As Promised, More Great Band Teachers from this Year’s Rose Parade

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Yesterday I described some truly great band directors who led their students in this year’s Rose Parade. There are so many of them, I couldn’t fit them all in one post. Here are some more.

An annual favorite since 1972, the Los Angeles All District High School Honor Band, directed by Mr. Anthony White, made its annual appearance in the Rose Parade. Pulled from all high schools in the LA Unified School District, these 250 or so young musicians are known for their energetic marching style, powerful brass and percussion sound, and for playing contemporary selections. Anthony, who is also a professional jazz musician, graduated from UC Riverside in Riverside, California, and earned his teaching credential at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, California.

The 215 members of the Lindbergh High School “Spirit of St. Louis” Marching Band traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to make their school’s third appearance in the annual Rose Parade. This hardworking group of young people was led by Band Director Mr. David Wyss. David earned his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Missouri, Columbia, in 2000, and his master’s in education from Southwest Baptist University in 2009. The Lindbergh students dedicated this year’s performance to their previous beloved band director, Mr. Bob Spiegelman, who passed away from lymphoma in 2011.

Also participating in the event was the 265-member Londonderry High School Marching Band and Color Guard hailing from Londonderry, New Hampshire. These stellar student musicians were led by Music Director Mr. Andy Soucy, a graduate of Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. This is the school’s fifth appearance in the Rose Parade, and under Andy’s leadership, the group has also played on the Great Wall of China in 2008 during the Beijing Olympics, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York, and both inaugurations of President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.

Band Director Mr. John Cisetti directed the Louisburg High School Marching Wildcat Band from Louisburg, Kansas, in their first appearance in the Rose Parade. This dedicated educator, who has led the Marching Wildcat Band for the past 39 years, attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory of Music where he earned his bachelor’s degree in music education, his master’s degree, and a degree as an educational specialist. Louisburg High sent 189 talented student musicians to Pasadena this year.

In tomorrow’s blog read the final installment of this year’s list of wonderful band directors who led their students in the 2018 Rose Parade! Learn more about all the wonderful performers, participants, and floats,  featured in this year’s Rose Parade at this link: Rose Parade 2018 Lineup.

 

Some of the Talented Band Directors who Led their Students in this Year’s Rose Parade

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Another fabulous New Year’s Day Rose Parade has come and gone, and once again, I was completely impressed by the caliber of the musicianship displayed by our nation’s high school students, under the direction of some very talented professional band directors. Here are some of this year’s participants, listed in alphabetical order.

Leading the Air Academy High School Marching Band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was Director of Bands Mr. Stoney Black. Stoney earned his bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance from Colorado’s Adams State College in 1994. In 1998, he earned a second bachelor’s in Music Education from Metropolitan State College in Denver, and he completed his master’s in conducting from the American Band College at Southern Oregon University in 2007. The Air Academy’s stellar band program, originally founded in 1957 with only 20 members, has grown to nearly 200 members today. This amazing group of young people has been recognized as Colorado State band champions ten times within the last two decades. The most amazing thing about them is that all Air Academy students are allowed to join the band without having to go through an audition, even if they have had no previous musical training.

Nearly 300 students who form the Albertville High School Aggie Band from Albertville, Alabama, also traveled all the way to Pasadena for the New Year’s Day event. This impressive group of musicians, color guard members, and dance line participants were led by Mr. Chris Lindley, who has been their band director for the past 21 years. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in music education at Jacksonville State University in 1996 and his master’s from the University of Alabama in 2004. Assisting Chris is Mr. Taylor Cash, a graduate of Jacksonville State University and Boston University with both a bachelor’s and a master’s in music education. Also assisting Chris is Missy Lindley, who earned her bachelor’s in music education from the University of North Alabama.

Also appearing in this year’s New Year’s Day Rose Parade was the Homestead High School Mighty Mustang Marching Band hailing from Cupertino, California, located about 40 miles south of San Francisco. This impressive group of student musicians was led by co-band directors Mr. John Burn, Music Department Curriculum Leader, and Mr. Eric Weingartner, music instructor.

Tomorrow I will write about some of the other dedicated and talented educators who led bands in this year’s parade. Learn more about all the wonderful performers, participants, and floats, featured in this year’s Rose Parade at this link: Rose Parade 2018 Lineup.

The Fearless Maria Fearing: The Teacher from Alabama Known as the “Mother from Far Away”

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There are many stories of dedicated educators who can boast of extraordinary accomplishments. One of these is Maria Fearing, an African American teacher and missionary who was born into slavery but went on to become a beloved teacher in the Congo.

Maria was born on July 26, 1938, on a plantation near Gainesville, Sumter County, Alabama. As a youngster, she was employed as a house servant, spending much of her time with her mistress and the other children. Maria completed the ninth grade, but didn’t really learn to read and write until she was 33 years old.

