Bend your ear as you drive through Troy in autumn and you’ll likely hear the notes and horn blasts of the town’s school bands. More than 400 children between sixth and twelfth grades participate in Troy’s middle and high school music programs. And Eric Blankenship and Tracy Thomas teach them all. The inseparable duo teach most of their classes together — everything from jazz band to marching band. They often spend 12 hours a day, jumping back and forth between the high school and middle school for classes and rehearsals. They also take their status as role models seriously, doubling as counselors. “We’re interested growing people, not musicians,” says Thomas.