The mission of the Missoula Hellgate High School Band program is to provide students a comprehensive music education through performance, to facilitate a lifelong desire for personal and shared discovery, and to awaken the supreme joy in performing music with a deeper understanding. HHS provides a wide range of curricular and extracurricular opportunities for students with three concert bands, as well as jazz, percussion, and marching ensembles for 200 enrolled musicians. 

The Hellgate Bands have a long history of excellence in band performance. From the 1960's, under the direction of Mr. Chuck Johnson, Mr. Richard Erickson, Mr. Carl Smart, John Combs (1980 - 2009), Leon Slater (2010-2022), to the present with Jesse Dochnahl, the Hellgate Bands have achieved unparalleled success for decades! The Hellgate Wind Ensemble has had the privilege of performing at the 2019 and 2023 Pacific Basin Music Festivals, the 2015 New York Wind Band Festival in Carnegie Hall, and the 2013 Chicago International Music Festival. The Hellgate Jazz Band performed at the 2015 EWU Jazz Dialogue Festival, 2014 Swing Central Competition in Savannah, GA, and the NAfME All-Northwest Convention in 2013. The Hellgate Marching Knights marched in the 75th Commemoration Parade of Pearl Harbor in 2016. In 2025, the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band earned “Gold Awards” and numerous festival honors at the New Orleans World Strides Heritage Festival.

The Hellgate Bands have consistently received Superior Ratings at District and State Music Festivals for the past 55 years, and their students are selected every year for state, regional and all-national honors ensembles. The Hellgate Bands have commissioned new works from David Maslanka (On This Bright Morning, UFO Dreams and Hells Gate), and John O'Reilly (Montana Visions), Aakash Mittal (Salt March consortium) and Naomi Moon Siegel (The Nature of Change). The Missoula bands are also members of the National ASPIRE Commission Project.

Welcome!

I passionately believe that a comprehensive music education is important to every single person. Band students study music to learn the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to effectively perform, create, connect, and lead with excellence. My goal is to help every student become self-directed, self-assessing, life-long learners and leaders, AND to find out how much joy there is in making music with others.

If you have any questions, please email. If you can volunteer with our band boosters or donate to our program, please visit the Band Parent Page. Thank you!

– Mr. Jesse Dochnahl, your teacher-conductor

About me:

Jesse Dochnahl is a saxophonist, educator, and has proudly served as director of bands at Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana, since 2022. Prior to his appointment at Hellgate, Dochnahl held similar positions as director of bands at Big Sky High School (MT), C.S. Porter Middle School (MT), and Sheboygan Falls High School (WI). He has served on the faculty at the University of Montana and Lawrence University & Conservatory (WI) as Instructor of Saxophone and First-Year Studies. Dochnahl was recognized as the High School Educator of the Year by the Missoula Education Foundation in 2024.

Dochnahl has also worked ten seasons as a trail technician with the Forest Service near Ennis, MT, his hometown. He resides in Missoula with his wife, Caitlin Cisler, their cat Finn, and a garage full of bikes, backpacks, and skis.

Degrees and Certifications: 

B.M. Music Ed & Performance - Lawrence University
M.M. Performance - University of Illinois

GRADING, EVALUATION, and PERFORMANCES

Students are assessed and evaluated in the following categories for each grading period:

• Ensemble Rehearsal Skills (daily assessment of rehearsal/citizenship; 5 points per day)
• Band Performances & Concerts (50-100 points per concert)
• Play Challenges/Tests (points vary)
• Written Evaluations & Assignments (points vary)

Four Goals for the Hellgate Band Student

• To perform at the best of our combined abilities

• To expand our comprehensive knowledge and appreciation of all music

• To promote participation and service in our community

• To promote positive and supportive relationships among all band members

How to make up points if I am absent from class:

1. Schedule an outside 15-minute lesson with Mr. Dochnahl for each absence.

2. Practice an additional hour per absence and fill out our absence practice journal (on Google Classroom)

3. Athletics/Other school events – If you are going to miss a class due to a school activity let me know far in advance with an appropriate note or absence form.

The following successful daily habits take zero talent and can make all the difference in our success:

1. Be present, be on time. 

2. Work hard, be kind. In the words of Fred Rogers, “There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”

3. Be responsible and accountable. Have the proper instrument, equipment, music and pencils.

4. Demonstrate the highest standards of Instrumental, Ensemble, Literacy, and Practice Skills.

5. Insist on remaining focused, intentional, and silent during transitions between music. Breathe. 

6. Take great care of yourself, your equipment, and our excellent facilities. Create a daily habit of gratitude so that we can all treasure every rehearsal together in our exceptional band room.

