歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� As teachers prepare to head back to the classroom, the Beltrami County Historical Society, in keeping with their history of music theme for 2024, invited area music educators to come and discuss the challenges and joys of teaching music.

On Thursday, Aug. 15, Gunnar Aas, Natalie Dahlin, Jennifer Johnson, Beth Hahn, Janet Weaver, Dale Goodyear and Les Torgerson gathered at the History Center to share some of their unique experiences.

Their years of experience varied from entering into a third year of teaching to retiring after several decades. Veteran teachers Weaver鈥檚, Goodyear鈥檚 and Torgerson鈥檚 combined years add up to over a century of teaching experience.

They shared memories of how their passion for music started and what inspired them to become music teachers. Some had grown up in musical families; others had parents who encouraged them to play an instrument or use their voices. Many had instructors whose influence sparked a love of music and a desire to share it with others.

Gunnar Aas, who returns as choir director at Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 this fall, said a trip to All State Choir going into his senior year of high school led him into teaching.

鈥淚t made me think I might want to do this my whole life,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was bit by the bug.鈥�

With two teacher parents 鈥� his dad in social studies and mom in music 鈥� he had strong role models right from the start.

The opportunity to sing a solo in second grade inspired Natalie Dahlin, now starting her second year as an elementary music teacher in Bemidji, after having taught K-12 music and choir in Northome and Kelliher.

Jennifer Johnson returns to Aitkin to teach 7-12 choir and music, including handbells, guitar, piano and general music. She has also taught K-6 music and 4-6 grade choir at Rippleside Elementary in Aitkin and 7-12 grade choir at Hawley, Minn. This is her 12th year of teaching.

Her mother Carole performs and gives piano lessons, so, like Aas, music and teaching are in Johnson鈥檚 blood. She credits all of her music teachers and an opportunity to intern in music while still in high school for clinching her decision to teach.

Beth Hahn heads back to teach the 6-12 grade band in Menahga, her 15th year there. She took piano lessons from Carole Johnson when she was young.

She also idolized her elementary music teacher, Eve Sumsky. 鈥淪he embodied my love of music,鈥� Hahn said. But, like Jennifer, it wasn鈥檛 until she had an opportunity to work with students and to teach some lessons that she found her passion for teaching music.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just a love of music,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut a love of students. You have to love the kids.鈥�

Janet Weaver agreed. Weaver taught band and classroom music in Blackduck for six years before coming to Bemidji. She retired in 2022 after teaching for 29 years at Bemidji Middle 歪歪漫画 but teaches part-time at St. Philip's Catholic 歪歪漫画.

Growing up in Colorado, Weavers鈥檚 musical life started with piano lessons and was influenced by all her music teachers. She loved band and musical theater and majored in music at Bemidji State. She has the unique honor of having been the first (and last) female drum major in the mid-1980s, just before the marching band was dropped. When it was time for her to student teach, Dale Goodyear was her cooperating teacher.

Weaver said she enjoyed teaching high school music, but loved teaching students at the middle school 鈥� and not just the musical stars 鈥� but the ones who needed support and found a home in band. She鈥檚 proud that some of her former students went on to become teachers.

Long before he was Weaver鈥檚 cooperating teacher, Dale Goodyear had started his musical life, like many of the others, with piano lessons at age seven from 鈥渁 patient, thoughtful teacher.鈥�

As a teen in the 1960s, he played keyboard in a rock band. Some of the other band members played by ear and couldn鈥檛 read music, so his first teaching experience was helping them learn the rudiments of music construction.

Les Torgerson鈥檚 resume includes teaching music in Minnesota, North Dakota and Alaska with the full range from K-12 to community college and two universities. The son of an accordion player, he grew up near Gonvick and started playing the trombone in grade school. He credits the music program and instructors at Bemidji State for inspiring him to switch from a major in biology to music.

Like the music teachers who inspired them, all seven have inspired and nurtured young music students. In spite of the challenges of scheduling, funding and often enormous class sizes, music teachers find joy in teaching something that creates a uniquely unified group.

Dahlin described her music students at Horace May Elementary and last spring鈥檚 performance of 鈥淧eter and the Wolf.鈥� She said. 鈥淚t was a lot of work. We put the show on for kindergarteners who thought it was so magical, and after the audience left, the kids said, 鈥楥an we do another one?鈥� They were so excited about learning things and sharing what they鈥檇 learned.鈥�

Johnson talked about putting on a huge K-3 Christmas concert in Aitkin with 350 kids on the stage.

鈥淚t was the coolest thing ever,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e filled the 800-capacity auditorium. The whole community came out. The kids had ownership in what they were doing and the entire community just lifted them up.鈥�

Aas nudges students to learn beyond his classroom, encouraging them to try summer workshops and activities like the Minnesota All State Lutheran Choir at Concordia. Once they try it, they鈥檙e hooked, he said, and return the next summer to learn and perform more.

Contributed

Johnson said she had to nudge some of her elementary students to stick with music in grades 4-6, 鈥淣ow some of those same students are studying music in college.鈥�

Aas said it鈥檚 rewarding when kids realize that music can open up doors for them He recalled one choir member who 鈥渒nocked it out of the park鈥� at contests. She hadn鈥檛 planned to pursue music, but, with Aas鈥檚 encouragement, she auditioned at BSU and won a scholarship.

While music teachers expand their own horizons, they offer more and more to their students. Goodyear talked about selecting a piece of music for performance that he thought his students would like and passing out the parts to work through it.

鈥淭hen,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t started to take on a life of its own. The players went with it, wanted to learn more, wanted to be a tight group and play it 鈥榖etter than you鈥檝e ever heard it played before.鈥欌��

At contest, he recalled, the kids were excitedly lost in the moment and made sure everyone was doing their part.

鈥淪omething happens in a music performance class that just can鈥檛 be emulated in many other classes,鈥� Goodyear said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the involvement, the working together, the trombone or saxophone that doesn鈥檛 have the melody in the piece but discovers how critical a part of the piece it is. Everything, everyone comes together.鈥�

As Weaver put it, 鈥淣o one sits on the bench in band. There鈥檚 a sense of cooperating, of being safe in the band room.鈥� She liked reaching the kids who didn鈥檛 have it all going for them.

鈥淚 always felt like I was teaching more than music. It was more like teaching them to be good humans," she added. "How to work together and trust one another and come into a room and feel safe, to be whoever they were.鈥�

Aas pointed out that in elementary schools, music is a part of the core. While in secondary classes, there鈥檚 more of a push to get students into courses that lead them toward careers, but music classes offer what few other classes can: teamwork and striving to work together.

Goodyear found that to be true in his classes.

鈥淭he feeling of the power of the band when it all comes together and the kids have a grip on the music and everyone is part of the team," he said, "it鈥檚 a unit of one instead of a classroom of 30.鈥