I'll lead with the headline and perhaps go into more detail sharing stories farther down.
I have decided to retire from my position as the only* Choir Director in the history of Creekside Middle School ! ! !
*My position was created when Zeeland Middle School split into two middle schools. The current choir director at the time chose to go to Cityside.
Retiring from teaching school puts me in a position to donate 100% of my energies to Zeeland Academy of Music (downtown at 16 S. Elm St.) and my family is in a position financially to make this change a reality for us. I am so tremendously grateful for all the love and support I've received over the years from all my wonderful colleagues, friends and family members.
Sherry and I decided at the beginning of last school year that I would announce my retirement this past April and finish the year with a big MEGA 80s concert - Purple Rain as the combined closing number, tears streaming down my face while playing the guitar solo in the end as the choir, AND the audience, sang the really high "ooh" parts.
For most of the Spring and Summer, I have been planning to return for one, maybe even two more years in hopes of eventually having that big, last hoorah concert.
I'm sad that will not happen, but the timing for me still feels right.
When Covid knocked us out for the remainder of the year, my thoughts shifted and I began planning my return to teaching in the fall hoping to get that chance of doing one more big rock show. Physically speaking, this past school year was not nearly as demanding as the previous few years had been. I had a GREAT student teacher and I had GREAT students who made life in the choir room fun and productive. But, as the fall looms closer, I realize the timing to step away now was the right decision for me. I do feel badly about not getting the opportunity to say good bye to all the students and staff in person, but I believe that time will eventually come.
I came into the position of Creekside Choir Director as a local kid who had just left the world of touring professionally in rock bands for the previous four years. For those of you that are still reading, if you hadn't heard this, Paris Blue played about 300 shows per year in fourteen different states (living in hotels, eating Taco Bell at least four times per week - it was HEAVEN!) from 1991 till the end of 1994. We generally played six nights per week. It was truly a full time job. Before that I played in several other bands that played clubs all over the state of Michigan. Paris Blue career highlights include, setting an attendance record at Club Eastbrook (later became the Orbit Room) in 1993 when we had nearly 1000 paid through the door. We also had the opportunity of opening for several national acts there (and other venues) including, Extreme, Joan Jett, .38 Special, Blue Oyster Cult, Blackfoot and many others. It was a great run that was ended by Grunge music taking over the airwaves. We were mostly an 80s Hair Band with great three part harmony vocals. That music (sadly) went out of style and soon after, most of the live rock venues went belly up. It was really the loss of an entire industry in the Midwest.
That's when I returned to college, this time GVSU, to obtain the teaching certificate I did not get with my BAA music degree from CMU in 1991. I graduated with a BME from GVSU in the Spring of 1996 and the Creekside Choir position (.6 FTE) was posted shortly after. I'll never forget the call from Jae Shobbrook (Principal at the time) letting me know that I was the sole remaining candidate for the position. I said, "excuse me a second" covered the phone (a land line at my house, of course) with my hand and screamed!
I was SO GREEN when I started! It didn't take me long to realize that college doesn't necessarily teach you a ton about how to teach. You actually learn ON THE JOB! As of about my third year, I was starting to get a grasp of reality but by then, the choir program (along with the CRK student body) had grown to the point where I typically had about 50 6th graders, 60 7th graders and 70 8th graders. In that order. the last three hours of the day. Without air conditioning. Ever been in a classroom with 70 8th graders the last hour of the day when it's 90 degrees and humid?? If not, you should try it sometime. This job was DIFFICULT!!! And the majority of the difficulty had NOTHING to do with the curriculum being presented. That was such a foreign concept to me. I realized that I NEEDED to get better at classroom management! I actually wrote my Master's Thesis on that very topic and a summary was published in the Michigan Music Educator's Journal in 2007.