7. Come to rehearsal ready to make a difference, ready to learn together and demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for attaining excellence. Rehearsal is intended to be a time where we get to learn how the music is put together and to address our goals as a team.

8. Phones and smartwatches are to be off and in your personal backpack or locker during instructional time.  

9. Return music and instruments to their cabinets at the end of class. Straighten your stand and chair, wait patiently inside the room for the bell.

Handbook

Concerts and performances are an extension of the band class and the learning that takes place every day. Music was created to be shared and not performed in isolation (or in the band room only). For this reason, we need to perform for an audience in order to share the wealth of learning that has taken place. This sharing helps the students to bring closure to the learning process and also propels them towards the next step. Student participation in concerts is vital to the success of all the students involved. Please make every effort to have your child be a part of these experiences. Sporting events/practices, work, and other extracurricular activities are not acceptable reasons to miss a performance. If you have a reason to miss any performance, please contact Mr. Dochnahl as soon as possible prior to the concert date.

• Performance points are earned in the following categories:  Timeliness - 10; Correct Uniform - 25; Performance - 55 ; Being fully present and supportive for your peers/other groups (attentive/staying to the end, including help at the end) - 10

• Students arrive 30 minutes before the concert starts for warm-up & tuning, unless otherwise noted on the events calendar.

• Failure to attend a concert results in a zero for that grade—unexcused absences are not tolerated. All absences require a make-up assignment for credit.

• Band students are to properly wear their entire uniform at all times during a performance or festival unless instructed otherwise by a director.

• Concert Etiquette: Students and Parents/Guardians will remain for the entire concert. Audiences will be quiet and respectful during the performance. Share your appreciation for the students’ hard work with enthusiastic listening and applause.

• Following every performance students are required to stack chairs, rack stands, and return all equipment before leaving.

The Hellgate High School Band Handbook contains important information, including the Participation Agreement, Instrument Rental Contract, Band Fees, details about private lessons, performance dates, and requirements for lettering in band. You can access the handbook using the link below.

Please review the handbook thoroughly, print the necessary forms, and submit all required documents by the stated deadlines.

Hellgate band handbook

1. The band is leading the way!  Hellgate’s bands consistently earn top honors at all festivals they attend. Our students are selected for reputable honors groups all over the world each year. We take our musical studies seriously because it’s fun to be successful.  I guarantee you will have a great time while learning and growing as a musician and a well-rounded person.

2. The band travels all the time!  New York Wind Band Festival in the famed Carnegie Hall in 2015, the 75th commemoration parade of Pearl Harbor in 2016, 2019 and 2023 the band traveled and performed at the Pacific Basin Music Festival in Honolulu, and New Orleans in just a couple of weeks (2025)! We traditionally take a big trip every 2 years. 

3. The Hellgate Band is truly a family with a culture of excellence!  You will have an immediate group of friends from all grade levels within the school right when the school year begins.  The kindest, brightest, most dedicated people in our school are in the band program. We all work together for the common good of helping each other make great music.  When you are in band, you are choosing to surround yourself with great people!

4. Being involved in band all four years in conjunction with taking IB/AP/Honors type classes in high school looks great on college applications and scholarship applications. Students who are in a successful music program all 4 years of high school score 10-12% higher on the SATs.

5. According to US college admissions offices, being involved in a group like band all four years in conjunction with taking upper level classes in high school looks great on college applications and scholarship applications.  Many current and past band students earn college scholarships as well as acceptance into their first choice of school (including MIT, Columbia, Harvard, Northwestern, Cornell, Yale, Indiana, Lawrence, Lehigh, Oregon State, MSU, and UM, just to name a few from recent history).

6. University admissions and scholarship committees see your time in band as a sign of your integrity, time management, and commitment. They don’t select students who bounce around from elective to elective, year after year; never really devoting themselves to something in school.

7. There are 5 times as many scholarships for academics/arts than sports!

8. Band is the ultimate collaboration. We practice listening, adjusting, and being creative on a daily basis. Study after study tells us that employers look for people who are great collaborators.  Students in band do this in everything they do. Remember, there is no “bench” in a band.  Everyone is a “starter” with important contributions to make, together.