Putting Students First

Putting Students First

by: Professor Kevin Miller

November, 2001

It’s time for a new award in music education; we could call it the “Unsung Hero” Award. It would be given to teachers who don’t seek recognition, but who teach because they love students and love seeing them learn. It would be an award for teachers who don’t care about awards.

Hmm… maybe this isn’t such a bright idea. Who would apply for this award? Who would ask others to nominate them for it? Or, how would a selection committee find the most worthy recipient?

Perhaps it would be better simply to write about such a teacher: one who taught over 3,000 elementary and junior high string students during the course of his thirty-year career in the Detroit Public Schools. One who saw approximately 250 students twice each week in five different schools. One whose classes were so popular that he usually had waiting lists to get into them. One who, nearly fifteen years after retiring, continues to serve students by judging at MSBOA Solo and Ensemble Festival because he loves seeing young people doing something so positive.

This teacher never received an award for his teaching even though he taught during the most challenging three decades of Detroit’s history, 1957-1987. He made hundreds of arrangements of classical music and popular songs in order to make lessons more fun and educational. For what amounted to little more than gas money, he directed All-Region elementary orchestras after school once a week, and directed the All-City junior high orchestra on Saturdays. Out of necessity he also became quite competent in string repairs. Very few of his students could afford their own instruments so he managed a huge inventory of school instruments. The instruments he couldn’t repair himself he would haul to the local repair shop on his own time.

Although it was a celebratory year for our nation, 1976-77 was perhaps the worst year ever for music in the Detroit schools. Because of financial short-falls, all instrumental music was eliminated. Rather than look for a job elsewhere, this unsung hero spent the year as a floating sub spending most of his days teaching reading. When instrumental music was partially restored the next year, many high schools did not reinstate their orchestra programs. Yet, even without being able to hold out a “carrot” of eventually playing in a high school orchestra, he was still able to motivate and inspire his students through his teaching and by doing extra activities like taking his students to hear the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

His greatest rewards while teaching were hearing students say “Ah, now I understand!” or “Oh, so that’s how it goes!”; and later, “Mr. Miller, remember me?”

Yes, this unsung hero is my dad, John T. Miller. He is the teacher I still strive to be, and the kind I want my music education majors to be. To paraphrase a now hackneyed expression, he has always known that it’s not about us, it’s about the students—about putting students first.

Professor Kevin Miller holds degrees from Oberlin and the University of Michigan. He taught orchestra in Battle Creek and Chelsea, Michigan, and at York Community High School in Elmherst, Illinois, where he served as assistant conductor of the Elgin Symphony and music director of the Elgin Youth Symphony. Since 1991 he has been Director of Orchestras and teaches string methods, conducting and supervises student teaching at Eastern Michigan University. Prof. Miller is active as a clinician and adjudicator.

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