NILES — In a side room of Niles High School’s band classroom last Tuesday, district band director Connie Wicklund and associate director Nick Cramer joked about their favorite colors with one another.

About an hour later, at a post-band camp community performance, they presented the potential prizes for a marching drill winner: a plain white T-shirt or a zucchini.

Despite their frequent jesting that evening, both said they are dedicated to continuing Niles’ band program traditions while adding their own flair.

The two directors replaced former director Josh Doe, who left the district in late July. During his tenure, he built the band program from a handful of children up to a program of 160, said Superintendent Dan Applegate.

Doe’s departure made for a late hiring. Wicklund and Cramer hosted a shortened band camp in early August because of it, meeting many of their students for the first time.

“We both thought Josh really built something special here, and we just really want to continue all the tradition of this program and continue to build on it,” Cramer said.

This is Cramer’s first full-time teaching position. He graduated from Western Michigan University and previously was a student-teacher at Harper Creek Community Schools in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Wicklund is entering her 11th year of teaching band. She previously spent a decade at Decatur Public Schools in Decatur, Michigan. She has an undergraduate degree from WMU and a master’s degree from the American Band College of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.

When Cramer was hired onto staff, he thought he would be teaching alongside Doe, but when Wicklund was hired later, those around him reassured him it would be a great fit.

“Everyone said, ‘Oh, my gosh. You and Connie are going to get along perfectly,’” he said. “So, I was super excited about it.”

Wicklund said the district was immediately welcoming.

“I feel like I belong here,” she said before last week’s performance. “I feel like I’ve been here for years, and it’s only my second week. It’s really important to know you can be yourself around your colleagues.”

Wicklund and Cramer will be directing a band performance Doe left his former students with called “Jungle Adventure.” It is meant to draw from jungle-themed songs, like pieces from “The Lion King” and “Africa” by Toto.

The students were given the music to practice earlier this year, so the pair of new teachers said they wanted to place an emphasis on marching.

Wicklund commended Cramer for making what she called a “big improvement” on the band’s overall marching technique.

She has a goal to create a better sound as well. She said a band the size of Niles’ makes it easy to hide behind other musicians, but all musicians are needed for a band to be its best.

“Whatever you do, just play it confidently,” she said. “That’s my goal. I want the kids to be confident.”

Wicklund said the four-day band camp went well, and she anticipates that the children will continue to improve.

At the post-band camp performance, students performed three songs to an audience that filled more than half of the bleacher seating. Cramer then had his students compete in a marching drill.

As students’ techniques are improving, so are relationships, Wicklund and Cramer said. They said joining a program at the start of band camp is not easy for anyone, but their students have made it much better.

Wicklund noted how quickly the children warmed up to the directors.

“They’re band kids,” she said. “Band kids are fun.”

Three of those band kids are drum majors Olivia McIntosh, Ozzy Moreno and Kaleb Ott. They all agreed that band camp went well, and many students, themselves included, are assessing their new directors.

“It started out rough,” McIntosh said. “There were a lot of emotional things, like, ‘I’m going to miss Mr. Doe’ and stuff. Right now, they’re still iffy, but for the most part, they enjoy the new directors, from what I’ve heard.”

All three still have two goals for this school year’s marching and concert bands: score the highest rating at both Michigan School Band and Marching Association competitions.

“In my entire band career, I’ve never gotten a ‘one’ in concert band,” 11th grader Ott said.