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Brown sounds right note as GMHS band director
(by Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor - February 02, 2010)
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| Messenger photo by Rick Palsgrove |
| Groveport Madison High School band director Sarah Brown shown here conducting during a recent rehearsal. |
Music is in Sarah Brown's heart, mind, and soul and she has shared her knowledge of this art with students for the past 30 years.
Now, at the end of this school year, Brown will retire after serving as a band director for the last 21 years at Groveport Madison High School. (Previously she was also band director at John Glenn High School for five years and for four years at H. D. Jacobs High School in Illinois.)
A musical life
"I always wanted to be a band director," said Brown in an interview Feb. 2. "I never wanted to be anything else. I can remember when I was in eighth grade and they had us take a course on careers. I thought it was silly because I already knew what I wanted to be."
Both of Brown's parents were band directors and they cultivated her interest in music.
"My mom was fabulous," said Brown. "She's unbelievably talented. She was a band director back in the days when there weren't many women band directors."
This musical background enabled Brown to learn to play French horn, piano, tenor sax, and violin.
"I enjoy concert band music," said Brown. "I like playing it and listening to it because of its wide range of sounds, all the different styles, and the versatility of it."
Being a band director
Brown said a band director has "a lot to juggle."
"The main attraction to the job is working with so many diverse students. Music is a universal language. No matter where you are from and, while other things in life may be different, in band it's about playing music," said Brown.
She added she likes the challenge of getting the band from A to Z and all the points in between.
"There's so many steps to the final product, always something to work and focus on and to improve on," said Brown. "I enjoy getting the students to understand that music is an art and that every performance is different, that there's a responsibility to share what the music is all about with an audience."
The importance of music
Brown maintains music is an important part of life.
"A person is not complete without art in their life," said Brown, pausing a moment to note the sounds coming from a band rehearsal in the room next to her office where she and I talked.
"Listen," she said of the students' music filling the air, "That's gorgeous. You can feel the emotion."
Brown firmly believes music and being in band enhances a student's academics and personal growth.
"When playing music you're using parts of your brain that nothing else uses," said Brown. "It opens the brain's intellectual capacity."
She said band students tend to score higher on SAT and ACT tests and have a better chance of becoming a leader.
"When a student is in band," she said, "they learn to deal with situations and they learn communication, flexibility, and responsibility. They learn math, English, and a foreign language. All these things make you a better person."
She noted she is proud that her own son was a band member and is now in his second year of law school. She added many other former students have gone on to successful lives and that many of them have gone on to be music teachers themselves.
"That speaks highly of the program," said Brown.
Performance achievement
When Brown became the Groveport Madison High School band director in 1989, the band had 70 members. It now has about 150.
Recently the Groveport Madison Board of Education honored Brown, her staff, and the Groveport Madison High School Marching Band for earning a superior rating at state competition last November. Under Brown, the band has qualified for state 21 times and earned a superior rating 19 times. They are one of only 30 bands to qualify for state each of the last 20 years.
Brown said she would like to see the band continue to improve in all areas after she retires.
She said she has made no plans as to how to spend her retirement.
Showing me a full calendar of upcoming band dates she laughed, "We have so much going on with the band right now I couldn't possibly find time to plan for retirement!"
Then she smiled and added, "Something will lead me to the next step."
| Comments (2) |
On February 11, 2010 Nikki said:
Ms. Brown has truly been an inspiration for many, many years. She inspires her students and believes in them when it seems nobody else does. Her retirement is a success and a new chapter for her, but it will be a shame to lose such a talent at Groveport. I wish you much happiness for what is to come, and thank you for believing in me... |
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On February 3, 2010 Marcia said:
Sarah, it's great to see that you've shared your love of music with so many lives. I hope you realize that the effect you had on your students will be felt for the rest of their lives. I still cherish the days of playing in the MV band. I wish you the best in the next phase of your life. You have a lot to be proud of. |
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