Teachers applaud former student’s Ph.D.
FD native gives credit to his music mentorsBy EMILIE NELSON, Messenger staff writer
Fort Dodge native Brad Williamson has seen a lot of success in his career as a music educator, but he is not shy about crediting his own music teachers for helping to get him where he is today.
"The teachers I had seemed to really enjoy teaching," he said recently. "And I was successful with music, and knew I wanted to do something I was successful at. Fort Dodge has an excellent music program and I have learned over the years how big it was for me to be able to be a part of such a great program."
Williamson received his Ph.D. in music education from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, June 14, and last week he returned to Fort Dodge to celebrate the accomplishment with family and friends.
Among those friends were five former band directors, all of whom still live in the Fort Dodge area.
Ardella Hein, his fifth-grade band director at St. Paul Lutheran School; Mary Heimbruch, his teacher at Fair Oaks Middle School; Dan Cassady and Keith Altemeier, former Fort Dodge Senior High band directors; and John McCartney, who he played under in the Iowa Central Community College band while a senior in high school, made it to the celebration.
Williamson said he has found through his travels that it is rare to have all of the teachers still living in the same city, even after retirement.
A 1993 graduate of Fort Dodge Senior High School, Williamson attended the University of Iowa after graduation, earning a bachelor's degree in music education in 1998.
Following his time at the University of Iowa, he taught for six years at Hubbard-Radcliffe High School before attending Kansas State University in Lawrence, Kan., to pursue a master's degree. While at Kansas State he served as an assistant director with the marching band.
After receiving his master's degree, Williamson attended Ohio State University, where he earned his doctorate.
During his years at Ohio State, he did his assistantship with the Ohio State Marching Band. During that time he observed student music teachers, wrote and taught shows, and traveled across the country with the band, including to two national championship bowl games and the Fiesta Bowl.
"It's the fun experiences like taking the marching band to the bowl games that were some of the most rewarding," said Williamson.
Williamson has accepted a position as marching band director at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo. There he will teach methods courses, direct the school's 180-member marching band, direct a concert band and the basketball band.
"The job description for the position really matched my interests," he said. "I'm looking forward to directing my own band again, having students and seeing them succeed."
Contact Emilie Nelson at (515)573-2141 or enelson@messengernews.net
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HUEVOSRANCHEROS
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06-27-09 2:35 AM
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¡Brad's also quite an accomplished snipe hunter! I can't believe this story did not include that information.
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