Mike Sewell’s office is a small cubby tucked away in the maze-like hallways at Pickerington High School Central.

Photos play a significant part in Sewell’s office décor. A long-time director of bands for the district (he has been at Central since the high schools split in 2003), Sewell, 52, keeps various framed mementos from the band’s history: playing at George W. Bush’s second inauguration, hosting the United States Marine Corps Band at the school and other snapshots of unforgettable moments.

But some things just can’t be hung on a wall.

“At my first booster meeting in 1981, I had a parent ask me, ‘What are your goals for the band?’” he recalls. “I said, ‘I want to have a band someday that is good enough to play in the (Rose Bowl) Parade of Roses.’ And people laughed.”

That attitude has changed drastically in Sewell’s 28-year tenure. This year, Central’s marching band will participate both in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Parade of Roses. It will be the fourth time the band has appeared in either event, Sewell says, something no other high school band in Ohio has accomplished. The program has also grown, increasing its membership to 200 students who participate in the marching, concert and jazz bands.

Ever humble, Sewell credits these accomplishments to the students. Their talent and character has shaped the band program into one of the most respected in the state, he says.

Still, Sewell acknowledges he has also worked extremely hard for the program. He describes his efforts as “a labor of love,” a hard-won pinnacle in a life devoted to music and education.

Sewell grew up in Whitehall, the son of a pianist and an organist who met at church. His first instrument was the trombone, which he continued playing while at Whitehall High School.

“I was a pretty good student, but not a great student in high school,” he says. “Music was the one thing I did pretty well. I just felt a calling.”

He graduated with honors from Otterbein College in 1979 with a music degree (he also met his wife Kathy in the music program there). After two years with the Crooksville High School band program, Sewell came to Pickerington, and he hasn’t looked back.

Sewell says he has underscored more than just music in the band program. As a former baseball and basketball player who also coached seventh grade boys’ hoops for 25 years, Sewell urges students to stretch their boundaries and diversify their interests.

“People tend to stereotype band kids and musicians and artists, and that really bugs me,” he says. “When we can reach out and show people that we can do multiple things well, that’s something I really try to emphasize. We want (the kids) to do as many things as they can do well. We want to educate the whole student.”

Although not a veteran, history and honoring veterans are also two topics Sewell feels are important to incorporate into the band program, from the music the students play to events they participate in to special concerts they host. Every Memorial Day, for example, the jazz bands take a trip to Washington D.C. to play concerts for veterans’ homes. The bands also perform in a hometown “tribute to patriots” concert, which provides free dinner and music for seniors and veterans. Finally, Sewell says the band program provides musicians to play Amazing Grace and Taps as needed for funerals of local veterans.

So many efforts and projects have meant 60- to 70-hour work weeks for Sewell. At times, he says the job took away from time spent with his family (Sewell and his wife Kathy have four children: Dan, 25, Alyson, 22, Andrew, 18 and Lea, 14). However, he did have the pleasure of being their band director, which he says was a fun bonding experience.

Sewell insists that without the encouragement of his family and other supporters – from parents to the school’s administration – building up the band program would not have been possible. Now, he says, it is strong enough to sustain itself, and will thrive when he is no longer its leader.

In the past several years, the Pickerington community has shown its appreciation for Sewell’s work. In 2000, he was named Pickerington’s High School’s Teacher of the Year and the Pickerington School District’s Teacher of the Year.

Perhaps the biggest show of support came after he suffered a heart attack in July. While Sewell was still recovering, a group of parents bought his family a new washing machine when theirs broke.

“When you get a gift like that, and you know it comes from the heart, how do you say thank you? It’s one of the greatest gifts of love I’ve gotten since I’ve been here.” he says.

When reflecting on his career and his years in the Pickerington schools, Sewell says he is proud of the work he has done.

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” he says. “I wouldn’t go to a different school, I wouldn’t not fight the battles we’ve fought. I’ve been blessed to have such great, great kids. I’m a bit humbled, and I’ve been blessed to be around a bunch of loving, caring people.”

Kate Seegraves is editor of Pickerington Magazine.