Music is life

Making beautiful noise sound like music is the challenge set out for Colfax-Mingo teacher Tyler Harper. In his first year at C-M, Harper teaches 306 general music and 7-12 choir at the junior-senior high school.

“Kids are amazing,” Harper said. “I get to see them learn and grow over the years and be a little part of who they become. It is enormously rewarding in that aspect.”

Harper isn’t new to teaching, he is in his 23rd year in the profession. During that time he has seen a lot of changes and not all positive. Continuing to work through challenges while providing top-notch instruction is what now makes up a school day.

“In my 23 years of teaching, there seems to be an ‘us against them’ aspect to education,” Harper said. “If I could figure out how to get rid of that, I would. There was a time when our teachers, students and families worked together for the kids. That is harder to see now.”

When times get tough, teachers are there for each other. Having people going through the same issues and being able to talk and gain feedback from those who have gone through similar situations helps to build great teams and better teachers.

“Leaning on coworkers and family has always helped me get through those tough times,” Harper said. “But honestly ,there is sometimes stuff in life and in teaching that just takes time and patience to forget and make it through.”

He may need a lot patience when he hands out instruments to new musicians and starts the path of learning beats, rhythms and finally working on a melody. But that is the fun part for Harper.

“I have absolutely LOVED my kids,” Harper said. “Seeing them playing bucket drums, singing their favorite songs, smiling on the playground, beaming with pride at their work and being excited to share their ideas has made this year wonderful.”

Going from the elementary school to junior-senior high school, Harper can see growth in his students. Watching them progress and fall in love with music makes some of the wrong notes sounds a little better a long the way.

“It is the only profession that is solely about improving the lives of others,” Harper said. “I get to give to my students every day — helping them learning about the world and how they can impact the future. It’s really a pretty cool thing when you think about it.”