From 1996 - 2008 I made my best attempt at "wearing the suit." I was a member of Michigan School Vocal Music Association and dutifully took my choirs to Choral Festival every year. At Choral Festival, choirs must perform selections from a required list comprised of, for the most part, Classical choral repertoire, including many selections that originated from liturgical texts coming out of Europe hundreds of years ago and not necessarily in English. I was a pop/rock guy (as most of you know) at heart so this was the challenging part of the year for me. Oh, and guess where this part of the year falls in the school calendar? Yup! January - mid March. This made the most difficult stretch of the school year, even more difficult in the choir room. My groups didn't always get the top scores in performance, but we always did great in Sight Reading, which pleased my Administrators. My Master's Theses actually scientifically proved a correlation between high Festival scores and classroom management skills.
In 2008 I met my vocal and career mentor, Jeanie LoVetri when I attended a seminar she was leading promoting her voice teaching method called Somatic Voicework™, a body based, science informed method of teaching singing. Hearing her tell the attendees that ALL music styles/genres deserve EQUAL respect and that there should not be one or two genres that are considered superior was like (pardon the pun) music to my ears! I felt as though I was finally "home." I immediately felt validated to begin taking the Creekside Choir program in a direction that would better suit my skill set and also be much more progressive compared to other area programs. I have learned so much from Jeanie over the years. Much more than just how to teach singing. Jeanie's "Pianoside Manner" is one of grace and kindness always. Always expect the student is giving you their best. If the student cannot perform what you are asking, make what you're asking more simple. It's not the student's fault. I've also learned that I no longer needed to be the expert in the room on everything, including music! That was so freeing for my teaching. It improved my rapport with students overall. We became more of a team who all worked together, rather than a dictatorship. At the same time I also began demanding more respect from my students and upped my game in the classroom management area. To my surprise, this also improved my rapport with students. I had been mistakenly assuming that they liked me because I was nice, cool, fun, etc. Nope, I was being liked for the wrong reasons. I was liked because they were getting away with more than they should. I have Greg Eding to thank for this aspect of my teaching. I was grateful to have had the opportunity to personally thank him for this recently. He was the one who inspired me to up my game to the next level. There was also a very long conversation with a disgruntled parent letting me know that I basically run a "loose ship," but I'll not get into that. 😏
The very next year I stopped taking groups to Choral Festival and began programming much more contemporary music into my concerts. The parents began responding favorably with comments like, "we like that we recognize some of the songs at choir concerts now!" As an entertainer with twenty years of performing experience, those words resonated with me.
Fast forward eight more years of progression in this direction and I actually attempted something that was terrifying to me. I decided to hire my own rock band to provide the accompaniment for our Spring Choir Concert - WITH ME ON DRUMS! This would mean, obviously, that there would be no one in front of the kids conducting. They would need to have everything memorized including all concert logistics (a HUGE factor in how smoothly, or not, a school concert flows).
Rock of Ages Concert: https://youtu.be/GacXvkE7Nbs
Not only did we pull it off, but the following weekend a local TV news channel contacted me to come do an interview: https://www.fox17online.com/2016/06/13/zeeland-middle-schoolers-rocks-audience-with-rock-of-ages-show
I was in vacation in Traverse City and school was actually already out when FOX 17 contacted me. I reached out to a handful of parents and students and about twenty kids came to school the following Monday to be interviewed. We celebrated with a pizza lunch!
The next three years would have us continuing the tradition of a full rock band accompaniment. This time I reached out to the Breakaway Band from Community Reformed Church, just down the street. Many of our families attend church there so it was nice for them to see some familiar faces on stage with us. Curt Dykema served as band leader and played keyboards. Curt's son Mitch played guitar and keyboards. Curt's cousin Chad Dykema played drums, which was fun for me because Chad and I are the same age and we've known each other since high school. Chad was also a music educator (until he retired) AND played drums in a touring rock band in the early 90s! We have eerily similar life stories. Rounding out our band was Randy Perkins, owner of RIT Music Holland, on lead guitar and Bob Nyhuis on bass.
