Francisco Javier Planas was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Fluent in both Spanish and English, he can communicate with a diverse group of people. He developed an interest in music as a very small boy. Most Sundays after church, his father would take the family to the town square for a free weekly concert given by the best band on the island. They were treated to great classical music, jazz and folk songs. Frank always dreamed of being one of the musicians in that band and it is still his goal to go back there and play with them once he retires. He moved to Connecticut at eight years old. He began playing the saxophone in 6th grade and continued to play this as well as other instruments throughout high school. Frank has played and recorded during his college years with numerous Latin and Jazz Bands in New York City. As a result of his experiences with his former teachers (high school and college), he realized that by becoming a teacher, he could share his love of music with others.
Frank graduated from the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music in 1999. A year later, he earned a Master’s of Science in Education with a concentration in Music. He taught in Connecticut for three years and is currently the Band Director at Bordentown Regional Middle and High Schools (Bordentown, NJ), where he's taught for the past seven years.
Frank makes every effort to share his enthusiasm for music with anyone he comes in contact with. His passion for music is contagious. He believes that every student/member (in any of his musical groups) shares an equally important role in the group and its success. His main philosophy of education is motivation. Motivation is defined as the individual, internal process that energizes, directs and sustains behavior. He believes that his main purpose as a musical director is to create an environment through music that will challenge, encourage, motivate, develop, uplift and demand all students/members to become responsible adults in every aspect of their life.
At Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Frank conducts an amazingly talented Praise Choir/Band. They perform some of the newest contemporary pieces playing on the radio. They also perform cantatas and special music for Easter and Christmas services. Some past presentations include Max Lucado's, He Chose the Nails, as well as Geron Davis' ever-popular cantatas, Halleluyah, Jesus is Born and Hope Has Come.
