A woman in a classic sweater and tailored jeans is on the phone in her sleek, homey office. After concluding her call, she scribbles on a piece of paper and excuses herself for a quick trip down the hall.
The director of bands returns and rummages through the mini fridge tucked in a corner and pulls out some cold pizza shoved in Tupperware. She cleans off her desk while another cup of coffee brews. A flute and clarinet duet knocks on the door asking for her opinion on their work.
“It’s one of those days,” she sighs.
However, despite the need for hectic multitasking, it is clear Dr. Mary Schneider is fulfilled by the chaos.
Dr. Schneider did not come from a musical family. Many of her colleagues grew up surrounded by lessons and reminders to practice. Schneider had to pay for her own lessons.
Her mother appreciated the arts, and one of her earliest memories is of her and her younger sister dancing while her older sister played piano.
However, her siblings did not get involved in music, and the family, in fairness, did not favor their musical daughter with extra funds.
Throughout middle school, it helped guide her way. She was also very involved in sports, but when it came time to choose between the increasing demands of both her hobbies, she chose music. It was an obvious choice.
The decision to teach was another obvious one. Through teaching swimming lessons and private lessons, she found the rewards in helping others learn. Teaching music was, then “the best of both worlds.”
“It’s kind of cyclical,” says Schneider of teaching. These early years and discoveries cemented her position, that teaching “was my career, one I loved.”
One experience that served as a “lightbulb moment” to this certainty was her experience with one particular student. He was a restless seventh-grade percussionist with a penchant for disturbing class.
One day, he had a spectacular rehearsal. He had focused and really participated with and contributed to the band. Schneider congratulated him in person and later called his parents and left a positive message on the family’s answering machine.
After being a public school teacher for several years, Schneider went back to college to receive a doctorate in conducting. The appeal of conducting for her comes from getting to “play” all the parts, as well as motivating players and educating them about how to “fit” in a music group.
She describes this role as the educational part of the triad between composer, conductor and performer. She gets to teach and participate in her passion for music making.
Now, she is the busy director of Eastern Michigan University’s band program. Part of what drew her to EMU was the chance to educate on the next level and educate the next generation of music teachers.
Once again, she has opportunity to use her knowledge to affect lives. She continues to watch her students grow, as she has since she taught her first swimming lessons when she herself was a student.
One of the best parts, she says, is in turn learning from her students, and discussing with them – rather than simply imparting knowledge. The cycle goes on.
