ABOUT THE DIRECTORS
MR. RYAN BUDZINSKI, DIRECTOR OF BANDS
Ryan Budzinski is the Director of Bands at Normal West High School. He earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree at Illinois Wesleyan University and his Master of Music Education degree at Illinois State University. He has also studied at the VanderCook College of Music (Chicago, IL), the Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), Carleton College (Northfield, MN), and The Juilliard School (New York, NY).
Mr. Budzinski joined the Unit 5 band faculty in 2006. In addition to conducting the concert bands at Normal West, he is co-director of the Normal Marching Band. He directs the Normal West Jazz Orchestra, oversees instrumental jazz studies, and has also taught AP Music Theory and American Popular Music. Mr. Budzinski has served as the building’s music department chair since 2015.
Mr. Budzinski has been an adjudicator for the Illinois High School Association, the Illinois Music Education Association, the Illinois Elementary School Association, and the Illinois Grade School Music Association. He recently completed a term as the ILMEA District 3 Senior Band Co-Representative, and he served on the Illinois High School Association's Music Advisory Committee.
Normal West students selected Mr. Budzinski to be the school's Teacher Honor Roll Award winner in the spring of 2008. He is a recipient of the National Band Association Citation of Excellence, and as a leader of the Normal Marching Band staff, he is a recipient of the Illinois State Board of Education's Those Who Excel Award of Excellence. The IHSA Music Advisory Committee selected Mr. Budzinski for the state’s Outstanding Music Educator Award during the 2024-2025 school year.
Outside the band room, Mr. Budzinski is an FAA-certified remote pilot, and he enjoys drone flight and photography.
MS. LISA PRESTON, DIRECTOR OF BANDS EMERITA
Lisa Preston was the founding Director of Bands at Normal West High School from its opening day in 1995 through the spring of 2022. She was inducted into the Normal West High School Wall of Fame in 2024. The Bands gratefully acknowledge and celebrate her exemplary career!
Click here to learn more about Ms. Preston.
Click here to read School Band and Orchestra Magazine's October 2009 article featuring Ms. Preston.