When the Civil War was won, Maria worked her way through the Freedman’s Bureau School in Talladega, Alabama, to become a teacher. (This school is now known as Talladega College.) The neophyte educator taught for a number of years in rural schools in Calhoun County in Alabama. But in 1894, at age 56, Maria was inspired to travel to the Congo on the African continent, where for more than 20 years she worked tirelessly as a teacher and Presbyterian missionary. While there, Maria established the Pantops Home for Girls (1915). Pantops took in girls who had been orphaned and those who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery. The intrepid teacher used trinkets, tools, and even salt to barter for the freedom of these girls. She taught reading, writing, arithmetic, homemaking skills, and gardening in the mission day school, and she worked with the women of the surrounding villages. Her appreciative students nicknamed her “mama wa mputu” (“Mother from Far Away”). At the age of 78, because of failing health, Maria was encouraged to retire. In 1918, the Southern Presbyterian Church recognized her many years of dedication and hard work by honoring her with the Loving Cup.

Maria wasn’t ready to quit working, though. After returning to her native Alabama, she continued to teach, working at a church school in Selma, Alabama. She later returned to Sumter County, where she passed away on May 23, 1937. She was 100 years old.

Maria Fearing, a true chalkboard champion, was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000. You can read more about this amazing teacher at Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.

Jean Doerge: Chalkboard Champion and Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives

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There are many examples of dedicated educators who have also served in political office. This is true of Jean McGlothlin Doerge, a high school business teacher who also served in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Jean was born June 4, 1937, in Galbraith, a small town in Natchitoches Parish in Central Louisiana. After she graduated from Cloutierville High School, she enrolled in Northwestern State University (NSU) in Natchitoches. She completed the requirements for her bachelor’s degree in education in 1958. She also became a bride that year, having married fellow student Everett Doerge, also a teacher.

Jean accepted her first teaching assignment as a business teacher at Minden High School in Minden, Louisiana. The following year, she transferred to Arp Independent School in Arp, Texas, where she taught business courses. She also served as the adviser for the school’s newspaper, yearbook, and cheerleaders. At other schools in the following years, Jean taught girls’ physical education, coached the girls’ basketball team, and taught 9th and 10th grade Language Arts. Jean returned to Natchitoches for one year when her husband was hired to coach at Northwestern. At the end of the year, the couple moved back to Minden, where Jean returned to her post at Minden High as business teacher and adviser for the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). She spent the next 28 years teaching there, during which time she earned a master’s degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

As an educator, Jean was clearly an innovator. She was one of the first public school educators in Louisiana to implement computer technology and word processing instruction into her classes. Through the years, she served as instructor for summer classes and night courses at Northwest Technical College in Minden and nearby Homer. She also served on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as a secondary representative. Doerge retired in 1992 after 34 years of teaching.

In 1998, the former teacher was elected to serve the unexpired term of her husband, State Representative Dr. Everett Doerge, who had passed away earlier that year. She was re-elected in 2007, and served until 2012, when term limits prevented her continued service. As a legislator, Jean supported many education issues at all levels.

For her distinguished career as an educator, Jean has earned numerous prestigious awards. She has been named to the NSU College of Business Hall of Distinction, and she was the recipient of the Golden Rose Award and the Golden Apple Award presented by the Epsilon State of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, which recognized her for noteworthy legislation impacting retired teachers’ benefits. She is a member of the FBLA Wall of Fame, and she been recognized by SACS for serving on their  commission from 1988-92.

Jean Doerge: truly a chalkboard champion.

Carol Liu: Chalkboard Champion and Former California State Senator

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There are many examples of talented educators who have also served in political office. One such educator is Carol Liu, a secondary school history teacher who served as a California state senator representing District 25 from 2008-2016.

Carol was born September 12, 1941, in Berkeley, California, and raised in Oakland. She earned her bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University in 1963. She then attended UC Berkeley to earn her teaching credential and administrative credential.

After completing college, Carol taught history for 14 years at both the junior high and senior high levels in Richmond, California. Her teaching career there spanned from 1964-1978. During this time, she also served as the Executive Director of the Richmond Federation of Teachers (1975-1978). Carol then became a school administrator, a position she held from 1978-1984. Additionally, she was an instructor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley.

In 1992, Carol decided to get her feet wet in politics. She was elected to the La Canada Flintridge City Council, where she served until 1999. During that time, she was also selected as mayor of the City of La Canada Flintridge, a post she held from 1996-1999. In 2000, Carol was elected to the California State Assembly on the Democratic ticket. She served there until 2006. In 2008 Carol was elected to the California State Senate, where she served until 2016. While in office, the former teacher served as chairperson of the Senate Education Committee. Her efforts included bills to reinvigorate career and technical education at the high school level, lower the costs of college textbooks, protect foster children, and prevent domestic violence. She also worked towards meeting the needs of low-income families, legislated on behalf of seniors and those with disabilities, and promoted environmental issues.

Read more about Carol Liu’s work in the Senate on Ballotpedia or from the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) at Scorecard.