About the teacher:
Mr. Mish has been teaching in Pine Island since graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh in 1986. He earned a Master of Arts in Music Education from the University of St. Thomas in 2006. In 2011, he was recognized as the Pine Island Teacher of the Year. He he resides in Pine Island with his wife Kathy Shepel, they have two daughters who attend UW-Eau Claire.

At school, he leads the Fifth Grade Orchestra, Philharmonia (grades 6-7), Sinfonia (grades 8-9) and Symphony (grades 10-12) orchestras. He coaches the Music Listening teams with Mrs. Hoppe. He directs two jazz orchestra ensembles: Jazz Strings Junior (grades 6-9) and Jazz Strings (grades 10-12) which meet before school.

Besides teaching orchestra in Pine Island, he plays double bass in the Rochester Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Co-Director of Music at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Rochester, MN. He currently is the Past-President of the Minnesota High School Music Listening Contest. He is active as a composer and arranger of music. He is a member of the American String Teachers Association, the Organization of American Kodály Educators, Music Educators National Conference and the Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network.

Mission:
Music is for everyone. All music students will aspire to achieve a high level of music artistry and literacy in the areas of performing, creating, responding and understanding; thus preparing each student to be a lifelong contributor to a more artistic society. 

School: Pine Island Middle and High Schools

Classes: 6th Grade General Music, Grades 5-12 Orchestra

Licensure: Band (K-12), Orchestra (K-12) and Classroom Music (5-12)

See Mr. Mish's web page in High School Music for for information.