Tag Archives: Music Teachers

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.

Colyn Fischer: Middle school music teacher and award-winning Scottish Fiddler

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imgresThere are many examples of talented musicians who go on to become exemplary music educators. This is certainly true of Colyn C. Fischer, an award-winning violinist from Pennsylvania who now works as a middle school music teacher.

Colyn was born in 1977 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began to play the violin at the tender age of three, concentrating on Scottish fiddling since the age of five. While just a teen, he studied under a number of notable American Scottish fiddlers, including John Turner and Bonnie Rideout, and several celebrated fiddlers from Scotland, including Ian Powie and Alasdair Hardy.

Following his graduation from Penn-Trafford High School in Harrison City, Pennsylvania, Colyn enrolled at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. There he earned his bachelor’s degree in music performance in violin from Wheaton College in 1999. He completed the requirements for his teaching credential at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in 2005.

In 1993, Colyn garnered the first-place title in the American National Scottish Fiddling Championship, Junior Division. In 2005 he won in the open category in Texas, a title which he captured again in 2006 in Ohio.

Colyn first taught music in grades three through eight in the Silver Valley Unified School District in California’s San Bernardino County. He worked there from 2006-2009. Currently, Colyn teaches orchestra at Central Middle School in the San Carlos School District located in San Francisco, California. He also teaches the annual Jink and Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling, and gives private violin and fiddle lessons.

Roberta Flack: Public School Teacher and Grammy Award Winning Music icon

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imagesMany people have heard of the Grammy Award-winning songwriter and singer Roberta Flack, whose best-known songs are “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and “Where Is the Love?” But did you know that this famous jazz, folk, and R&B icon was once a public school teacher?

Roberta Cleopatra Flack was born February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, although she was raised in Arlington, Virginia. Her mother was a church organist, so Roberta grew up in a musical household. At the age of nine, Roberta began to study classical piano, and by the time she was fifteen, she had won a music scholarship to Howard University. She completed her undergraduate work and her student teaching as the first African American student teacher at an all-white school near Chevy Chase, Maryland. Then Roberta accepted a position teaching music and English in Farmville, North Carolina, a gig which paid her only $2,800 per year. She also taught junior high school in Washington, DC, and at the same time she took side jobs as a night club singer. It was there that she was discovered and signed to a contract for Atlanta Records. The rest, as they say, is music business history.

In recent years, Roberta’s contribution to education came when she founded an after-school music program entitled “The Roberta Flack School of Music” to provide free music education to underprivileged students in the Bronx, New York City. 

Roberta Flack: Truly a Chalkboard Champion.