When Jay Bennett walks into a classroom, he brings with him more than instruments and sheet music. He brings a lifelong love of music, a remarkable breadth of talent, and a sense of tradition that he is eager to share with Cairo students. This fall marks his first year teaching public school, and while his path to Cairo has been winding, it has led him exactly where he feels he belongs.

Bennett teaches music from Pre-K through 12th grade, covering every age group and nearly every type of music instruction. “I teach everything,” he said with a smile. For the younger grades, that means percussion instruments and singing. Fifth graders learn recorders, and by sixth grade, every student participates in beginning band. “That’s what’s really neat about Cairo,” he explained. “It’s not an elective—every sixth grader is in band. That creates a sense of unity and gives everyone the chance to try it.”

Bennett writes his own curriculum, complete with original songs to help students learn the fundamentals of reading music. He’s even created a “note family,” with Granny Whole Note, Auntie Half Note, Cousin Quarter Note, and Kitty Cat Eighth Note. These playful characters make rhythm approachable for children, while still teaching serious concepts. “We’re building a skill,” he said, “so that we can come together and be unified in the language of music.”

His goals are ambitious but rooted in tradition. From the start, he began researching the history of Cairo’s music program. He discovered that in the 1980s, when James Davis was band director, Cairo’s marching band was thriving and parades were a regular part of school life. Inspired by that history, Bennett decided to bring parades back. Within his first weeks, he pulled together a small drumline in just five days to participate in the Labor Day parade. For some students, it was their first taste of performing publicly, but for Bennett, it was about reintroducing a tradition. “When you pick up old traditions, it feels new to students,” he said. “It connects them to the past while giving them something exciting in the present.”

Concerts are also on the calendar. The elementary students will perform a Christmas program, while middle and high school students will also prepare for winter and spring concerts, with special music planned for Black History Month. Bennett’s vision is to eventually send Cairo students to solo and ensemble competitions and honor bands, but for now, his focus is on building fundamentals and confidence.

While his students are just beginning their musical journeys, Bennett’s own path is extraordinary. Raised in the small town of Eddyville, Kentucky, he was recognized early as a gifted musician. He sang with the Paducah Symphony Children’s Chorus, toured Europe as a boy soprano, and by high school could play nearly every instrument in the band. He served as drum major, played in youth orchestras, and even auditioned on multiple instruments for honor bands.

His passion led him to Indiana University’s prestigious Jacobs School of Music, where he majored in voice performance. There, he studied opera, sang in numerous productions, and immersed himself in the demanding world of professional-level music. He also studied abroad in Vienna, Austria, and minored in German and early music. After graduation, he continued vocal training in Chicago and built a varied career that included opera, theater, and even improvisational comedy.

But Bennett’s story isn’t only about music. He has lived a life of variety and exploration—raising goats, running a farm-to-table business supplying lamb to Nashville restaurants, teaching adult education (including in correctional facilities), and judging national livestock shows. To an outsider, it might look like a patchwork of experiences. To Bennett, it was all part of growing as both a person and an artist. “I’ve worn many hats,” he said. “But I never stopped being a musician. Everything I did was shaping me for this.”

That mix of professional artistry and real-world grit is now poured into his teaching. He knows that Cairo’s program is small, but he sees it as an opportunity to redefine what music education means for the district. “It’s not about me,” he explained. “It’s about what the students need, what traditions we can honor, and what new traditions we can build.”

Already, he has been struck by the talent and eagerness of Cairo students. “My third and fourth graders are great singers,” he said. “They learn so quickly.” He is also encouraged by the family feel of the district. “I’ve got three brothers in three different grades, from elementary to high school—that’s really fun. Band tends to run in families, and that builds a sense of continuity.”