By Sarah Owens
Photography courtesy of Alabaster City Schools
“Hey, is this Graham Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve got a job opening at Thompson High School. Would you like to teach jazz music here?”
The timing of that phone call still makes Bennett laugh. It came in 2019, just hours after the birth of his second daughter.
“I’m in the hospital holding her, and I just took the call for some reason. I guess it was a God-led thing,” Bennett says. “And long story short, I’m now here, but I’ll never forget getting offered the job at Thompson.”
Today, Bennett is in his seventh year at Thompson High School, where he serves as Director of Bands and directs the Marching Southern Sounds, the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Ensemble to statewide and national recognition.
Bennett grew up in Hoover, where his parents made sure music was always part of his life. “I grew up with my dad every Friday morning, at about 5:30 in the morning, he would wake me up—and I didn’t want to, because I was a teenager—and he would make me get my trumpet out and play jazz music with him,” Bennett says. “And I’ve carried that tradition over here every Tuesday and Thursday. I run a combo, which is a small jazz ensemble in the morning before school starts in the jazz room. And I try to teach using the same thing.”
At Hoover High, Bennett studied under Sallie White, who directed the jazz band and quietly inspired his future career. “I didn’t even want to be a band director,” he admits. “I wanted to go in the Air Force… then I wanted to be a veterinarian for some random reason. And it was Sallie White, my director… I remember watching her and going, ‘man, I’ve never seen somebody happier in their career.’”
Bennett went on to Jacksonville State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. While there, he spent three years with Drum Corps International as a member of the world class organizations Spirit and The Madison Scouts. The rigorous rehearsal schedules and national competitions sharpened his discipline and taught him the endurance he now passes on to his students. In 2019, he completed his Master’s in Music Education at William Carey University.
Before Thompson, Bennett directed at Jacksonville High School and then at Mary G. Montgomery High School in Mobile, where he and his wife both taught for three years. But when Thompson called that night in the hospital, he knew his career was headed for a new chapter.
Since then, the program has thrived under his leadership. The Wind Ensemble has earned consistent superior ratings at State Assessment, and the Marching Southern Sounds have become one of the top three programs in Alabama. Thompson’s band program has also performed nationally, giving students the opportunity to showcase their talents on a broader stage.
“Mr. Graham Bennett has done an outstanding job leading our band programs,” says Thompson High School Principal Dr. Wesley Hester. “As the Director of Bands, Mr. Bennett has led the Marching Southern Sounds and multiple concert ensembles to higher levels of performance and accolades than ever before. His collaboration with other performing arts programs at THS and across Alabaster City Schools, including our orchestra, choral, and theatre programs, has been highly impactful to our school system and community.”
For Bennett, though, the real reward is in the growth he sees in his students. “This is my 12th year teaching band, and it’s one of the loves of my life,” he says. “Teaching kids how to play music is important, but being a band director is like being a coach, really… we teach you these notes, but then we teach you discipline, and we teach you how to work as a team.”
Some of his favorite moments have come not in rehearsal but in performance, when everything comes together. “We played Scorched at Mid South… and I remember watching the kids start the show… they hit that first note. I could not hear the band, because the crowd was cheering so loud,” he says. “It was that moment when they knew, all the band camp, all the practices, all the football games… it paid off. That right there, that’s it. Seeing it payoff makes everything else worth it.”
Of course, not every challenge is musical. Bennett said the hardest part of the job is juggling the different needs of his students. “What’s hard is every child comes from a different place, a different life, different home, so we always want to make sure that everybody’s given the same opportunities,” he says. Thompson’s diverse program offerings also pose a challenge at times, but in the best way.
“At Thompson, there are so many amazing opportunities,” Bennett says. “No one can be upset about that, but it is a 
challenge, because you’ve got to keep students in that and in this, and in this and in this, but then you look at it and go, ‘That’s amazing.’ And it almost makes it more amazing, because they still exceed expectations.”
Through it all, Bennett’s work is a family affair. His wife, Emily, is Thompson’s dance sponsor, and their two daughters are growing up surrounded by football games, pep rallies, and concerts. “Being able to say that I do something with my wife, like me and my wife are a team, is probably the most important thing to me,” he says. “I married her. I want to be with her all the time. I’m crazy about her. This is what we do. So, I think it’s just really cool that I can be running the band and look down, and I see my wife running her thing, and see my two girls running around.”
Asked about the future, Bennett doesn’t hesitate. “My plan is to stay at Thompson minimally as long as my kids are in school. Minimally. We love Alabaster City Schools. We love the teachers, we love the school system, we love the support. We’re blessed to be here… I’m in it for the long haul.”
From his childhood jazz sessions with his father to the roar of a Mid South crowd, from his early days of teaching to his seventh year leading Thompson’s bands, Bennett’s story has been defined by music, perseverance, community, and that unforgettable call in the hospital. That call was more than just a job offer. It was the beginning of a new era for Thompson’s band, and for the hundreds of students who have since passed through his program, it has been life-changing.
Seven years later, Bennett still says yes—to the Friday night lights, to the long rehearsals, to the small breakthroughs and the big stage victories, and most of all to the joy of watching music bring people together. That joy is especially visible during the holiday season, when the band calendar fills with traditions like the city’s water tower lighting, the annual Christmas concert with choir and orchestra, and “Cookies and Cocoa,” a jazz night for families to linger after the show.
For Bennett, those performances are reminders of why he does the work. “We love to play,” he says. “Every year we fill our schedule with new things, and at Christmas, it’s just fun to see the community come out and celebrate with us.”