Hello, my name is Mr. Andrews. I have been teaching Band since 1988. I began teaching for Des Moines in 2000, starting at Hoover High School and then Callanan Middle School. I now teach 5th Grade Band at the Elementary Schools that feed into Harding and Meredith Middle Schools. My wife, Jeanette (flute, organ) and I have four children: Annika (oboe, voice, bass guitar, piccolo), Joel (voice, F horn, piano, bass guitar), Reed (percussion, voice) and Michael (bassoon, bass guitar); we all actually dabble on many other instruments. In my free time I play and arrange the music for two local bands: Elegant Gypsy is a classic/progressive rock band in which I play bass guitar and sing; Faculty Lounge is Des Moines’ premier ten-piece, all-teacher, horn-driven, multi-hyphenated old-school funk band in which I primarily play trumpet and guitar but also sing, play flute, keyboard and any other instrument a song might need. Teaching beginners is extremely rewarding as the students progress so quickly and I am able to start them on a musical journey that has made my life so complete.

My name is Tam Ho. To some, I am a teacher and coach. At home I am a husband and father. To everyone else I am just another familiar face at any of the Des Moines public golf course scenes. I initially came to the United States as a refugee during the Vietnam War with my parents. My parents Quang and Dao Ho fled their country and left everything behind. They made many sacrifices to ensure that their children had every opportunity to succeed. My family eventually obtained our citizenship through the naturalization process, as I was growing up in Boone, Iowa. Throughout high school, I excelled in wrestling, and continued the sport through college. I graduated from Mankato State University, and also obtained my master degree at Graceland University. Currently I live in Des Moines, and I am raising two boys with my wife Oanh. When there is free time I enjoy spending it with my family, fishing and golfing.