Beatles Tribute show: ://youtu.be/rOBuFTIoIcs
Local TV news coverage of Beatles show: https://www.fox17online.com/2017/05/30/a-beatles-tribute-local-choir-rocking-out-with-live-band-for-finale-concert
For the Beatles Tribute event, I also enlisted the help of professional sound engineer, Travis Ball. Travis is a ZHS graduate who works professionally both live and in recording studios in the Nashville area. He has gone on tour as Front of House sound engineer for Hosier, Mae and many others. I was thrilled when he agreed to make the eight hour drive home to work with us on making the show sound great! And I continued to be thrilled that he's been able to make it work every year since!
We followed the Beatles concert with one titled I Love the 70s: https://youtu.be/w0PEtbVEIeQ
I was honored and flattered when then High School Band Director, Keith Walker asked if I'd like him to put together a horn section for our 70s show. The concert fell during a portion of the school year where the seniors were already finished for the year, and the underclassmen, in performance based classes, tend to have more free time on their hands and are often looking for things to do. As you'll see in the video, the horn section was a great addition.
And, last year's show without a theme (because we had such a diversified set list we wanted to perform: https://youtu.be/5NQC_pd3t-I
Yes, WE! As in, my students and me. I enjoyed letting my students have input on the repertoire we performed at concerts. It's both challenging and rewarding. It gives the students ownership in the process of rehearsing and preparing, yet it can also be very frustrating because getting 70 12 year olds to agree on ANYTHING is next to impossible. This is part of the reason why most music teachers don't even open that conversation with students. It must be handled delicately and many ground rules must be established before allowing the first student to raise their hand and make a song selection. Rule number one is, NO negativity! I was again honored this year by the fact that our two new High School Band Directors, Pujan Bhattarai and Lucas Keur hopped onboard to lead another horn section, including doing a great deal of the scoring for the horn parts! Thank you!!
The last few years of my career I began to reach out to other school choir directors in an attempt to encourage them to do more of what I was doing (even if only on a small scale) and less of the older model that today's kids and audiences can tend to not care for. That's right. I actually mentioned the audience. For decades, Marching Bands have been putting on halftime shows to ENTERTAIN those in attendance of a football game. Why are other areas of our public school music programs not doing the same? Why is the word ENTERTAINMENT not found anywhere in the state or national standards/benchmarks for Music Education? I genuinely feel it should be! I feel that running a concert with high entertainment value not only benefits the performers, as it teaches them how to be good performers, but also greatly pleases the audience. Let's move Music Ed into the 21st Century!
The next chapter in my life will be to focus more of my energies on growing Zeeland Academy of Music, LLC which I started in Downtown Zeeland (16 S. Elm St. - right across from the Splash Pad) in January. We've been steadily adding students ever since and look forward to adding Audition Masterclasses, Choir Camps, and Rock Camps once the Pandemic is behind us. We currently offer lessons in Voice, Guitar, Drums, Piano, Strings, Songwriting, Ukulele and Sound System/DAW operation via three different teachers. We hope to add Brass and Woodwind lessons too along with, eventually, Dance! Visit us and sign up at zeelandacademyofmusic.com
Additionally, I continue to enjoy serving on the faculty of the LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework™ every summer at Baldwin Wallace University in the Cleveland area. This summer's conference was all online but it had record attendance and was very well received! I presented my annual lecture on Audio Equipment for Music Teachers, this year focusing predominantly on equipment used to teach lessons remotely. I was also asked to present on how to work with teens using Somatic Voicework™. Both presentations were favorably reviewed as knowledge generally not found anywhere else other than by trial and error. I also lead breakout groups where teachers experiment in teaching singing in a way that's new to some but that Jeanie has developed over her forty-nine year teaching career. When the Institute is in person, I am also the Sound Engineer for all nine days of lectures, presentations and performances. In the future, I plan to also begin to market myself as a presenter on How to Stage a Pop/Rock Choir Concert. I presented on this topic in 2018 at the Association for Popular Music Education Conference in the Nashville area and I have also recently contributed this as a chapter to a book titled Action-Based Pedagogies in Popular Music Education to be published hopefully sometime in 2021. My mentor, Jeanie LoVetri, continues to encourage me to put myself out there as a presenter in this area.
