Biography

My name is Jared Gabriel March and I am a graduate of Western Michigan University with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. My interest in music began at a very early age-my mother has taught music lessons for as long as I can remember, and I was always intrigued by the instruments and how her students used them to make music. I had been homeschooled my whole life, and when I was eight, she decided to start a homeschool music program so that other homeschoolers could collaborate and form a band together. Of course, I was in that first band, and I stayed with it as it changed from one band with 43 kids to an entire program with over 500 students and multiple tiers of bands, orchestras, choirs and other ensembles.

Although I was always interested in playing music, I had not really focused on the teaching aspect of it until the program acquired a “retired” band director named Bob Stiles who had been very active for over thirty years in music education at schools in Belding and Sparta. He visited one day to advise my mother on the program, and was impressed enough to come back and work with the program. That was over ten years ago, and he still directs the top band. This man’s work with us students really is what inspired me to go into education myself. He displayed a love for teaching and communicating music to students that really resonated with me. In high school, I began teaching privately, which both introduced me to some of the difficulties that beset every music teacher and also solidified my desire to do that for the rest of my life. During my last two years of high school, I was drum major in our marching band. This position gave me a sort of “behind-the-scenes” look at the mechanics of teaching effectively, since our director would take us beside at the beginning of rehearsal, and outline what he wanted to accomplish that day, how he wanted do to it, and what part we were to play in that.

Also during my last two years in high school, I volunteered twice a week at the local elementary school by helping out one of the second grade teachers. I found that I really enjoyed working with and teaching children, and I definitely believe this time also was a crucial part of my wanting to become an educator. I think volunteering at that school really taught me how to be patient with younger children who don’t know much about any given subject. Since I have moved to Kalamazoo, I have been volunteering time and musical skills at Kalamazoo First Assembly as a piano player for the worship team. This has really been a rewarding experience for me, and is definitely something I would like to continue.

I believe that band is not the only way we can teach students about music, but it currently seems to be one that best serves the students in today’s environment. However, I am very open to the idea of using chamber, jazz, and other modern ensembles to teach students. One result of this viewpoint is my arrangements of popular tunes for both the 6th grade band and the high school pep band. I also believe that students should be doing more than just playing their horns—they should be able to understand and appreciate the history and context behind that music in a way that allows them a deeper musical experience.

I don’t have time for many hobbies outside of music, but one that I have spent a lot of time, money and effort on is SCUBA diving. I wanted to learn how to dive all through high school, but did not have enough money to get going on it until I was done with my first year at WMU, when I took the class and began buying my own gear. Since then, I’ve been diving in Michigan, Florida, Cozumel and Cancun. I also was able to combine it with another interest of mine (photography), and have taken some great underwater photos.