Hewitt marches forward with music department

When Mr. William Good retired as the music teacher at Baugher Elementary School in January, Music teacher Ms. Allison Kuznicki, (formerly Ms. Williams) transferred into his place. In February, Mr. Ryan Hewitt stepped into the role of Milton’s new Director of Bands.

Mr. Hewitt has been teaching for 15 years. Milton High School is his the seventh school that he has taught in, he said. According to Mr. Hewitt, the position here opened up right as his long-term substitute job ended.

Ms. Kuznicki said that she and Mr. Hewitt met last fall while he was in that position, which involved middle school music in Lewisburg.

“He is a great guy, and I am excited to see what he can do at MHS,” she said.

Mr. Hewitt added that he believes that taking over the bands will be a difficult responsibility.

“In terms of what I actually have to do in my head is the easy part, I know what I want to do and I know how to do it. The actual difficulty is in putting in the time. Time and effort is the hard part,” he said.

Ms. Kuznicki said she feels she has made the music program more accessible to students in her time as the band director. She said that teaching Theater Arts class and Music Appreciation helped her reach many students who were interested in learning about music and theater but did not get involved in the high school productions.

She said she was also part of bringing the Modern Combo course to Milton, which emphasized playing everyday music on more “everyday” instruments.

“I have aimed to make our music department more fun without diminishing a high level of student achievement,” she explained.

Mr. Hewitt said that there is not a “quick fix” when it comes to music departments. He added that it will take around four or five years to see the benefits of what he is doing. He said that his first goal is to recruit, which will include investing time at the elementary levels.

“It really has to happen from the elementary and middle school levels,” he explained. “A lot of schools will invest a lot of funds, and a lot of time and effort, into their high school programs and totally ignore the elementary and middle school programs.”

According to Mrs. Kuznicki, her goal for teaching at the elementary school is to make students excited about making music. She said that singing, movement and playing instruments are at the heart for developing a love for music in early years. She said that her long-term goal is to foster a love of music that will encourage students to participate at a secondary level.

Mr. Hewitt’s new responsibilities as the band director include teaching two sections of music appreciation, high school and middle school band and marching band. He said given how many students are involved, he may have to do things that are a bit unusual or out-of-the-ordinary.

For example, Mr. Hewitt said that choosing pieces of music that work well with a smaller group and are more culturally relevant can help the band sound more interesting regardless of size. He said that more students in color guard as well building set-pieces would also help get more students involved.

Mr. Hewitt added that he believes music is a life-long learning experience, and his ultimate goal is to build skill sets that students can use for the rest of their lives. He said that he wants to build up culture around music at Milton High School.

“I don’t see [marching band] as something that needs to be treated like a sport. I want marching band to be music, not a sport,” he added.

Mr. Hewitt described his experience in Lewisburg, where the band does not compete but instead goes to exhibitions. According to Mr. Hewitt, they have a great culture when it comes to the music department. He said that he wants to emulate that, while also taking Milton into some new directions.

Mr. Hewitt said that his goals for Milton are centered on adding to existing programs. He added that he strongly believes in having a jazz band, and having dedicated music lesson times and lesson schedules.

Mr. Hewitt said dedicated lesson times would help provide equity, because students who are able to take music lessons outside of school have a huge advantage compared to those who can’t afford them.

According to Mr. Hewitt, there are some more modern techniques that he wants to begin to use, but that will require some supplies and some changes in thinking about what the marching band is supposed to be.

Along with lessons, Mr. Hewitt said that something else on his agenda would be getting more equipment. He said that he is “absolutely” trying to expand the music department over the next few years. Mr. Hewitt said that he would love to incorporate technology into the field shows (such as electric keyboards and computers).

“Many other bands are incorporating a lot more synthesized sounds and electronic music in their field shows, and I am looking forward to trying that here,” said Mr. Hewitt.