In closing (TLDR - longest closing in history), let me give one more round of thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way. Going way back to my first piano teacher Tim Oonk (RIP) who later became my mentor as I entered the world of choir directing. When I was in fifth grade, we learned that ZPS was starting a thing where in order to be able to play percussion in band (what I desperately wanted), one needed piano lessons. Thankfully, The Oonks were family friends and Tim took me on as a student. Dan Ritsema! The incomparable, Ritz! He meant the world to me from when I first had him as a Band Director in 8th Grade, to High School Marching Band, to him encouraging me to audition (FIRST, no less) for the vocal solo in the Jazz Band arrangement of Flashdance, What a Feeling which became my singing debut! Insert cool memory here: The first ever ZHS Jazz Band performance of that song was in the cafeteria of Zeeland Middle School, my Junior year of high school! It was tradition that Jazz Band performed once per year, during the lunches at the middle school. I'll never forget the screams after I sang! I became instantly addicted to singing and performing! A few months, and a few songs with vocal in Jazz Band later, in a rehearsal Ritz says, "hang on a minute." He leaves and returns with James De Boer, then Choir Director at ZHS and says, "Cos, sing that one again with the high notes in the end." It was the Sergio Mendez hit, Never Gonna Let You Go where in the end it goes way up in falsetto. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, including Mr. De Boer who called me over to chat as the rehearsal was ending. He walked me into the choir room, sat down at the piano, had me sing a few scales, then asked me to sing My Country tis of Thee. When I finished he said, "audition results for Madrigals go up on my door tomorrow morning. You might like to come take a look." I left the room dumbfounded. I think I just auditioned for Madrigals! p.s. I got in!
My mentors at CMU were amazing. I entered life as a Music major a little behind in knowledge of music theory, but thanks to being blessed with good ears, I quickly caught up. Dr. Jeffrey Foote was great to have as my private voice teacher. He was a quirky, funny guy with a HUGE voice. Nina Nash-Robinson (RIP) was fantastic to have as Choir Director. She was such a sweetheart and everyone loved her. So many other great professors to like Dr. David Gillingham and Moonyeen Albrecht.
My mentors at GVSU were also pivotal. Ellen Pool was like everyone's mom (or grandma). Such a caring woman. Dr. Charles Norris was one who really helped take my research and thesis project to the next level and because of him, I was the first ever GVSU student to receive a Master's Degree in Education with a Music Emphasis.
My mentor in rock and roll was Doug Timmer (aka Douglas Dee Zaster). He taught me how to play guitar, how to run sound, how to record, and he was the first guitarist I ever jammed in a garage with. We eventually formed ToVah with his cousin Bob on bass and enjoyed a couple years playing together throughout Central and Western Michigan. I remember Doug explaining sound equipment to me while thinking, I'm never going to remember how to do this. Well, most of it eventually stuck, and running sound is one of my favorite things to do today.
It would be impossible for me to thank every band member I've ever played with, but I feel it appropriate to give shout outs to the touring lineup of Paris Blue during the time when we had our biggest success. Dave Caldwell, Pete Hoffmeyer and Bandleader, Dale Randall . I may have been the one orchestrating who sang which harmony parts, but I always said that wasn't because I was the best musician in the band, it was merely because I had the education and knowledge of how to do it. Dale let me handle that job but it was he who was always the best musician in Paris Blue. Dale, it's been an absolute pleasure sharing the stage (off and on) with you since 1991! You are a great friend and an even greater musician. Thank you also to the crew of Paris Blue: Scott Minkley-Sound. I learned SO MUCH about running sound from you! Scott went on to become the monitor engineer for Metallica and has been Travis Tritt's Road Manager and Sound Engineer for over twenty years. Also, Jeff "Bubba" Jaques-Lights and Billy Golden-Follow Spot and comedian.
Thank you to all my students, past and present! In more ways than you could possibly understand, you have all helped me learn and grow as an educator in some way, shape or form. It is a pure joy watching you mature into young adults. Many of them now have families of their own (the 8th graders from my first year turn 38 this year). Hey, send them to zeelandacademyofmusic.com for lessons, OK 😘?
