow my other passion, visual art, as well. Lucky for me, there was an opening at the best elementary school in Des Moines!

When I am not teaching, I am enjoying life at home and in the community. I have a wonderful son who is a former student here at Pleasant Hill. We like to hang out and play at home, go to farmer’s markets, ride our bikes, go to the zoo, and go to Adventureland, particularly Adventure Bay!

I am so excited to see everyone again this fall and meet the new families that will join our fantastic family! I can’t wait to see what all of our talented young artists have in store for us this year!

I grew up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and attended St. Cloud State University where I played tennis.  After graduating from college, I moved to Illinois to embark on a 12 year teaching career at a high school, intermediate school and ultimately an elementary school.  I enjoyed teaching  Physical Education  before deciding to teach tennis full-time.  After teaching tennis for 9 years, I am eager to get back to teaching physical education.

I have a wife who is also a teacher, a 14 year old son and a 10 year old daughter.  Both of my children are active in tennis, hockey and baseball/softball.

I look forward to being able to teach students to be physically active and be the best they can be.   I am excited to work with the students, families and staff at Pleasant Hill.

Mr. Parker is the 5th grade band director for Pleasant Hill Elementary. This is his tenth year with DMPS. For nine of those years, he was the Band/Orchestra director for Hoyt Middle School. The first three years included band at Pleasant Hill Elementary.

Mr. Parker has taught music for Keota, Woodward-Granger, and Des Moines Christian Schools. In that time, many of his bands have been successful in the areas of concert, jazz and marching band. His highest accomplishments are winning a state jazz title and having his concert band perform as the class 2A representative at the Iowa Bandmasters Association convention.

Mr. Parker was born and raised in Ottumwa. He has traveled across the country and parts of Europe including Russia with a Christian based group, The Continental Brass and Singers. He resides in Waukee with his wife, Amanda and their two boys, Carson and Caleb who are 16 and 12. Mr. Parker also enjoys coaching baseball and time with his family

I have been the music teacher at Pleasant Hill Elementary since the fall of 2012.  I have been a music teacher in the Des Moines district since the fall of 2006. Since beginning my music teaching career in the fall of 1997, I have taught vocal music at all levels from Kindergarten to 12th grade. During my tenure with Des Moines Public Schools, I have provided many different performance opportunities for students, including extracurricular choruses and show choir.  At Pleasant Hill I direct the Panther Pride Show Choir and our Panther Pride Chorus who enjoy the opportunity to share out in the community, including a performance at the Iowa Cubs.  I enjoy writing music for students, and I have written and performed several compositions over my years of teaching.

I believe in teaching the fundamentals necessary to help students take their music to the next level. I also believe in giving students many different performance opportunities to showcase their talents and develop confidence.

I have a son, John who is a Senior at Southeast Polk High, and my daughter Emma, who is a Freshman at Southeast Polk both attended Pleasant Hill Elementary.   My wife, Julie, is teaching Third Grade at Pleasant Hill Elementary.  I also work part-time for Colfax Tractor Parts as a farm equipment detailer.

During my time at Pleasant Hill, I have seen growth in the musical talents and involvement of students and am excited about the musical opportunities we will have at Pleasant Hill!