The Boothbay Region Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 schools brought a new band director on board earlier this school year. Jeff Waldrop, a native of Utah, has been living in Maine for the past three years teaching music at Sumner Memorial High School in Sullivan. Before coming to Maine, Waldrop taught for four years in Arizona at Gilbert High School in Phoenix, Arizona and before that, he was finishing college at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where he met his wife, a native Mainer from Jefferson.

In high school, Waldrop had already decided he wanted to be a music director. He figured he would be able to do music and have a steady job at the same time.

“That isn’t always the case,” Waldrop laughed. “But I didn’t know that as a high school student.”

Before he finished his degree at BYU, Waldrop and his wife had three children, a girl and twin boys. They have since had another girl and boy.

“The kids are still in Sullivan attending school and they will move down to Jefferson and attend school there later this year,” said Waldrop. “And hopefully one day we’ll move to Boothbay Harbor.”

Their house in Jefferson is the one Waldrop’s wife grew up in; Waldrop has spent many summers in it, so he already knew the area a little bit.

“Since we’ve decided to live there, it’s been quite exciting,” he said. “The kids have been great, the faculty has been great … it’s already been a good experience. I’ve just felt welcomed.”

At BYU, Waldrop majored in bassoon, the notorious, bellowing woodwind known for acquiring inspirational financial aid packages when wielded correctly. However, saxophone was a longtime passion for the new maestro.

“My mom always encouraged us all to double, to pick up a new instrument that was less common because that would help increase our opportunities for financial aid. That’s how I went to college.”

Waldrop grew up in a musical family — his mother and her siblings were constantly surrounding his grandmother at a piano and were expected to play an instrument, as was he.

“It was always ‘Which one are you going to play,’ not ‘are you going to do band?’ It was always a given.”

So, how many instruments does Waldrop know how to play? He said it really depends on how you define “play.”

“As a music teacher, I know how to play all of them, but can I proficiently play all of them?”

Waldrop loved playing saxophone in jazz band, but was never able to take private lessons. Once he got into college and made bassoon his major, he realized he missed jazz band and playing the saxophone, so he would stay after rehearsals to practice on saxophone and other instruments like the euphonium and trombone, to improve his repertoire on something other than his specialty instrument.

“When I’m playing bassoon, I love classical music and when I’m playing saxophone, I love jazz. And I always miss the other one when I’m playing.”

Waldrop said it is hard to put a number on how many instruments he is proficient in. In junior high and high school, he also took drum and guitar lessons alongside teaching himself how to play saxophone.

As he counted on his fingers the number of instruments he considers himself proficient in playing, he rattled off drums, guitar, saxophone and bassoon, but said he would feel comfortable adding trumpet, clarinet and flute to the list. Now that he is teaching, he occasionally finds time to jump in with the students on saxophone.

“I try to play along with them when I can. It’s not a huge band. There are only about 10 or 11 kids in there right now, but it’ll grow.”

At the beginner’s level, which starts at fourth grade, Waldrop has about 20 students. The fifth and sixth grade levels, have 10 to 12 band members each.

“If I can make sure I make a good impression on the kids, and communicate well with the parents and the faculty, and make sure I’m not someone people hate working with, I think that it could grow. it’s not about being big. I think that a successful program is one where musicians know what they’re doing, they don’t just go and play … If they all know what they’re doing and they’re all engaged, it can be great.”

Waldrop said, so long as he can start training musicians during their beginning classes and getting them excited to learn, having a band of 10 to 15 students could be a great thing. Though it is still early in the school year, since band started a few weeks later than other classes, the band has not had the chance to go over too much yet, but Waldrop tries to keep the excitement level up with some interesting arrangements.

“The high school, now, is learning pep band stuff as well as concert music, but I arranged “Kashmir” for them, by Led Zeppelin. I wouldn’t say it’s wild, but certainly not on the classical side. It’s good stuff, though. We also played “Crazy In Love” by Beyoncé.”

The most rewarding part of teaching music, is getting to see students experience music, not just playing music, he said.

“I was rehearsing with the philharmonic at BYU and we were playing “Death and Transfiguration.” I was playing contrabassoon… and I wasn’t doing anything but holding this long note. I could see the concertmaster through the strings and when the resurrection came, his face— man— the emotion on his face— I was crying. And I’m just playing … nothing of any technical challenge, but it was very emotional. I feel most successful and most grateful for this job when I can see something like that in the students.

He said he sees it occasionally, but that, most important, he cannot make them have such an experience. When that happens, it is because they have opened themselves up to music, he said.

“My job, here, is to help the kids understand that this tool for expression, this venue for life experience is available and not out of reach. Music comes from our humanity. That’s why we have it, because we’re expressing our humanity.”