I'd like to thank my wonderfully supportive wife, Sherry whose vision and knowledge of accounting and HR is at the heart of why I am able to retire from teaching public school right now. Thank you, honey, for planning ahead way back in the late 90s. I remember her saying, "you'll be able to retire when you're 52" and thinking to myself, yeah right. I turned 53 this past May and could have technically retired at the semester this past January. Thank you also for understanding that my passion for music and performing meant that I would be away from home multiple weekend nights per year until the wee hours of the morning. Thank you for raising our amazing children without me during those nights when I was away (although, they were mostly asleep 😁). Thank you for always being there. I love you.
And, thank you to my children, Shauna, KaCee and Zachary. You are all wise enough to understand that having a teacher/musician for a father meant that you wouldn't have me around as much as the other fathers in the neighborhood. I thank you for that and I'm immensely proud that you have turned out the way you have.
I love you!
Michael Costello...
My musical partner in crime for the last 26 years in Cos & Cos! My little brother! Thank you so much for always being there for me. For mentoring many of my former students through high school. For taking up the vocal slack when I began having trouble with my own singing voice. For always pulling the equipment trailer. For being willing to take on the job of lighting engineer for both Paris Blue and Cos & Cos. For being a very important and highly respected member of our extended family. I love you and respect you way more than you will ever know.
Lastly, just like I have been doing in my concert programs for years, I'd like to thank my wonderful parents. Looking back I realize it was YOUR love of music that originally inspired me to love music. I believe I was six when I received my first transistor radio (it's like receiving an iPod, kids!). WLS became my jam! Top 40 Mainstream music has always been my thing. That lead to a string of K-Tel albums for birthday and Christmas presents. Then, eventually one of the most diverse orders, stylistically, from Columbia Record and Tape club. Thanx Mom and Dad, for inspiring me to love music and for always being there for me! I love you guys!
Thank you all,
Jeff
In closing (TLDR - longest closing in history), let me give one more round of thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way. Going way back to my first piano teacher Tim Oonk (RIP) who later became my mentor as I entered the world of choir directing. When I was in fifth grade, we learned that ZPS was starting a thing where in order to be able to play percussion in band (what I desperately wanted), one needed piano lessons. Thankfully, The Oonks were family friends and Tim took me on as a student. Dan Ritsema! The incomparable, Ritz! He meant the world to me from when I first had him as a Band Director in 8th Grade, to High School Marching Band, to him encouraging me to audition (FIRST, no less) for the vocal solo in the Jazz Band arrangement of Flashdance, What a Feeling which became my singing debut! Insert cool memory here: The first ever ZHS Jazz Band performance of that song was in the cafeteria of Zeeland Middle School, my Junior year of high school! It was tradition that Jazz Band performed once per year, during the lunches at the middle school. I'll never forget the screams after I sang! I became instantly addicted to singing and performing! A few months, and a few songs with vocal in Jazz Band later, in a rehearsal Ritz says, "hang on a minute." He leaves and returns with James De Boer, then Choir Director at ZHS and says, "Cos, sing that one again with the high notes in the end." It was the Sergio Mendez hit, Never Gonna Let You Go where in the end it goes way up in falsetto. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, including Mr. De Boer who called me over to chat as the rehearsal was ending. He walked me into the choir room, sat down at the piano, had me sing a few scales, then asked me to sing My Country tis of Thee. When I finished he said, "audition results for Madrigals go up on my door tomorrow morning. You might like to come take a look." I left the room dumbfounded. I think I just auditioned for Madrigals! p.s. I got in!
My mentors at CMU were amazing. I entered life as a Music major a little behind in knowledge of music theory, but thanks to being blessed with good ears, I quickly caught up. Dr. Jeffrey Foote was great to have as my private voice teacher. He was a quirky, funny guy with a HUGE voice. Nina Nash-Robinson (RIP) was fantastic to have as Choir Director. She was such a sweetheart and everyone loved her. So many other great professors to like Dr. David Gillingham and Moonyeen Albrecht.
