Tag Archives: Music Teachers

Teachers who specialized in music.

Coronavirus claims life of beloved NYC music educator Diony Diaz

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Beloved instrumental and vocal instructor Diony Diaz of New York succumbed to coronavirus on April 2, 2020.

We are sad to report that the coronavirus has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Music educator Diony Diaz from New York City succumbed to the disease on April 2, 2020. He was only 33 years old.

Diony taught instrumental and vocal music at Intermediate School 61 in Queens. His career there spanned eight years. Even though his career was short, he made a big impact on his students. “He was a great man, a great teacher and, more important, a great friend,” recalled one of his students. “This really hurts,” another student said. “He was more than a teacher. He was someone that was very relatable and who taught us some life lessons.”

Colleague Lucy Scully, who teaches Drama at the same school where Diony taught, remembers the fallen educator fondly. “When Diony first started teaching,” she said, “he jumped right in and started an after-school strings program that included guitar and violin,” she said. “He was a mentor to his students and always made time to support them emotionally, socially and academically. His door was always open, even after school,” she continued.

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Diony played piano in his church for 14 years. He also played in a band while a student. He was a resident of Staten Island.

To read more about Diony, follow this link to the memorial page devoted to him created by the NYSUT (New York State Union of Teachers).

Principal Dr. Quentin Lee uses MC Hammer parody to teach covid-safe behaviors

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https://youtu.be/oeAN8Xxz0q4

An educator who puts extra thought and creativity into their instruction is always very exciting. One educator who practices this is Dr. Quentin Lee, the principal of Childersburg High School, a public high school located in Childersburg, Talladega County, Alabama. He created a back-to-school video in the form of an MC Hammer parody that is causing an internet sensation.

Quentin wanted to find an innovative way to convey covid-safe expectations to students, who will be returning to school during the current coronavirus pandemic. The principal, a former band director, used his musical talents to write and record a parody of MC Hammer’s 1990 classic, “U Can’t Touch This.” The purpose of the parody is to remind students to engage in extra hygiene practices and safe distancing protocols. The video shows Quentin rapping, wielding a no-contact thermometer and bottles of hand sanitizer, and performing the “Running Man,” all while demonstrating the covid-safe behaviors expected of students when they return to school.

“Basically, I just really wanted to do something fun for back-to-school to kind of reinforce a lot of the new things we’re having to do,” explained Quentin. “I like making little silly videos for the kids, just to kind of get them excited about school. I wanted to do something to help promote the community,” he continued.

The innovative principal posted the video to YouTube early last week. The recording has become an instant internet success, and has even been featured on numerous television news broadcasts.

Quentin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in 2005. He earned his Master’s degree from Sanford University in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2010. He earned his PhD in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2017. He taught music at Talladega County Central High School from 2006 to 2012. He is starting his fourth year as principal at Childersburg.

Texas Band Director Mike Westbrook succumbs to coronavirus

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Beloved Texas Band Director Mike Westbrook succumbed to the coronavirus on March 26, 2020.

Sadly, the coronavirus has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Mike Westbrook, a teacher, administrator, and Director of Bands at Hardin Jefferson High School in Sour Lake, Texas. At the time of his passing on March 26, he was 54 years old.

Mike was born on February 6, 1966, in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, in 1990. While there, the respected musician participated in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Kappa Kappa Psi. In 2005, Mike completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, also from Lamar University.

After his college graduation, Mike inaugurated his career as a music educator at Lumberton Independent School District (ISD), where he worked from 1994 to 2002. He also served as the Assistant Principal there. After eight years, Mike accepted a position at Port Neches Groves, where he worked for three years as the school’s Band Director. Since 2007, Mike served as the Director of Bands at Hardin-Jefferson High School in Hardin County, Texas. In total, Mike’s career in educator has spanned 30 years.

“I worked with him when I was the Assistant Principal at Hardin-Jefferson for eight years,” expressed Gretchen Scoggins, Communications Director at Lumberton ISD. “Every day with Mike – he is a hilarious bubbly personality, who absolutely adores kids,” she recalled.

