Director Spotlight

Every Voice Has a Beginning

Ask Nathanael Smale when he knew he wanted to teach music, and he’ll point you all the way back to age five. In an “All About Me” book he wrote as a kindergartner — still tucked away in a memory box at home — young Nathanael declared he wanted to grow up to be either a singer or a teacher. “Then I grew up,” he laughs, “and realized, hey, that could be one awesome job.”

Music ran in the family on both sides for as long as Mr. Smale can remember, and that early spark only grew stronger. By late middle school and early high school, he knew for certain: this was what he was going to do.

Mr. Smale is now in his ninth year of teaching overall and his second year as one of Indianola High School’s vocal directors. Before joining the high school staff, he taught at Emerson Elementary — and some of his current high schoolers were once his students back at Emerson.

Getting to Know Mr. Smale

Mr. Smale credits much of his teaching philosophy to his own middle school choir director and longtime piano teacher, Kelly Truax. She taught him to look beyond the obvious choices — the big shows, the famous composers — and dig for music that’s a little off the beaten path but every bit as powerful. It’s a habit he’s passed on to his own students, and it’s part of why the program’s repertoire always feels fresh.

Outside the classroom, Mr. Smale is an avid escape-room enthusiast — he and his friends have tackled 11 rooms and escaped from 10 — and he never tires of hearing Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei, performed by Voces8 (watch or listen). “It’s pure bliss. I get goosebumps every time.”

He’s also the first to say the learning goes both ways with his students. “Nothing is ever perfect — the way we teach, the way we perform. But we can always grow together.” What works for one student might leave another feeling lost, he says, and that’s taught him to keep adapting, keep innovating, and keep meeting kids exactly where they are.

Life in the Program

Ask Mr. Smale what he hopes students carry with them long after they’ve left his classroom, and the answer has nothing to do with pitch or rhythm.

“Be a good human.”

That is the phrase he keeps at the core of everything he teaches. He wants every student — whether they’re in the program for one year or four — to leave more conscientious of the people around them, with a stronger sense of community, respect, and kindness.

That philosophy shows up everywhere in how he runs his classroom. This year’s show choir motto, “one show, one goal, one family,” captures it well: one show to work toward together, one goal of getting a little better every time they meet, and a family that shows up for each other with respect and love — especially in the tough rehearsals. “We’re always finding joy even in those moments,” he says. “Even on the 14th time in a row we’ve worked on one consonant, we’re doing it for the joy of it all.”

For many students, the highlight of the year is the winter concert’s candlelight processional, when the full ensemble sings “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”) together. Mr. Smale says it’s a moment that comes up again and again when students reflect on their favorite memories in the program — and it’s his favorite too.

He also lights up talking about a breakthrough at a Norwalk show choir performance last year, when feedback between the daytime and evening shows led to a last-minute addition that transformed the number. “The kids really felt the electricity, and the audience really responded well to it,” he recalls.

And then there’s the birthday surprise: showing up to school early one morning last year, only to be gently kicked out of his own classroom by students who’d decorated his office for his birthday and weren’t ready for the reveal yet. “The thoughtfulness of the kids trying to make my birthday special — and the hilarity of it — that one still makes me smile.”

Mr. Smale’s advice to a nervous student before walking on stage is simple: if you’ve done the work, let your nerves fuel you instead of holding you back. “Breathe in, breathe out. Have you done the work? I know you have. So go out there and show it.”

Why Music Education Matters

When asked to finish the sentence “Music education matters because…,” Mr. Smale doesn’t hesitate:

“It is a place where everyone can and does belong. No matter what divides us in the world, what makes us different — at its heart, music is always about bringing people together. It matters because, at the end of the day, I don’t care who you are, what you believe, or what you look like. I care that you’re here for the same goal: to add a little more beauty into the world.”