My mentors at GVSU were also pivotal. Ellen Pool was like everyone's mom (or grandma). Such a caring woman. Dr. Charles Norris was one who really helped take my research and thesis project to the next level and because of him, I was the first ever GVSU student to receive a Master's Degree in Education with a Music Emphasis.
My mentor in rock and roll was Doug Timmer (aka Douglas Dee Zaster). He taught me how to play guitar, how to run sound, how to record, and he was the first guitarist I ever jammed in a garage with. We eventually formed ToVah with his cousin Bob on bass and enjoyed a couple years playing together throughout Central and Western Michigan. I remember Doug explaining sound equipment to me while thinking, I'm never going to remember how to do this. Well, most of it eventually stuck, and running sound is one of my favorite things to do today.
It would be impossible for me to thank every band member I've ever played with, but I feel it appropriate to give shout outs to the touring lineup of Paris Blue during the time when we had our biggest success. Dave Caldwell, Pete Hoffmeyer and Bandleader, Dale Randall . I may have been the one orchestrating who sang which harmony parts, but I always said that wasn't because I was the best musician in the band, it was merely because I had the education and knowledge of how to do it. Dale let me handle that job but it was he who was always the best musician in Paris Blue. Dale, it's been an absolute pleasure sharing the stage (off and on) with you since 1991! You are a great friend and an even greater musician. Thank you also to the crew of Paris Blue: Scott Minkley-Sound. I learned SO MUCH about running sound from you! Scott went on to become the monitor engineer for Metallica and has been Travis Tritt's Road Manager and Sound Engineer for over twenty years. Also, Jeff "Bubba" Jaques-Lights and Billy Golden-Follow Spot and comedian.
Thank you to all my students, past and present! In more ways than you could possibly understand, you have all helped me learn and grow as an educator in some way, shape or form. It is a pure joy watching you mature into young adults. Many of them now have families of their own (the 8th graders from my first year turn 38 this year). Hey, send them to zeelandacademyofmusic.com for lessons, OK 😘?
I'd like to thank my wonderfully supportive wife, Sherry whose vision and knowledge of accounting and HR is at the heart of why I am able to retire from teaching public school right now. Thank you, honey, for planning ahead way back in the late 90s. I remember her saying, "you'll be able to retire when you're 52" and thinking to myself, yeah right. I turned 53 this past May and could have technically retired at the semester this past January. Thank you also for understanding that my passion for music and performing meant that I would be away from home multiple weekend nights per year until the wee hours of the morning. Thank you for raising our amazing children without me during those nights when I was away (although, they were mostly asleep 😁). Thank you for always being there. I love you.
And, thank you to my children, Shauna, KaCee and Zachary. You are all wise enough to understand that having a teacher/musician for a father meant that you wouldn't have me around as much as the other fathers in the neighborhood. I thank you for that and I'm immensely proud that you have turned out the way you have.
I love you!
Michael Costello...
My musical partner in crime for the last 26 years in Cos & Cos! My little brother! Thank you so much for always being there for me. For mentoring many of my former students through high school. For taking up the vocal slack when I began having trouble with my own singing voice. For always pulling the equipment trailer. For being willing to take on the job of lighting engineer for both Paris Blue and Cos & Cos. For being a very important and highly respected member of our extended family. I love you and respect you way more than you will ever know.
Lastly, just like I have been doing in my concert programs for years, I'd like to thank my wonderful parents. Looking back I realize it was YOUR love of music that originally inspired me to love music. I believe I was six when I received my first transistor radio (it's like receiving an iPod, kids!). WLS became my jam! Top 40 Mainstream music has always been my thing. That lead to a string of K-Tel albums for birthday and Christmas presents. Then, eventually one of the most diverse orders, stylistically, from Columbia Record and Tape club. Thanx Mom and Dad, for inspiring me to love music and for always being there for me! I love you guys!
Thank you all,
Jeff
