Dr. Chad Steffey, the new director of band and instrumental music at Meridian, has big plans for recruiting new students for next year and getting students excited for future growth.
No stranger to music, he has taught orchestra and choir, and has played in multiple bands. Dr. Steffey bringa a holistic look at the experience of making music.
Dr. Steffey has been engaged with music for a very long time, and enjoys sharing his passion with students.
“I’ve been making music my whole life, and it’s more fun to do it with other people, and it’s very gratifying for me to see young people have first time experiences,” he noted.
He first heard about the position when his friends on staff at Meridian told him that Ms. Mary Jo West, Meridian’s former band director, was retiring. The welcoming environment and IB program were aspects which Dr. Steffey sought as a teacher, and he found the position to be an exciting opportunity and a good fit for his musical interests.
He has found working with the Meridian band to be a very positive experience. “I find this to be an incredibly supportive community, both among the faculty and the students.”
Dr. Steffey is spending this year trying to rebuild the band.“Last year’s band graduated 33 seniors, so we’re small this year, and a little less experienced. My goal is to get the students excited about, you know, their growth for the future.”
In addition to helping students improve their musical skills, Dr. Steffey is also trying to make sure the students he teaches grow up to be kind and successful.
“We have the slogan good people do great things, and I hope that years from now, as these young people grow up and become adults, that they make choices about their life to hold to strong values, to contribute positively to society,” Dr. Steffey expressed. “If that’s in a musical way, even better, but my hope is that they leave here and we all make this world a better place.”
Finally, Dr. Steffey is trying to help students become gentle on themselves.
“When you choose to play an instrument, you’re taking up something that’s very technically difficult, so you’ve got to be gentle on yourself and give yourself time to grow and develop.”
Dr. Steffey is allowing students the time to grow and develop musically. He is motivating the students about upcoming experiences. He wants students to leave Meridian and make the world a better place.
