50 Best Band Directors, Including This One In Georgia

GEORGIA — Every year, school band members march in precision at football games and parades, or perform moving overtures as part of orchestra performances. The bands don’t get there by accident — they’re guided by band directors. Dr. Laura Stanley, in Snellville, was recently named one of the 50 best in the country. She's been teaching at Snellville's Brookwood High School for the past 16 years.

"I am thrilled to have been chosen as the 2018 December 50 Directors Who Make a Difference edition of the School Band and Orchestra Magazine," she said to Patch. "I am elated and honored more after finding out that a current student had nominated me. I'm not in favor of being in the spotlight, to be honest, but any chance to spotlight my students and the program is time well spent. I've only taught at Brookwood High School. There is no place I'd rather be!"

Stanley's student Emma Castaneda was eager to tell Patch what a difference her teacher has made in her life.

"Dr. Stanley has made a tremendous impact on not only my musical ability, but also me as a person," Castaneda said. "She works so hard and is so dedicated to giving her students the most opportunity and biggest ability to grow and learn. Everyday she strives to help someone be better both musically and personality wise. Whether its spending extra class time with them to improve their tone or being a supportive teacher that kids can come to for anything.

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"She teaches with such a passion that makes difficult music or boring rhythms fun," continued Castandea. "Her energy is above all else; she's always ready fora challenge and the opportunity to incorporate as much fun into our musicas possible. Dr Stanley brings a sense of pride to our band and our school and is revered by everyone. The impact she's had on kids for more than 15 years at Brookwood is immeasurable and cannot be put into words. She istruly amazing."

Here are some of the questions School Band and Orchestra Magazine asked Stanley.

What is your proudest moment as an educator?

My proudest moment as an educator would have to be my students’ reaction to their invitation as a Guest Performing Ensemble for the 2019 Georgia Music Educators In-Service Conference. Of course, they were excited, but their best reaction has been their devoted musicianship, dedication, commitment, and discipline involved in the preparation for our concert. They are working tirelessly while also enjoying the process. In addition, I am thrilled to share my students with several guest conductors: Mr. Jack Jean (Brookwood High School Associate Band Director), Mr. Rudy Wilson (Retired Band Director Brookwood High School, 2013), Mr. Elden Moates (My Father, Retired Fannin County Band Director), and Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel (Conductor Emeritus, The United States Air Force Band). Sharing my students with an amazing colleague who after 29 years of leading an incredible band program decided to join me at Brookwood, the band director whom I started my career with 16 years ago and is responsible for beginning Brookwood’s Musical Tradition of Excellence, my father and former high school band director whom I owe so much and constantly strive to be, and an extraordinary legend in the band world who arguably has more life experiences than all of us combined makes the process not only unique, but meaningful. I’m comforted as it seems my proudest moment is yet to come.

How do you hope to make a difference in your students’ lives?
I was lucky enough to grow up in a musical family. Music was a hobby, a career, a method of relaxation, therapy, an expression, adventure, opportunity, and so much more. I hope to model for my students that the many choices in life are positively affected by music. Music is a beautiful and universal language that shouldn’t end with high school graduation; therefore, I hope my passion for music and compassion for others combine to instill a sense of community and belonging. In the end, I strive for my students to trust and confide in me and continue to develop relationships with others.

What’s the most important lesson that you try to teach students?
Leading a program of over 400 students is a welcomed challenge but the pride in working to reach individual students shines above all. I hope to impress upon all of my students that each of them is important and a key piece to the puzzle. Through their experiences in band, they have implemented forms of discipline, rigor, dedication, commitment, group cooperation, relationship, and leadership. Ultimately, all of these have influenced their life in a way that I hope they will use to teach and share with others. After all, ten percent of life is what happens to you and ninety percent is how you react to it.

School Band and Orchestra Magazine compiled the list of “50 Directors Who Make a Difference” after sifting through hundreds of nominations that came from current and former students, music instrument retailers, band parents, school administrators, friends, former band directors and spouses of band directors.

The magazine has been compiling the list for about two decades.

“This is the most fun we have every year, and also the very hardest issue to produce,” the magazine’s editors wrote.

“The nomination stories submitted are moving, heartfelt, and often very personal pleas from the nominator to recognize their director for the work they do,” the magazine continued. “We wish we could do an issue and just honor all the people submitted at once. Our final selections have been made, but it was not easy.”

Photo courtesy Dr. Laura Stanley