When Langley Middle School jazz band students call first-year band director Nick Delmedico a goof ball, they mean it in a good way.

The 24-year-old Central Washington University graduate has done more than make a good impression on his band in their first six months together.

“The jazz band has gotten so much better,” said eighth-grade lead alto saxophone player Ashley Ricketts. “We’ve been in it since sixth grade and I think it’s just gotten a lot better. We’re also playing a lot more challenging music and more pieces.”

Delmedico, who lives in Freeland, was hired in mid-June after learning about the position from a former college roommate.

In addition to the jazz band, Delmedico teaches sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade band as well as a brand-new program in choir.

Delmedico carries himself with an enthusiasm that quickly caught the attention of students.

“At the beginning of the year, we kind of described him as a puppy,” said eighth-grade trombone player Juliana Larson-Wickman. “He’s just really excited, energetic and enthusiastic.”

Delmedico said it was important to stick to his true personality rather than follow an obligatory teaching formula. Though he was surprised to learn his students thought he was a goof ball, Delmedico didn’t shy away from the truth.

“I’m goofy,” Delmedico said. “I like to have fun, but we still get down to work to sound our best.”

“You just have to be yourself and find out what teaching styles fit you,” he added.

While the light and fun-loving atmosphere has had positive effects on keeping students loose and relaxed, it’s also worked to their detriment.

Delmedico said that sometimes the band can be a little too talkative, which leads to less focus.

He compensates for this by applying one of his core teaching fundamentals, which is keeping everyone in the room engaged. He also presents the band with challenging music that could be compared to The Goldilocks Zone, which is the habitable zone in relation to a star where a planet might be able to retain liquid water on its surface.

“It’s the perfect zone where they can’t play it yet, but could after a week of playing it, and then they can fine tune it over a month,” Delmedico said.

The difficult pieces include “Just Friends” by John Klenner and “A Child is Born” by Thad Jones and Alec Wilder. During rehearsal Tuesday morning, the band had to run through the two pieces a few times before Delmedico was satisfied with their performance.

Delmedico isn’t afraid to put in extra hours either.

Eighth-grade tenor saxophone player Jeffrey Jackson remembered walking into class one morning and seeing sleep marks on Delmedico’s arm, making him wonder if he’d stayed all night in the jazz room. Delmedico says that’s never happened, but that he has fallen asleep at his desk on several occasions.

Delmedico has wanted to be a band director ever since he graduated from Bothell High School. He felt his calling was teaching middle school students.

“I’m in the band room 14 or 15 hours a day,” Delmedico said. “I’m having fun doing what I’m doing. It’s easy to put in time. You get out what you put in. The kids can see it and hopefully they have the same attitude.”

“Being a teacher, you’re fully in control of your classroom. It’s kind of your own world and you create it however you want. There’s so much going on in the class that it just lights up my brain,” he added.

The feat of staying late gained the admiration of Jackson.

“That guy’s crazy,” Jackson said.