Scott Mattison - Chadwick Milledgeville Schools
What prompted you to pursue a career in music education?
I come from a poor family of six children. Growing up music was a main source of entertainment. My dad played the accordion (self-taught) and my mother played the piano. Many nights we would all sit on the front porch and sing many of the old songs and my dad always had alternative lyrics which made them fun. We would sing in the car when traveling -back when we could put eight people in a sedan - and I learned to sing harmony from my mom who was an alto. When I got to Junior High I figured out that I could teach music as a job. From that point on teaching music was what I wanted to do. I loved music and I wanted to share that love with others.
What is the most satisfying part of your job?
The most satisfying part of teaching music is the sheer joy of watching students faces when they can bring happiness to their audience through their performance. I want my students to enjoy what they are performing and you can see that on their faces when they sing.
What makes the music program at your school unique?
We come from a very rural area in northwest Illinois and most of our students don’t really have access to outside lessons. We try to instill in them a sense of pride in what they do and they buy-in to that and are very proud of the music program we have at our school. What we lack in numbers they make up for wanting to make the school and community proud of our efforts.
What do students get from the music program that they do not get anywhere else in school?
It is hard to succeed in most things when you come from a small school. Our students see the success they can have in music and use that to continue to build the program one success at a time. And we have star athletes, Illinois State Scholars, students who participate in all other activities at our school and still have time to be a part of our program and make it successful.
What are the top five reasons students are involved in music at your school?
I asked my students this question to see what their answers might be. Here is what they told me:
It’s fun! Plain and simple.
It’s a family! We care about each other.
Our teachers care about us in and out of the classroom.
I want to be a better singer and a better musician.
I like to sing! And we make great music.
How has ILMEA involvement benefited you and your students?
ILMEA offers opportunities to our students that they really don’t get at our small school. The audition process motivates them to become better singers. The District Festival gives them the opportunity to sing in a large choir setting. All-State is attainable through hard work and determination. And all these things give them the chance to meet new like-minded people and make new friends.
What is one of your most memorable musical moments in your time in the Chadwick Milledgeville Schools?
Our performance at the 2020 Illinois Music Education Conference. For years I had not seen any small school from our area perform in Peoria. And I believe there are small school programs throughout the state that deserve to perform there at the Conference. I stepped up and applied because my students do make great music and enjoy doing it. From the moment I announced we were invited to perform my choir was excited and determined they would perform well, and they did. I was humbled at the response we received from the audience that early morning in Peoria. And the extended applause and standing ovation warmed my heart as I saw each of my students smiling from ear to ear knowing that they had done well.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in music education?
Be flexible - Be prepared. It doesn’t matter what lesson you may have planned for the day, some days it just might not happen. And no matter what your best intentions may have been you just have to jump ship and change course. It probably is not because of something you did or did not do. Be flexible enough to move on and prepared enough to always have an alternate lesson that you can fall back on. Consider it your survival kit to succeed for that day.
What surprised you about being a music teacher? What is something you did not anticipate moving from getting your degree to being in the classroom?
I think number one was advocacy. I have worked with a number of different administrators at a few different schools over the years and it seems with each new situation I would have to justify what my program did and how I did it. I have had to educate my fair share of those individuals and show them why we are important.
Secondly, I would have to say that my studies centered around secondary education and when I started teaching in a K-12 program I found myself scrambling to get up to speed on teaching primary grades. It was a small problem with a slight learning curve but I have successfully taught many combinations of different grade levels in my 35 years of teaching.
What are your goals for your music program over the school year?
My goal for this program is to continue to foster its growth and maturity. I inherited a program that I have been able to help blossom into something that the students, administration and community members are proud of and believe in. I hope to continue to retain the support for years to come.
Scott Mattison teaches K-12 music in the Chadwick Milledgeville Schools. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He previously taught at Meriden-Cleghorn Comm. School District and Dubuque Comm. School District in Iowa, and in the West Carroll Community School District in Illinois. He conducts the Voices of Peace at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Freeport and is currently the ILMEA District 8 Choral Representative.