Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend May 8, 2006 South Medford High School band director Allen Barber is the first Medford teacher to be named Music Educator of the Year by the Oregon Symphony. (Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) Medford's music man By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune Even amid cuts in the music programs in the Medford School District, Thomas "Allen" Barber has managed to quadruple student participation in the South Medford High School Band during the past five years. For that accomplishment and his inspiring philosophical approach to music instruction, the band director will be the first Medford teacher to be named Music Educator of the Year by the Oregon Symphony. "He has only been at the high school for six years, but in the time he has been there, there has been a huge increase in participation, not just by students, but parents and the community have been more supportive of the program," said Emilia Smith, education director for the Oregon Symphony. Barber, who was selected out of a pool of 26 nominees, will receive the award and $1,000 to support the high school's music program at an Oregon Symphony-Portland Youth Philharmonic concert May 26 in Portland. "It's a great honor," he said. Barber's students will join others from Southern Oregon in a Jazz Celebration Friday at South Medford. Barber left Nashville, where he taught music at a private school and performed as a freelance percussionist with Grammy-winning artists such as guitarist Curtis Burch, to teach at South Medford in 2000. "I've performed all over the nation," he said. "I love to perform music. I get the same kind of thrill watching students doing it, watching them grow at it." His stint in Nashville gave him access to some prominent names in music. Among them, jazz musician Gordon Goodwin, percussionist Zoro and jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson have performed and worked with students at South Medford. "When he has concerts at South and brings big names in, we have people attend who otherwise wouldn't go into schools, so it improves the school's connection with the community," said Tricia Prendergast, Medford School Board member and mother of one of Barber's pupils. Since Barber took the job as band director, the number of students in music classes at South Medford has increased from about 50 to more than 200. The South Medford Wind Ensemble qualifies to compete in state contests each year, and the Jazz Ensemble has ranked in the top five at every jazz festival in which it has competed. Barber often works from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays teaching five music classes and a film course and preparing for concerts and competitions. The students, teachers and administrators who nominated him for the award praised him for making his enthusiasm about music infectious to his pupils and illustrating principles of life through music. "He relates everything we do musically to real life," said Katie Sours, a South Medford senior who plays the bassoon in the band. "He talks about the importance of being on time at concerts, and if we are not going to be there, get a substitute. Otherwise, the band suffers. It's a lot like sports or a professional job. "He tells us we are professionals because we are paid in public education." Barber said students respond to high expectation, both in behavior and in music. The music he sets before his pupils is often more complicated than the typical high school piece. Barber said he learned how to motivate students from his own teachers, a band director at Warren Central High School in Bowling Green, Ky., and a music instructor at Western Kentucky University. "My high school band director told me one time that he picked out a child and talked to the kid every week to make a connection," Barber said. "Sometimes the kid was one of the best musicians, sometimes the worst, but if they felt he cared, he locked them into the class." He said he plans to use the $1,000 award from the Oregon Symphony largely to repair some of the school's instruments. Repairs and maintenance are often delayed because of a lack of funding. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail [email protected] . If you go: What: Rogue Valley Jazz Celebration by bands from South Medford High School, McLoughlin and Hedrick middle schools, Roseburg High School and Southern Oregon University When: 7 p.m. Friday, May 12 Where: South Medford High School, 815 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy