By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Whether Gloria Blackwell's students are banging on a drum or tapping out a tune on a glockenspiel, Blackwell said she wants her students to have fun and build a love of music.
"A couple of months ago the principal came down the hall. We were doing a game of some kind. She said, 'It is so nice to hear the kids laugh,' " Blackwell said. "They were just having fun and enjoying themselves. That's being kids, because that's what they need to do."
Blackwell has been a music teacher for 46 years, 24 of those with the Hays school district.
She was nominated for the Hays Post Teacher of the Month by Wilson Elementary School Principal Anita Scheve.
"She goes out of her way to make sure that every student has every chance to succeed, often giving chances, coaching and exuding patience and giving an all-out effort long past the point where other educators would have given up," Scheve said in her nomination.
Scheve said Blackwell exposes students to a myriad of instruments and procured special funding to buy instruments that normally would be inaccessible to her students.
"Her passion for music is contagious, and her ear for talent unmistakable," Scheve said. "She is good at finding the 'diamond in the rough' and then helping him or her shine."
Scheve said Blackwell helps her students build a strong foundation in music, so they can pursue their musical education in middle school and beyond.
Between Wilson and Roosevelt elementary schools, Blackwell teaches more than 550 children each week. She only has the students for a half hour at a time.
However, Scheve said her love of her students is evident.
"Her love of the students is as palpable as her love of music, helping her build strong relationships that support and strengthen the child in all aspects of life by being that person they know believes in them," Scheve said.
Music was always prevalent in Blackwell's home as a child. Her dad, Elmer, played country music, and her mom, Philena, would put on classical music because she wanted her children to be exposed to culture. The piano was also a central piece in the family's home.
Blackwell teaches piano in her spare time and plays piano at church. On Easter, Blackwell's daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter will join her for a brass quartet performance at their church, Messiah Lutheran Church.
Blackwell was in the band and choir when she attended school in McCracken. Her father was a dairy farmer. He timed milking the cows around attending her performances, which meant the cows sometimes had to be milked early or late.
"Poor cows," Blackwell lamented, "but he thought it was important to be there."
When Blackwell was a teenager, she wanted to be a veterinarian. She grew up on a farm and loved animals. However, her school counselor told her girls didn't become vets.
"He said, 'You can't do that.' I said, 'But, I kind of do on the farm.' He said,'You need to choose another field,' " Blackwell said.
Blackwell liked music, so she earned a degree in music education from Fort Hays State University. She later earned a master's degree in education administration also from FHSU.
Before coming to Hays, she taught at McCracken, Gorham and Ransom. At Ransom, she taught K-12 music. She had two bands that played at state convention, which was a highlight in her career.
Although she majored in vocal music in college, she said she fell in love with instrumental music while teaching band. She plays most instruments.
Today, Blackwell said she loves teaching the little kids.
"They are full of energy," she said. "They like to do things. They like to learn new things. They're fun."
Blackwell uses a lot of instruments in her classes. The children do moving activities and sing.
"I bring in a lot of percussion-type of instruments, and they love that. They like to play drums and maracas and claves and bells," Blackwell said. "I have a lot of xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiel to help them learn their theory, so they know how music is put together."
Her philosophy continues to be music is for everybody.
"You can find something in music that you can like," she said. "There are so many aspects to it that you can find. I think it can make you happy when you're sad, and it can put you on a even keel when you are maybe a bit too excited about things.
"It is a good outlet. It lets you express yourself, no matter what your mood or you're feeling."
Although she could retire, she said she still thinks she has something to offer.
"My kids give me purpose," she said. "I just like doing what I do. I like seeing my kids."
Blackwell has taught many children. She has taught the children of the children she had in class. A couple of her students have also gone on to be music teachers. She told the story of one special student who reconnected with her as an adult.
"One girl I had at Ransom came up to me a number of years later, and she said, 'It's not all of the music that you taught me that I remember, but I remember mostly the discipline,' " Blackwell said.
"I always thought that was important, because I think you have to do be disciplined in whatever you do in order to be successful," she said. "I felt that was a huge compliment that was what she took away from class — to be disciplined so she could do the things she needed to do in life."