Teacher interview Synopsis- Gus Karahalios
Influential Teacher Interview
February 11 2018
1800B Intro to Music Education
Nathan Bond
I decided to conduct my interview on my grade 12 music teacher Gus Karahalios.
Gus Is a former alumni of western and has been teaching at St Joseph Catholic High school for many years. He pushed me to go into school for music because he thought that I had the skills to make it in and be great.
What I learned about my teacher
I learned that my teacher Mr.K Was born and raised here in London Ontario with his family who immigrated from somewhere in Greece in the early 1970’s. He said that “My parents brought with them a very rich culture, a culture that had amazing music and dancing. So even though I was born in Canada my first connection to music was from my European family. From a young age we listened to Greek and Cypriot folk music, we played music instruments and we danced and sang in traditional folklore ensembles” he then further exclaimed that “Music brought us together and we developed life long friendships.“ This helped me see that to him, music was not some means to make a living it was a strong part of his life that let him connect to his family and his friends around him. I learned that he used to teach private lessons. I also learned how much he truly cares for his students as well
How his religion shapes his views
I decided to ask my teacher about his religion because I went to a catholic high school so I wondered if that played any part in his teaching philosophy. I asked him if his religion changed the way he treated his students and he responded with “Religion reminds me everyday that each and every individual in that room is special and unique and must be treated with dignity at all times.” It shows to me that his religion helps him to treat everyone equally and that all people should be respected. He thinks that “we, as educators, must be excellent role models and we need to be Christ like when we interact with students.” I think that this shows how he tries to be a Very good role model which I could see in him when I attended the school. You could ask any teacher about him and they would only have good things to say because that was just the kind of person Mr.K is.
What is our similarities and differences
I think that we both have a calling towards a musical lifestyle. I am unsure whether my calling is to teach yet but Mr.K’s passion is most definitely teaching young minds, not just about music but how to be a good citizen. I think where we differ is our approach to teaching, his goals are very oriented towards developing students to become good people through music whereas my goals would be to teach want students to develop excellent learning skills and I want students to work outside their comfort zone. these students how to play and enjoy music. When I asked mr k about his goals for the class he said that “I want students to develop excellent learning skills and I want students to work outside their comfort zone. I want students to understand that if they work hard they can achieve great results. Not just in music but if life” he specifically says not just in music but in life which illustrates how he doesnt think the goals of music education is the most important part, he thinks that the general teaching through music is what matters.
How he deals with students in the classroom
I asked Mr.K how he deals with students in the classroom because I know it can it can be difficult when you are teaching and the level of talent and ability is so vast between your class as our music classes were split 9/10 and 11/12 so even within the classes it was difficult to gauge what worked and what didn’t. He said that “Every class, every student is unique. Sometimes students arrive in grade 9 and they have limited to no experience. Other times students in grade 9 have 3 to 4 years experience.” Further adding “ It is necessary to spend the first few days or even weeks performing diagnostic assessments.” I believe this is very wise because it shows he is making sure to teach what the students need to know and not what the curriculum demands to be taught. He also said that He likes to set the bar high because students always seem to surprise him in the end by exceeding his already high expectations.
His love for teaching
I can tell from this interview with my teacher that he has a great love for teaching students. He doesn’t care what background his students come from. He told me that “Teaching is a calling it is not a job with predetermined times that require you to punch in and then punch out. Sometimes you work everyday and well into the evenings, sometimes you get to go home when the bell rings.” He seems akin to his teaching job that I find my father thinks as a pastor. As if he was called to do it and that there is no other job he would be suited for besides teaching so it seems fair to say that he does indeed enjoy teaching so much so that it is his passion, When I asked him if he still enjoyed teaching as much as he did when he first started teaching his response was “The older I get I enjoy it more. Even though I am married and have babies at home, teaching is something that is ingrained in me.”
What I think his teaching philosophy is
I think that Mr. K’s teaching philosophy is one of inclusion. When I asked him about what inspired him to teach he told me that “Music is something every student should experience, socio-economic factors should never determine who can and who cannot have music lessons” He was talking about how it was difficult for him to see children not able to learn music because their parents did not have the money to pay for professional lessons so he wanted to teach in schools so he could give his time for these students who didn’t need to pay money he said that “To this day I have never charged a single dollar in my music program.” Which is true because I didn’t have to pay to rent my instrument and I didnt have to pay for concerts or bus fare anywhere which I didn’t notice until he said this and of teaching life lessons. I asked if he had any questions for me and all he wanted to know was if I was enjoying western. I think this summarizes perfectly that at the center of his teaching style is caring and being compassionate to his students.
February 11 2018
1800B Intro to Music Education
Nathan Bond
I decided to conduct my interview on my grade 12 music teacher Gus Karahalios.
