When Ellen Filkins came to Pinckneyville Elementary School District #50 five years ago, she wasn’t just looking for a teaching job—she was looking for a place where both music and community could flourish side by side. Fresh out of college, she wanted the rare opportunity to teach both band and choir, a combination that had shaped her own life as a student.

Pinckneyville wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. Growing up in New Athens and later Mascoutah, she had marched in Pinckneyville’s famous Mardi Gras parade as a high school student, the glow of lights and the buzz of friendly faces lining the streets still etched in her memory. “I remember how much fun I had coming through here to compete,” she recalls with a smile. “To be here now, helping our students create those same memories, is pretty special.”

Ellen’s days are filled with music—literally. She teaches band most of the day, directs choir, and even lends her talents to the high school, thanks to a unique arrangement between the districts that allows students to have the same instructors from middle school through high school. The result is continuity, consistency, and a shared sense of purpose.

For Ellen, music’s value runs deeper than skill-building. “It’s a creative way for kids to have ownership and make things together in a community,” she says. In her rooms, there are no benches to warm, no “starters” or “substitutes.” Every student is an essential part of the sound.

That inclusivity matters. “Not every kid feels like they fit the mold of an athlete or other activities,” we agree. “Music is a place where all are welcome.”

Starting beginners in fifth grade means no one arrives as an expert. The first notes can be rough—but by the first concert, something magical happens. Those squeaks and squawks become music. “It’s such a great moment,” Ellen says. “You can see the pride on their faces.”

Her own musical journey began with piano, which gave her a strong foundation in theory and tone before she discovered her true love: the French horn. But teaching band in a small district requires versatility. “You don’t just come in as a horn player—you need to be able to teach clarinet, flute, saxophone, percussion. I had to practice my tail off,” she laughs, remembering her first year. The challenge was made easier by her close working relationship with high school band director Amber Nichols, a woodwind specialist and former junior high director herself.

The culture of Pinckneyville, Ellen says, makes all the difference. “I was hired in 2021, still during COVID restrictions, and I didn’t know what to expect. But the parents were welcoming, the community was supportive, and I never had to fight for the music program. That’s not something you can always take for granted.”

She especially loves how the town’s passion for basketball and all things athletic coexists with a genuine respect for music. As a former pep band director at SIU Edwardsville—yes, she got paid for a job she “would’ve done for free”—she knows the joy of rallying a crowd through sound.

And then there’s Mardi Gras. At more than 100-years-old, it’s the State’s longest-running nighttime Halloween parade, and is just such a cool event that must be experienced. The junior high and high school bands both march, often lit with glow sticks and smiles. “For me, it closes a circle—from being the 16-year-old kid coming here to perform, to now guiding our students through it.”

If she could give her younger self advice, she says it would be simple: take practicing more seriously. But she’s quick to add that some things, she got just right. “Even back then, I was helping other kids with note names and music.” She pauses, laughs, and adds, “It should’ve been obvious where I was headed!”

Today, that path leads right here—to a welcoming band room, a community that values the arts, and a teacher who knows that every note, from every kid matters.