In addition to his work as a music educator, Mike also logged in 30 years as a trumpet player in the Symphony of Southeast Texas. He also played with the horn band Eazy and the Spindletop Brass Quintet. In addition to the trumpet, Mike could play all woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. He volunteered regularly at activities sponsored by the Texas Music Education Association (TMEA) at the local, area, and state levels.

To read Mike’s obituary, click on this link at Broussard’s Mortuary.

Retired music teacher Rushia Stephens passes away from coronavirus

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Retired choral music teacher Rushia Stephens of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away from coronavirus on March 19, 2020.

Sadly, many outstanding educators have succumbed to the coronavirus. One of these is Rushia Stephens, a retired teacher from Atlanta, DeKalb County, Georgia. Rushia passed away on March 19, 2020. She was only 65 years old.

Rushia was born September 7, 1954. As a teenager, Rushia was one of the first black students to attend what was known then as Northside School of Performing Arts. After her graduation, she went on to study first at Morris Brown College in Sumter, South Carolina, and then at Ithaca School of the Arts in New York. There she sang alto soprano and performed in the theater. She also was a  member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Vocal Music Performance in 1974.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree, Rushia returned home, where she taught choral music for many years at her alma mater, which by then had become North Atlanta High School. During that time she also earned a Master’s degree in Music Education from Georgia State University in 1992.

Rushia’s career with Atlanta Public Schools spanned 28 years.The dynamic educator will be remembered fondly by her former students. “From the first moment that you met her, she commanded the room,” remembers Zipporah Taylor, one of those former students. “She had a beautiful smile. I remember being a freshman and receiving my first solo in the Messiah and just thinking how she was giving me all of these tips and said,  ‘Darling, you must perform–the stage is yours!'”

After her retirement as an educator, Rushia went back to teaching music at Montclair Elementary School in DeKal. She busies herself with organizing plays and musical performances for younger students.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this link at the Atlantic Journal.

Nellie Ramsey Leslie: The former slave who taught emancipated citizens

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Nellie Ramsesy Leslie: The former slave who taught elementary school and music to emancipated citizens.

I love to share stories of exceptional African American educators, especially during Black History Month. One of the most interesting of these educators is Nellie Ramsey Leslie, a teacher, composer, and musician from the American South.

Nellie was born into slavery in Virginia in circa 1840. The exact date of her birth is not known. When the Civil War ended in 1865 and left her emancipated, the 25-year-old ventured north to Ohio to attend school. Once she completed her education, she relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana. There she founded a musical conservatory for girls under the auspices of the Freedmen’s Bureau. In New Orleans, Nellie educated newly freed slaves and their children.

Between 1870 and 1872, Nellie decided to refine her teaching practices by completing courses at Straight University Normal School. Straight is now known as Dillard University. Once Nellie completed those courses, she accepted a teaching position in Straight. Two years later she relocated to Amite City in Tangipahoah Parish. She taught there for two years.

In 1874, Nellie married the Reverend R. A. Leslie, a Native American of the Creek tribe. The couple moved to Osyka, Mississippi. Six years later, Nellie and R. A. moved to the Indian Territory located in the state now known as Oklahoma.There the couple established schools for emancipated Creeks. The next year Nellie and R. A. founded a boarding house in Muskogee, Oklahoma. 

Following her husband’s death in 1884, Nellie traveled to the Boston Conservatory of Music where she took courses in music. Then she traveled to Corpus Christi, Texas, where she established a music school. Later, she returned to Indian Territory, where she taught in a private academy for African American girls. The veteran educator also taught at the Tallahassee Mission School for three years.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away in Muskogee, Oklahoma, sometime in the 1920’s. Again, the exact date of her death in unknown. To read more about her, check out the Google book version of Notable Negro Women: Their  Triumphs and Activities by Monroe A. Majors, which you can access at this link: Notable Negro Women.