Hallettsville
Sacred Heart
Shiner
Shiner St. Paul
Jacob Heck

Jacob Heck to split time between county's Catholic school bands

  • Jacob Heck presents an award to one of his band students over at Sacred Heart schools last school year.
    Jacob Heck presents an award to one of his band students over at Sacred Heart schools last school year.
  • Some of the hardware that Sacred Heart got to bring home last school year under Jacob Heck's leadership.
    Some of the hardware that Sacred Heart got to bring home last school year under Jacob Heck's leadership.

    There’s a new leader of the band coming to Shiner Catholic Schools, and turns out, he’s the same fellow who helped lead the Sacred Heart Indian Band to the school’s highest point finish ever (405 points), earning them the runners-up title at last year’s TAPPS State Band Championship for Class 2A.

    Hallettsville’s Sacred Heart Band Director Jacob Heck announced on Facebook Monday, June 20, that he’d just been hired as the new band director over at Shiner Catholic School.

    That doesn’t, however, mean he’ll be leaving Hallettsville, he went on to say.

    “I’ll be splitting time this year,” he said, “half my day at Shiner Catholic and the other half at Sacred Heart in Hallettsville, where I’ve served as band director for the past year.

    That one year was all it took, however, for Heck to more than triple Sacred Heart’s points total for the 2021-22 school year.

    “I just finished my eighth year of teaching, and I’m so excited to get started on Year No. 9,” he said in his post. “I am from Oklahoma originally, but I have spent my whole career teaching in Texas.”

    While he’s a percussionist at heart, he went on to say, he can play a little bit of everything. Based on his many posts and shares, he clearly has some diverse tastes in music.

    “I have a wife named Morgan and a Corgi named Butters,” he added. “We love to travel, spend time at the beach, and try all types of foods. The crazier, the better! I love all OU Sooner sports (Boomer!) and root for the Oklahoma City Thunder.”

    Neely Yackel, principal at Shiner’s Catholic Schools, said that Heck’s dual employment in Hallettsville and Shiner is the third time that the two schools—typically cross-county rivals in most events—have shared band directors.

    “It all works out,” she said. “Please join me in welcoming Mr. Heck, our new band director. He is super excited to be coming to our school, and we are so happy to have him. Welcome aboard!”

    Heck said he’s already feeling quite welcome in Shiner.

    “Everyone has already been so kind and welcoming,” he said. “I’m so excited to get to meet everyone."