If you’ve taken band or bells in high school or even participated in 5th-grade band, you will already know Mr. Strayer. He’s worked at Bellevue for a whopping 31 years as assistant band director. He spent one year at Margaretta High School before coming here.
Mr. Strayer has been involved with music since his sixth-grade year. He says he always knew that he either was going into music or math, and jokes that because he wasn’t quite good enough at math, so music it was. He explains that the part he enjoys most about being a music teacher is seeing students have “ah-hah” moments, where they start to really understand and be able to apply musical concepts. For him, another big part of teaching is seeing his students grow up into young adults, from just being 5th graders and beginners in the world of music.
When asked what he thinks students gain most from music and music classes, Mr. Strayer answered, “Learning how to overcome challenges and obstacles”. He explains that in the band there tends to be more engagement in music from the students, and it’s nice to have a creative environment with the Band Director Mr. Meadows, who used to be his student. While in Bells, it’s satisfying to see fast progress, and cooperation from his students, who haven’t been playing nearly as long as the average band student.
At the end of the day, his life isn’t all about band and music. One of Mr. Strayer’s hobbies include giant pumpkin growing, with squash that can reach 270 pounds. He enjoys growing things in general as he owns a garden, and has 20 variants of fruit trees. He also enjoys bowling with other former band directors and frequently brags about his high scores.
So if you didn’t know him before, be sure to say hi, and if you knew him before, ask him how big his pumpkins got this year, he’ll be happy to tell you.
By: Garrett Adkins
#gored #redpride #goodvibrations
Bellevue High School 