Keith Schoening

Keith Schoening has been with Westside High School since the fall 2019 as the Assistant Director of Bands. At Westside he conducts the Symphonic Band and AM Jazz Band. Keith also co-directs the Westside Warrior Marching Band, as well as assists with Wind Ensemble, Concert Jazz Band, and Stage Band. Prior to working at Westside, Keith worked as adjunct faculty teaching drumset in the Percussion Department at The University of Nebraska at Omaha from 2015-2018. Schoening grew up in Southwest Iowa, going through school at Treynor High School. He holds a Bachelors (2018) and Masters Degree (2022) in Music Education from The University of Nebraska at Omaha. 

Schoening brings a wide range of educational knowledge to WHS. Specifically in the area of percussion, he has a great deal of knowledge and experience in the large ensemble setting as well as the smaller percussion ensemble setting. In addition to that, Keith Schoening has a great deal of knowledge in the area of Jazz. Keith is also an active staff member of the Iowa Ambassadors of Music, an all Iowa concert ensemble that tours Western Europe every two years.

As a performer, Schoening has performed professionally both in the classical and jazz genres. While at UNO, he performed with the Percussion Ensemble on a tour to Japan as well as a performance at PASIC, the Percussive Arts Society’s International Conference. He has also played alongside Talujon Percussion and has performed at the NMEA and NSBA Conferences multiple times. In the area of jazz, Keith has performed along with Eric Marenthal, Randy Brecker, Donny McCaslin, Peter Erskine, and the Jim Widner Big Band. He has had the opportunity to tour to Lithuania, Latvia, China, and across the US with various Jazz ensembles. 

Schoening has an incredible family, wife Casey, and three sons, Harrison, Cooper, and Mack. When he has free time, he tries to spend as much time with his family as possible and will try to sneak out and play some golf as well.