I am a 1992 Graduate of Seneca Valley High School. In addition, I am a 1997 graduate from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University with a bachelors degree in music education and applied percussion. I completed all course work for my master’s degree in music education from the Pennsylvania State University.
I have had three individuals in my life that have truly inspired me to become a music educator. First and foremost – my father. He was always extremely supportive of my musical endeavors, paying for lessons, and driving me to all my rehearsals and practices from the time I was in 4th grade. My dad never missed a single performance of mine. He attended every elementary, junior high school, high school and college performance! He and my mother would drive to Youngstown on Saturdays to watch the band perform at our football games. My dad, who always inspired me to do and be my best, was always there for me. I am forever grateful.
Secondly, my high school band director was a huge influence on my life. Mr. Robert Matchett was an incredible teacher, musician and mentor. I can say that if he was not my high school band director, I’m not sure I would have even considered becoming a music major in college. Mr. Matchett was my band dad. He would never allow you to give up or settle for anything less than your best.
Lastly, my college band director Dr. Stephen Gage was a huge inspiration. Dr. Gage and I have remained very close, and he has seen me through some of my most difficult days. He is absolutely a one of a kind teacher, mentor, and friend. He is like family to me. I call on him in good times and in bad, and he is always there to support me. The thing with Dr. Gage is he will not sugar coat things to make you “feel better”. He will tell you the truth, but in that truth, he teaches you how to continue what you are doing well and corrects what you are doing wrong. As with Mr. Matchett, I would not be where I am today without him and his guidance.
I am currently the director of bands at North Allegheny Senior High School. This will be my 18th year at NA, and my 24th year as a high school band director.
My feelings regarding music education (especially the band) have drastically changed over the past several years. When I was younger and more insecure, I was more concerned about the trophy and the “win”. In fact, I would spend hours researching the band programs we would “compete” against and watch every YouTube video I could. I would waste so much time worrying about what everyone else was doing, that I forgot the true reason I went into education in the first place.
A few years back, we had a series of serious family tragedies. It was during this time that my outlook on education and teaching began to change. My wife drowned saving our (at the time 9 year old) son from his own drowning in Lake Erie on July 9th, 2014. After that, we had a series of four other untimely family deaths. Then in October 2018 my dad, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. My dad did not spend one night in the hospital his entire life until this cancer diagnosis and was the healthiest 70 year old you would ever want to meet. He passed away in his hospital room with me by his side, June 30, 2020. As I said, my dad was my best friend and my ultimate mentor and life coach.
I began to really take a look at my life and view it differently. It made me realize how important my son is to me, how important my family is to me, how important my band kids are to me, and how important music is to me. So now, it’s all about the journey. I absolutely love handing out a piece of music to my band, hearing them sight-read it for the first time, watching them make progress on it, and finally hearing them perform it live. Music is not and should not be a competition. We still go to competition style festivals, but my mantra is that as long as you do your best, that’s all you can do.
The funny thing is, as soon as I worried more about improving “me” and loving the teaching of music, the bands all got a lot better. So, I am still in education for that reason – the journey. The journey of working on a piece. The journey of every day, month and year and ultimately the journey of what I can hopefully look back at as a successful career.
I’ve always tried to make the band a safe place for all students. I truly pride myself on fostering a welcoming and safe environment at North Allegheny. The division we are currently facing in our country saddens me. I don’t have the answers; I wish I did. I just wish people were kinder, more loving, less selfish, and open to other points of view and ways of life. We really are all in this together, and we need to help each other out through life’s difficult obstacles. My hope is that we can, as a nation, get past this difficult time. Being kind costs nothing but can pay huge dividends.