Director Spotlight

Different Paths, Shared Purpose

Indianola High School band directors Mr. Swanson and Mr. Richardson took different paths into music education, but they share a common goal: helping students find belonging, challenge themselves, and discover a lasting connection to music.

For Mr. Swanson, it started with a saxophone solo.

His older sister was four years ahead of him and played in a successful high school jazz band. When Swanson was in fifth grade, he watched the group perform at a pep rally before the Iowa Jazz Championships. One saxophonist played a ballad that caught his attention.

“That really got me psyched about just being in band.”

Soon after, he chose the saxophone himself.

The decision to become a teacher came later, while attending the Reggie Schive Jazz Camp before his senior year of high school. Until then, he had been considering several possible careers. By the end of camp, music education felt like the right direction.

Mr. Richardson’s path was less of a single moment and more of what he calls a “slow burn.”

Music was always present in his childhood home. His father played piano nearly every evening, sang, and worked with children’s music at church. When it was time for Richardson to choose an instrument, he already knew what he wanted: the trombone sitting in his family’s basement.

Still, music education was not his original plan. Richardson began college as a business major.

“I got good grades, but I just thought, ‘Hmm… I really don’t like it.’”

Music kept calling him back. He changed schools, changed majors, and eventually found himself taking education courses. “The next thing I know, I’m taking ed classes,” he said. “It was kind of a slow burn, I guess, as opposed to an epiphany.”

Today, those two different paths meet in the same band room.

Swanson is in his seventh year of teaching, all of them in Indianola. Richardson is in his 30th year as an educator and his 14th in Indianola, after teaching in several other communities — including a year at the American Nicaraguan School in Managua, Nicaragua.

That difference in experience gives them different perspectives, but throughout their conversation, they repeatedly returned to the same subject: their students.

What They Wish the Community Could See

Audiences see the finished performance. The directors see everything that came before it.

Swanson wishes more people could see the time students invest throughout the year — in marching band, jazz band, pep band, concert band, and the many other parts of the program.

“They don’t get to see all the work and the time that it takes for these kids to perform the product that they see.”

Richardson agreed, adding that some of the most important parts of the program happen far away from the most visible performances. Lessons, concert bands, solo and ensemble preparation, and the daily work happening inside the band room form what he describes as the “bread and butter” of the program. “If that’s not strong, then our other ensembles are not strong,” Richardson said.

He would like more community members to experience those settings and see students practicing, collaborating, and influencing one another. Some of that work can even be more sophisticated and demanding than what audiences see on the marching field.

Traditions Built by Students

Not every important part of the band program comes directly from the directors. Some traditions belong to the students.

For solo and ensemble contest, Indianola students have opportunities to perform in larger woodwind, brass, and percussion ensembles in addition to traditional solos, duets, and trios. Those groups require extra work, but students keep showing up.

“If the kids want to show up at 7 o’clock in the morning and play some brass choir music, I’m down. I’ll be here.”

Marching band has its own traditions, too. During band camp, dress-up days and other activities help build a sense of community. Some are encouraged by directors, but many are passed from one group of students to the next. Richardson sees that as an important sign of a healthy program culture: the students themselves help create a place that is fun, welcoming, and worth being part of.

Moments That Stay With Them

Ask the two directors about memorable students, and their answers take different forms.

Swanson remembers an Indianola student who wanted to perform the national anthem instrumentally at an event where vocal performances had traditionally been selected. The student submitted an instrumental version — and was chosen. According to Swanson, it was the first time an instrumentalist had been selected for that opportunity in Iowa. Since then, other schools have begun submitting instrumental performances as well.

“That student was able to start it all.”

Richardson’s favorite moments often arrive years later in his inbox. Former students occasionally send him updates from college. Some are still performing. Others simply want to share where life has taken them. Whenever one arrives, Richardson stops what he is doing to read it. Sometimes the message is only a few sentences. Sometimes, he joked, “I get a book.”

Those emails matter because continuing to perform after high school represents something larger than mastering music for a concert or competition. The goal, Richardson said, is for students to be able to take what they have learned beyond the walls of the school — whether that means performing in a college ensemble, joining a small group, or simply continuing to make music.

“You don’t need me anymore, and it’s great. They just do it, and it’s fun.”

Teachers Who Keep Learning

Students are not the only ones learning in the band room.

Swanson said students frequently show him new ways to approach a musical problem. Their creativity may be different from his. A student might count something differently, interpret something in an unexpected way, or find a solution he had not considered.

“There are always new light-bulb moments of, ‘Well, you could try it this way.’”

Richardson sees the same thing. Students have taught him to approach both teaching and music from different angles and reinforced that there is rarely one correct way for every student to learn. Sometimes they introduce the directors to an unfamiliar instrument, musician, or ensemble. Sometimes they simply offer a different way of looking at something familiar.

Richardson values those moments because they turn the classroom into something collaborative. Students are not just receiving information. They are contributing to the learning happening around them.

Beyond the Band Room

Away from school, both directors appreciate opportunities to get outside.

Swanson enjoys fishing around Warren County and has taken fishing trips elsewhere as well. While he does not own a boat, he says, “I’ll find a patch of shore and I’ll fish from there.”

Richardson enjoys parks, hiking, bicycling, and simply finding somewhere quiet outdoors with his wife. After the constant activity of school and daily life, he values the opportunity to “get away from all the static and the noise” — even if it occasionally comes with a few bug bites.

Why Music Education Matters

At the end of the conversation, both directors were asked to finish one sentence: Music education matters because…

Richardson’s answer was about connection.

“For a lot of kids, it’s the reason they come to school.”

Music gives students a group to belong to and a place to meet people who share an interest. He sees students choose band even when their schedules would allow them to come to school later. They show up because being there matters to them.

That kind of participation is bigger than any one director, he said. The culture is built by students influencing other students and creating a community people want to join.

Swanson’s answer broadened the idea even further.

“Music brings people together.”

People gather to perform it, listen to it, appreciate it, and enjoy it together. A strong school music program gives young people the opportunity not only to make music themselves, but also to understand why it continues to matter throughout their lives.

Different instruments. Different career paths. Different generations of teaching experience.

But on that point, the two directors are very much in harmony.