Tag Archives: Music Teachers

Former public school teacher and music icon Roberta Flack passes away

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Americans were sad to learn that former public school teacher and Grammy-winning singer Roberta Flack passed away yesterday. Photo Credit: IMDB

Music fans all over the county were sad to learn yesterday of the passing of Grammy Award-winning songwriter and singer Roberta Flack. Her best-known songs are “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and “Where Is the Love?” Did you know that this celebrated jazz, folk, and R&B icon was once a public school teacher?

Roberta Cleopatra Flack was born February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, Buncombe County, North Carolina. She was raised in Arlington, Virginia. Her mother was a church organist, so of course 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’d earned a full scholarship in music from Howard University. Howard is a traditionally Black college located in Washington, DC.

Roberta completed her undergraduate work, and then her student teaching at an all-white school near Chevy Chase, Maryland. She was the first African American student teacher to work at that school. After her college graduation, Roberta accepted a position teaching music and English in Farmville, North Carolina, a gig which paid her only $2,800 per year. During her career as a public school teacher, she also taught in Washington, DC, at Browne Junior High and Rabaut Junior High School. While she was teaching, Roberta took a number of 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.

Over the course of her music career, the former teacher has been nominated for a Grammy 13 times, winning on four occasions. On May 11, 2017, Roberta received an honorary Doctorate degree in the Arts from Long Island University. In 2009 she was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, and in 2022, she was honored with the Women in American History War by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

In recent years, Roberta continues to contribute to education came when she founded an after-school music program entitled “The Roberta Flack School of Music” to provide music education free of charge to underprivileged students in the Bronx borough of New York City. The program is offered through Hyde Leadership Charter School. You can learn more about this program at this link: Roberta Flack School of Music.

Roberta Flack suffered from a number of serious health issues towards the end of her life. She suffered a stroke in 2018, and she was diagnosed with ALS in 2022. The iconic singer passed away on February 24, 2025, in New York City, the victim of a heart attack. She was 88 years old. The world will surely miss this exceptional teacher and musician.

 

Director of Bands Maximo Sierra led Pebble Hills High students in Rose Parade

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Music educator Maximo Sierra led the 300-member Pebble Hills High School Spartan Marching Band from El Paso, Texas, in the Tournament of Roses Parade eld on Jan. 1, 2025. Photo credit: Pebble Hills High School

There are many fine music educators who work with young people in our nation’s public schools. One of these is Maximo Sierra, who leads the student musicians that comprise the Pebble Hills High School Spartan Marching Band from El Paso, Texas. He directed the 300-member group in the Tournament of Roses Parade held on Jan. 1, 2025. This is the first appearance for the group in the New Year’s Day Parade.

The Pebble Hills band placed second in the 6A area marching band contest and advanced to state last year. The group also swept the competition at the Coronado T-Bird Invitational in Sept., 2024. The students have performed all over Texas.

Maximo Sierra, Director of Bands at Pebble Hills High School in El Paso, Texas, has been teaching student musicians for 23 years. Photo credit: Pebble Hills High School

In a career that spans 23 years, Director of Bands Maximo Sierra has taught the last eight of them at Pebble Hills High. He has been the only Band Director in the school’s ten-year history. During those years, he helped establish the school’s traditions, including composing the school’s fight song, a piece inspired by movie and video game scores. “It’s in a minor key and very different,” he explains. “We’re proud of it.”

Maximo earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of Northern Colorado and his Master’s degree in Instrumental Conducting from New Mexico State University. There he was also a Teaching/Directing Assistant for the NMSU Pride Marching Band, Jazz II, and Concert Bands. Maximo is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and the International Association for Jazz Education.

Seminole High students appear in 2025 Rose Parade, led by Director of Bands Gerard Madrinan

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The Seminole High School Warhawk Marching Band made their third appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade today. Photo credit: Seminole High School

I always enjoy watching the Tournament of Roses Parade on the first day of the New Year, and this year was no exception. While watching today’s parade, I was genuinely impressed with the stellar high school bands that appeared in the event. One of these was the Seminole High School Warhawk Marching Band from Seminole, Florida. The 120-member group appeared under the leadership of Director of Bands Gerard Madrinan. This was their third appearance in the Rose Parade. The others were in 2005 and 2013.

The Warhawks are no strangers to honors. These stellar student-musicians appeared in the Disney Christmas Day Parade in 2007 and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2010. They were named the Virginia Beach National Marching Band Festival Grand Champions in 1978, multiple Grand Championships at the Tarpon Springs Outdoor Music Festival and Largo Golden Invitational, and more than 37 years of superior ratings at the Florida Bandmasters Association Marching Festivals. In addition, the Warhawk Band has won Bands of America Regional Finalists a whopping 25 times. They were also named Atlanta Regional Grand Champions twice, a Grand National Semi-Finalists seven times, and Grand Nationals Finalists twice. In 1996, the Warhawk Band was the National AA-Division Champion at the WGI Friendship Cup Championships held in St. Louis, MO.

