Tommy Krueger

Tommy Krueger began his tenure as the Director of Bands at Westside High School in the Fall of  2016.  Prior to teaching at Westside High School, Mr. Krueger served as the Director of Bands in Seward, NE from 2014-2016 where he taught grades 8-12.  Before that, he taught in the Central City Public Schools from 2012-2014 where he taught Band for grades 5-12.   Originally from Lincoln, NE, Tommy Krueger attended Lincoln Southeast High School, and then went on to get his Bachelor's of Music Education (BME) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Tommy just recently earned his Masters in Music Education at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the Summer of 2021. 

As an educator, Mr. Krueger has a great deal of experience in all kinds of music education, both in the large ensemble and small ensemble setting.  Mr. Krueger has served as a clinician for many Marching Bands and Jazz Bands across the Omaha and Lincoln areas, and has been on the faculty for the UNO Jazz Camp teaching Jazz Improvisation, Jazz History, and Big Band.  In 2014, Krueger was asked to be on a panel of Jazz Educators from across the state to demonstrate and teach jazz education techniques to college music education students.  Mr. Krueger has presented at the Nebraska Music Educators Association Convention multiple times. In 2019, Mr. Krueger was the recipient of the NSBA Jack Snider Outstanding Young Band Director Award. He has served as the Jazz Chair for the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association and is currently serving as the Director of Jazz Affairs Apprentice for the Nebraska Music Educators Association.

As a performer, Mr. Krueger is an active trumpet player in both the classical and jazz fields throughout the Lincoln/Omaha area.  He was the 2010 Nebraska Young Jazz Artist Award Winner, and the Runner-up for the 2011 Lincoln Municipal Band John Shildneck Young Artist Competition. Most recently, Mr. Krueger has performed with the Jim Widner Big Band, the Marcus Lewis Big Band, and the UNO Jazz Festival All-Star Big Band.

When not teaching or playing trumpet, Mr. Krueger enjoys spending time golfing and playing ultimate frisbee, as well as spending as much time as he can with his wife Cassie, son James and daughter Liz.