For Saint Viator’s sixty-first year and the 2022-2023 school year, Saint Viator welcomes many new staff to the Lion family and Mr. Sam Pilnick— one of whom, is given the baton to direct the band. Pilnick has always dreamed of being given that baton— “I’ve always wanted to be a band teacher since I was in middle school. I like working with kids and I like music so the best thing combined is being a band teacher.”

Pilnick started playing musical instruments in the fourth grade and developed a great passion and love for the saxophone. He enjoys jazz music and has “had plenty of experience in rock bands, hip hop groups, wedding bands, and orchestras.” Pilnick has also taught at several different schools. He used to direct a band at another high school located in the city and was also a middle school band director.

Originally, Pilnick applied to a different Catholic high school and after figuring out a new position for the school year, he was learning about the school and the program of Saint Viator and was thrilled to come back to teach high school along with teaching “a really good, strong music program”.

Although Pilnick loves music, he also loves racing. According to Pilnick, “I like Formula One Racing-it’s similar to a drive-to-survive on Netflix and high intensity racing that travels across the world”. “I got really into it last year” and he even joined a fantasy league.

Saint Viator students are fortunate to be able to learn from such a talented and well rounded young man.
For the future of the band, Pilnick wants to start with “a pep band for the basketball games and different varieties to play in person.” Pilnick wants to give “the students more opportunities to play music and to travel” and “to do our best at performing music at a high quality level and get back to live music in person”.