Dr. Zeleski is in his 7th year as director/teacher of the Millard West Orchestras.  During his tenure as orchestra director, the orchestras have received high marks in local festivals and competitions, developed new ways of addressing solo and small ensemble literature during the class, performed concertos by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Vivaldi with local guest musicians, and has played host to several visiting professors from at least five different universities.  

Dr. Zeleski holds degrees and certifications from the University of Nebraska - Kearney (BA), The American InterContental University (M.Ed), Southern Utah University, Touro University, and Kansas State (Ed.D).  Before teaching at Millard West, he taught orchestra in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 2006-2018 and one year as Band Director for Franklin Public Schools in Franklin, NE.

Dr. Zeleski was the recipient of the 2023 Dr. Gary Thomas Distinguished Alumnus for the University of Nebraska - Kearney and is listed in Who's Who in Education.

Dr. Zeleski's Philosophy on Music Education

1. Every student can achieve greatness on their instrument during high school if they want it and work for it.

2. Learning music is critical to the development of the total person, and the real-world skills learned through the mastery of an instrument directly relate to the student's success as they transition into the real world.

3. Orchestra is a class like any other class in high school, and expectations for completing homework and studying are similar to coursework from other “core” classes.

4. The purpose of learning music in a high school is to develop one’s skills to the point where the music of any style and difficulty becomes accessible to the student via an understanding of how to perform, the technical elements of playing, and understanding how to learn music on one’s own, to create a life-long learner of music.