The day Stanley Dunlap first stepped into the band room at Mount Olive Schools, he wasn’t just starting a new job. He was stepping into a space with potential—a program on the edge of revival, and a community eager to hear music ring through the hallways again.

And few people are better prepared to lead that comeback.

Stanley comes to Mount Olive from O’Fallon, Illinois, where he spent the last eight years rebuilding a band program from scratch—growing it from 12 students to more than 50, arranging custom music to fit small ensembles, and weathering setbacks that included a school-wide shift away from arts education. “They took band off the schedule,” he said. “It was heartbreaking. I’d spent years building it.”

So when the opportunity in Mount Olive opened—this time focused solely on instrumental music for grades 5 through 12—he knew it was the right move. “I’ve known about this district for a while,” he said. “When I heard they were ready to invest in music again, I knew I had to be part of it.”

Stanley’s connection to music runs deep, but it wasn’t a straight path. Raised by a single mother in Robinson, Illinois, he gave up music after high school to attend trade school. “We didn’t have money for college, and nobody was handing out scholarships back then,” he said. “So I sold my trombone.”

That might’ve been the end of his music story—if not for a chance audition that launched him into a 20-year career with the U.S. Navy Music Program, traveling the world as a professional trombonist and audio technician. From Norfolk and New Orleans to Italy, South Africa, and the Navy School of Music in Virginia Beach, Stanley found in music a universal language.

“I’ve sat next to musicians from Turkey, Italy, Russia—we couldn’t speak the same language, but we could make music together,” he said. “That’s the power of it. It breaks down barriers. It teaches connection.”

Now back in public schools, Stanley brings not just that worldliness but the discipline, flexibility, and empathy earned from a life of service. “I know how to build a program,” he said. “When you don’t have 20 kids for a full band, you write your own arrangements. You write for seven. You make it work.”

He also brings a clear philosophy: band is family. “It becomes a home for kids who might not fit anywhere else,” he said. “And when they feel that belonging, they thrive—not just in music, but in school and life.”

In O’Fallon, that meant knocking on doors during COVID—literally. Stanley dropped off music at students’ homes, collected recordings via Google Classroom, and mixed their parts into full concert productions using multitrack software. “It kept the kids engaged. It gave them pride when everything else felt disconnected.”

That kind of devotion—and creativity—is what Mount Olive is gaining. “This is a challenge,” he admitted. “But I’ve done it before. And I think we’ve got something special here. The community wants this. The kids want this.”

He’s already spotted signs of momentum. A handful of serious musicians anchor the program’s top ensemble. Younger students are eager. “I’ve got fourth and fifth graders who want to live in the band room,” he said, grinning. “They come in during their free time. They just want to play.”

Stanley knows it won’t be easy—but the real goals aren’t just about growing numbers.

“I’m not here just to have a band,” he said. “I want to build a good band—a great one. One that makes this town proud.”

And he’s ready to do it the only way he knows how: with grit, vision, and a belief that music is more than a class—it’s a lifeline.