Faculty

Mr. Sorensen is the band director at Eisenhower Middle School and has been a part of public school band since he started playing the saxophone in 6th grade.  At Eisenhower Middle School he teaches Beginning Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band as well as Jazz Bands I & II.

Mr. Sorensen graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Music Education.  While at UNM, he played the saxophone for the Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, Spirit Marching Band, Soundpack Basketball Band, Jazz Bands, Jazz Combos and the Saxophone Studio.  He also played Sousaphone for the Spirit Marching Band.  He was the drum major for the Spirit Marching Band for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.  He studied saxophone from Dr. Eric Lau and clarinet from Dr. Keith Lemmons.  Mr. Sorensen was the recipient of the Outstanding Senior award for the Music Department of UNM in 2017.

Mr. Sorensen was previously the band director at Wilson Middle School and worked extensively with the Highland High School marching band program.  He is an active performer in Albuquerque, playing saxophone with local bands Moonhat and Keepin' Up With The Joneses.

Mr. Sorensen lives with his wife, Rebecca Kendall, who is the choir teacher at Rio Rancho High School.  They have two dogs, Earl and Roger.

Katie Han was born in the Midwest but raised in Las Cruces, NM. She started her musical journey as a 6th grader in a pull-out beginning band program at her elementary school. Ms. Han continued music throughout high school and went on to study at the University of Northern Colorado. After graduation, she returned to New Mexico to teach.

Ms. Han has been teaching for close to 30 years, mentoring more than 240 NMMEA Flute All-State Qualifiers and helping students gain admission to schools such as Juilliard, NYU, Rice, Eastman School of Music, and Peabody School of Music as well as serving in military bands.

She has had the unique opportunity to work with multiple high school and middle school band programs throughout the NM Southwest District as a clinician, tutor and sectional teacher. She was the Executive Director of the Las Cruces Symphony and co-founded Southwest Music Academy during her time in Las Cruces.

Ms. Han took on her own band program in 2013, helping the school grow a thriving band program that achieved Superior ratings for the first time in the history of the school. Ms. Han recently moved to Albuquerque and is very excited to be part of the Eisenhower family where she works with the Cadet Band and General Electric.