Director of Bands Gerard Madrinan led the student-musicians of Seminole High School in Seminole, Florida, in their appearance in the 2025 Tournament of Roses Parade. Photo credit: Seminole High School

Gerard has been the Director of Bands at Seminole High School since 2013. His position as Band Director is the realization of a childhood dream. He says he was only ten years old when he decided to become a high school band director. “I always wanted to be a high school band director, and to do it right here at Seminole High,” he reveals. In addition, he serves as the Department Chair for Visual and Performing Arts, where he oversees the marching band, concert bands, jazz band, the winter guard, indoor percussion ensemble, and chamber ensembles.

Before his employment at Seminole High, Gerard served as a music teacher at Clearwater Intermediate School, the band director at Dunedin Highland Middle School, and as an itinerate music teacher at a several schools in Pinellas County. In all, his career as a music educator spans 25 years.

After his graduation from Seminole High in 1999, Gerard earned both his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and his Master’s degree in Instrumental Conducting from the University of South Florida, From 2005-2008, Gerard was an instructor with the University of South Florida Marching Band.

Additionally, Gerard is a member of the Florida Music Educators National Conference, the Florida Bandmasters Association, and the Pinellas County Music Educators Association. In 2024, he was named Teacher of the Year by Pinellas County Schools.

IL music educator Dr. Bert Johnson to lead Lincoln-Way Marching Band in 2025 Rose Parade

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Members of the Lincoln Way High School Marching Band from Frankfort, Illinois, will appear in the 2025 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena on Jan. 1. Photo credit: Lincoln Way High School

Several excellent music educators will lead their student musicians in the 136th Rose Parade to be held on Jan. 1, 2025, in Pasadena, California. One of these is Dr. Bert Johnson, the Director of Bands at Lincoln Way High School in Frankfort, Illinois. This is the group’s fourth appearance at the Tournament of Roses Parade. The 200-member band previously appeared in Pasadena in 1982 and again in 2000, with their most recent appearance in 2019.

The Lincoln-Way Marching Band is composed of the students from three Lincoln-Way High Schools across 105 square miles in the Lincoln Way Community High School District located in the southern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. These excellent student musicians performed at the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and was selected as a 2022 Bands of America Grand Nationals Semi-finalist. In addition, the Lincoln-Way Marching Band competed three times in the 2023 season were named the Grand Champion at all three events.

Music educator Dr. Bert Johnson will lead his 200-group marching band in this year’s Rose Parade.  Photo credit: Lincoln Way High School

Bert Johnson earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Anderson University in 1999. He earned his Master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of Michigan in 2007. In 2015, he completed his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy at Loyola University, Chicago. In addition, he also holds both a principal’s and superintendent’s licenses for the state of Illinois.

This accomplished music educator is a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAFME), the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA), the Jazz Educators Network (JEN), and the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA). He has served as Jazz Division Chair for the ILMEA District 1 schools and is member of the Advisory Council for the Music Educators Development Division (MEDD) for ILMEA. In addition, Bert is a regular presenter for ILMEA. He was selected as a Golden Apple Nominee twice, and in 2007 he received the Illinois Jaycees award for the the “Top Ten Outstanding Young People of Illinois.”

CA Music Educator John Burn to lead student musicians in Rose Parade

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Music Educator John Burn will lead the Homestead High School Mighty Mustang Marching Band and Color Guard of Cupertino, California, in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, 2025. Photo credit: Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

There are several excellent music educators who will lead their student musicians in the 136th Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2025. One of these is John Burn, the Director of Bands at Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. This is the second Rose Parade appearance for the 200-member group. Their first appearance was in 2018.

John has been the Director of Bands at Homestead High School since 1991. He also serves as the Chair of the Music Department there. He is, himself, a high school graduate of the school where he now teaches. In high school, John played trumpet in the Marching Band and was the Drum Major his senior year. After high school he played with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum Corps.

Music educator John Burn of Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. Photo credit:  National Association for Music Education

John earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at UCLA, and his Master’s degree in Music Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

This remarkable educator is a Past-President of the California Music Educators Association, the California Band Directors Association, the California Music Educators Association Bay Section, the Santa Clara County Band Directors Association, and the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival Board of Directors. In addition, John is a contributing author for the book Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra, Volume 4, GIA Publications, 2021, and has presented sessions at state and local conferences in California and Alaska.

For his work with young people, John has received numerous accolades. He was named the 2023 Outstanding Music Educator for the National Federation of High School Associations Region 7 (California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada & Hawaii). He was also recognized as a 2019 Grammy Music Educator Award Semi-finalist; he earned the 2015 CBDA Distinguished Service Award; he was named the 2010 CMEA California Band Director of the Year; he was honored as the 2009-2010 Homestead High School Teacher of the Year; and he is a 2009 Inductee to the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Legion of Honor.