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For Scott, learning music is important, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s about music being something more for his students. It\u2019s about music becoming a support system, an exciting time, and something that will stay with them long after their band days at THS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discovering something more <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Growing up playing the piano alongside his grandmother, Scott fell in love with music. Inheriting his brother\u2019s trumpet, he would take on middle school band, where he would encounter what would lay the foundation for his path in music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of my first inspirations was my band director, Nola Jones,\u201d he explained. \u201cShe had this gift of making you feel like a rock star. She would always introduce me as her \u2018rockstar trumpet player, Justin,\u2019 if we were at a competition or a concert. It stuck with me and inspired me. I try to emulate how she made me feel as much as possible with my students. Erich Zimmerman, my trumpet teacher and band director, was another mentor that pushed me toward excellence in everything I do. He instilled not only a love for music but also giving everything my total effort all the time, and not just on trumpet.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Playing through high school at McGavock High School in Nashville, Scott would reach an impasse with performing. The intense schedule and high demand of a competitive program of that caliber weighed heavily. However, after some soul-searching, he said he realized at the end of the day that there had to be a better way to be a part of music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy senior year was very hard,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were a lot of things in my senior year that were positive, but also negative, that made me want to go into music because I was bound and determined there was a different way to do it. And so I made the decision early on that I was going to be a teacher.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n An eye-opening experience <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott would find himself student teaching at Tullahoma High School with then-directors Steven and Marion Coleman. He stated that his time with well-known and respected music instructors was eye-opening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was an eye-opening experience for me in terms of seeing an entirely different side of what a band can be,\u201d he explained. \u201cI watched what Steven and Marion did and these kids\u2019 love of music. The big thing they taught me was that it\u2019s not about awards or contest results. It\u2019s teaching kids to love music and to be great citizens, which we do through music. I knew this is what I wanted a band program to be like.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Scott would take his first teaching position in Gallatin, he would find himself back at Tullahoma for a new musical adventure when the Colemans reached out and asked him to take over the program along with Greg English before their retirement. The rest, they say, is history \u2014 musical history in Scott\u2019s case. His career has continued alongside some of his best friends, Atticus Hensley, Doug Clark, and Lisa Burden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re a team, and I couldn\u2019t do any of this without them,\u201d added Scott. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lifelong learners <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The learning opportunities that music offers are limitless. You can be all-consumed or simply just enjoy the arts. Scott, along with his fellow instructors, is helping students to find their own place in music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBand doesn\u2019t have to consume your life,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have a lot of kids that are involved in athletics or involved in things outside of the school. Each of us instructors prides ourselves on that because we want the kids to be well-rounded. We want to show them that this can be and continue to be a part of their lives. This happens through the music we study, practice and perform, the trips we take, and the artists we bring in. A lot of them may not touch their instrument again, but we want them to be lifelong learners in music and the arts. We want them to continue to be a part of the arts, whatever that looks like for them. Whether it\u2019s playing in a community band, subscribing to the symphony, or going to the Playhouse here in town, supporting the arts is important.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott is a lifelong lover and learner of the arts, and each day for him is about growing in the music he loves so much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo day is ever the same,\u201d he said. \u201cI love that I start my day teaching beginners and see their excitement, and I end my day with awesome kids that love music and have decided to stick with it and keep it part of their lives. We get to grow up with them from the sixth grade through their senior year and see them develop into these amazing people. They have as much an influence on us as we do on them.\u201d GN <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The end of a busy school day is winding down for Justin Scott. The band room at Tullahoma High School (THS) still has some students meandering about taking time to practice notes and pack up instruments. Scott grabs a seat on an oversized gray comfy couch in a special area that he and the other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":13701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/DSC_9618-comments-1024x683.jpg\")
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