Editor’s note: Aurora Egan is a member of the Glenwood Springs High School band programs and choir
Music plays a principal part in the Roaring Fork Valley.
For many students, however, their options can become limited due to issues such as lack of funding, lack of interest and difficulty in finding music teachers. At Glenwood Springs High School (GSHS), Shanti Gruber, the choir director, and Tamara McSwain, the band director, share the idea that music education is a fundamental part of the school.
“Music has given GSHS a sense of identity and tradition,” Gruber said. “It has shaped us into a place that values expression just as much as competition or testing.”
Mark Johnson, a jazz musician in the Roaring Fork Valley who tragically passed away last year, left a lasting effect on music education in the Valley. After his death, Jazz Aspen Snowmass set up the Mark Johnson Memorial Fund. Through this resource, funds were raised to hire a full-time music instructor for the Carbondale program this year, and JAS states that it will continue to support the position next year. At GSHS, Johnson played a pivotal role in music education, often coming into band classes to assist students.
Johnson, who McSwain described as a “performer first and an educator second,” used his knowledge of performing and gigging to bring a new set of skills and perspective to the band room.
According to Mcswain, Johnson’s high standards consistently pushed students to improve their musical skills. He also invested in students he saw as having great potential and motivation. He spent a large amount of time outside of class assisting these students to grow as musicians. Johnson helped in providing them with special mouthpieces, reeds and instruments, as well as aiding in audition recordings.
Anderson Amaya, a junior at GSHS, expressed his gratitude for Johnson’s work with the band program.
“Mark changed what the meaning of band was in many hearts, especially mine,” Amaya said “For all of the kids that Mark Johnson has worked with … all of them improved, even if it was just a couple of words that he had said.”
McSwain described the importance of music not only for the students she teaches, but also in her own life. Growing up, McSwain said that her favorite place to be is in the band room, and being a part of a group of musicians.
As an educator, McSwain said that she has watched music education affect students in a multitude of ways. She has observed that students who have come from many different musical backgrounds have flourished under the band programs. Students have been known to find their social circles within music education,which has encouraged them to participate in other relevant opportunities at GSHS, such as choir, drama and beyond, she said.
“It becomes a part of our community,” McSwain said. “It becomes part of how we spend our time outside of work and friends.”
When asked about the reasons behind the influx of music programs being cut in recent years in the Roaring Fork Valley, McSwain said that it is quite complicated. She added that good music teachers are difficult to come across, and when students don’t connect with the music teacher, they won’t take the course. A lack of participation in a course can cause a program to be cut.
McSwain is thankful, however, that the administrators across the Roaring Fork School District are continually fighting for music to stay in schools.
Gruber believes that music is the heart and soul of GSHS. Offering music classes to students, she said, grows strength in other academic areas, such as math and language arts.
After teaching for 18 years, she has observed that music education is a motivator for students to show up to school at all.
Gruber has watched students she has taught grow confidence in their musical abilities, some often going on to pursue performance or music education as a career.
When schools are unable to offer music classes to students, Gruber believes that the student body as a whole suffers greatly, noting that the arts provide a large outlet for students to cope with stress and grow school spirit.
The reasons behind funding cuts to music programs, Gruber elaborates, comes down to the number of students signed up for the classes. She stated that music classes are often viewed as a luxury in schools, and, therefore, are the first to get cut if participation numbers are low.