Meet Alex Wimmer

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Wimmer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alex, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My work ethic I attribute to my parents.

My mom is from Vietnam and came to the United States during the Vietnam War. She went from having nothing to become a successful business owner. Growing up I saw her work tirelessly to pursue two masters degrees, starting her own business, and providing for our family. Her Vietnamese background was the key through all of this, often saying the following phrases: “Nothing is free, you have to earn everything in life.”; “Hard work is all that matters, talent does not get you anywhere.”; “What you do matters more than what you say, do not open your mouth unless you can do what you are going to say.” These phrases (along with hundreds of other) in combination with my mom’s tenacity, relentless, drive, residency/flexibility, and high expectations/accountability were pressed upon me from a young age and is how I raise my own children and have taught my students (both as a high school and college band director).

My dad was the same but different in many ways. He grew up in the United States and had all of the attributes/characteristics of my mom but from an American lens. He was incredibly patient and a true servant to others. He did not say much, but when he did it mattered because of how is actions and servant’s heart spoke first. He was a “measure twice, cut once” person and was always fixing things himself. I would watch him and help with all of these projects, learning first hand what it meant to value the process, to have patience “through” doing something, and that anything of quality takes hard work, commitment, time, sacrifice, and getting your hands dirty.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

As the Associate Director of Bands at Kansas State University, I direct the Wind Symphony (second auditioned concert band), Cat Band (basketball pep band), assist with the Pride of Wildcat Land (marching band) with teaching, arranging music, and writing drill, and I instruct undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting, arranging, and marching band techniques. I also serve as the faculty sponsor for Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. During the summer I coordinate the K-State Summer Music Camp and K-State Leadership and Auxiliary Camp, and serve as one of the Assistant Directors of the Manhattan Municipal Band. I am also President of the Kansas Bandmasters Association.

What I love them most about my job is being surrounded with incredible people. Whether they are students, colleagues, spectators at events, or community members, they make every aspect of creating, performing, and responding to music meaningful. Sharing with others what music gives to everyone and helping people feel through music is where it is at for me; it is why music is vital to the human experience, the two are dependent upon each other and cannot be separated.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Work hard, be humble/selfless, and be patient through the process.

You have to put in the work and do your own work if you want to achieve anything in life, you cannot wait for things to be given to you. You just have to do the work, especially when it is hard. Life will not get easier, you have to handle hard better (paraphrased from Kara Lawson). How do you get better at hard things, you do hard things (I heard this on a podcast a long time ago, cannot remember which one). Though this sounds very one sided, that is how life has played out for me and is what has helped me get to where I am now. I never shy away from working hard, I lean into it and it has never failed me!

I view humility and selflessness in the same vein. Selfishness is a breading ground for ego, vanity, a false sense of confidence. Once I realized that it is not about me, that there will always be someone out there better than me, and that competence through my actions is what actually makes people better, I was truly able to unleash my potential as a human being.

Earlier I wrote that “anything of quality takes hard work, commitment, time, sacrifice, and getting your hands dirty.” This is a process that requires time to pass, which can only occur if you have patience. Time requires patience, something we need even more of in today’s fast-paced life. If you want quality, it takes time, and living through time requires patience. This is different for everyone and there is nothing wrong with that; everyone is different and life happens at a different pace. We have to be patient and allow things to happen through the process of time!

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to allow me to fail. I needed to fall (hard many times) so I could learn how to pick myself back up. No, my parents never put me in direct physical or emotional danger but were always there for me once I got back on my feet. They always helped me unpack what happened and help me discover ways to not fall (or fall as hard) the next the next time. I know this very metaphoric and maybe a bit cliche, but I would not be where I am today if I was not allowed to fall flat on my face, grow through the pain, and learn how to get back on my feet to view the fall as an opportunity for grow and discovery. Tough love for sure, but I would rather learn the truth than be sheltered from it (something that I have realized and appreciate more as an adult).

Contact Info:

• Other: Email: amwimmer@ksu.edu

Image Credits

Marketing Images by LBJ
K-State Athletics
Frank Perez Images
Scott Sewell Photography
Austin Fuller