Gus Is a former alumni of western and has been teaching at St Joseph Catholic High school for many years. He pushed me to go into school for music because he thought that I had the skills to make it in and be great.
What I learned about my teacher
I learned that my teacher Mr.K Was born and raised here in London Ontario with his family who immigrated from somewhere in Greece in the early 1970’s. He said that “My parents brought with them a very rich culture, a culture that had amazing music and dancing. So even though I was born in Canada my first connection to music was from my European family. From a young age we listened to Greek and Cypriot folk music, we played music instruments and we danced and sang in traditional folklore ensembles” he then further exclaimed that “Music brought us together and we developed life long friendships.“ This helped me see that to him, music was not some means to make a living it was a strong part of his life that let him connect to his family and his friends around him. I learned that he used to teach private lessons. I also learned how much he truly cares for his students as well
How his religion shapes his views
I decided to ask my teacher about his religion because I went to a catholic high school so I wondered if that played any part in his teaching philosophy. I asked him if his religion changed the way he treated his students and he responded with “Religion reminds me everyday that each and every individual in that room is special and unique and must be treated with dignity at all times.” It shows to me that his religion helps him to treat everyone equally and that all people should be respected. He thinks that “we, as educators, must be excellent role models and we need to be Christ like when we interact with students.” I think that this shows how he tries to be a Very good role model which I could see in him when I attended the school. You could ask any teacher about him and they would only have good things to say because that was just the kind of person Mr.K is.
What is our similarities and differences
I think that we both have a calling towards a musical lifestyle. I am unsure whether my calling is to teach yet but Mr.K’s passion is most definitely teaching young minds, not just about music but how to be a good citizen. I think where we differ is our approach to teaching, his goals are very oriented towards developing students to become good people through music whereas my goals would be to teach want students to develop excellent learning skills and I want students to work outside their comfort zone. these students how to play and enjoy music. When I asked mr k about his goals for the class he said that “I want students to develop excellent learning skills and I want students to work outside their comfort zone. I want students to understand that if they work hard they can achieve great results. Not just in music but if life” he specifically says not just in music but in life which illustrates how he doesnt think the goals of music education is the most important part, he thinks that the general teaching through music is what matters.
How he deals with students in the classroom
I asked Mr.K how he deals with students in the classroom because I know it can it can be difficult when you are teaching and the level of talent and ability is so vast between your class as our music classes were split 9/10 and 11/12 so even within the classes it was difficult to gauge what worked and what didn’t. He said that “Every class, every student is unique. Sometimes students arrive in grade 9 and they have limited to no experience. Other times students in grade 9 have 3 to 4 years experience.” Further adding “ It is necessary to spend the first few days or even weeks performing diagnostic assessments.” I believe this is very wise because it shows he is making sure to teach what the students need to know and not what the curriculum demands to be taught. He also said that He likes to set the bar high because students always seem to surprise him in the end by exceeding his already high expectations.
His love for teaching
I can tell from this interview with my teacher that he has a great love for teaching students. He doesn’t care what background his students come from. He told me that “Teaching is a calling it is not a job with predetermined times that require you to punch in and then punch out. Sometimes you work everyday and well into the evenings, sometimes you get to go home when the bell rings.” He seems akin to his teaching job that I find my father thinks as a pastor. As if he was called to do it and that there is no other job he would be suited for besides teaching so it seems fair to say that he does indeed enjoy teaching so much so that it is his passion, When I asked him if he still enjoyed teaching as much as he did when he first started teaching his response was “The older I get I enjoy it more. Even though I am married and have babies at home, teaching is something that is ingrained in me.”
What I think his teaching philosophy is
I think that Mr. K’s teaching philosophy is one of inclusion. When I asked him about what inspired him to teach he told me that “Music is something every student should experience, socio-economic factors should never determine who can and who cannot have music lessons” He was talking about how it was difficult for him to see children not able to learn music because their parents did not have the money to pay for professional lessons so he wanted to teach in schools so he could give his time for these students who didn’t need to pay money he said that “To this day I have never charged a single dollar in my music program.” Which is true because I didn’t have to pay to rent my instrument and I didnt have to pay for concerts or bus fare anywhere which I didn’t notice until he said this and of teaching life lessons. I asked if he had any questions for me and all he wanted to know was if I was enjoying western. I think this summarizes perfectly that at the center of his teaching style is caring and being compassionate to his students.
Student Interview Synopsis
Student Interviews
My goal for these interviews is to learn how music affects all of those surveyed. I also want to determine when they began to appreciate music and what made them choose to study consider another path over music since none of them are pursuing music courses as a career choice.
Brandon Bond - 17 yrs old
I first interviewed my brother Brandon, who lives with me in St Thomas and is currently enrolled in St Joseph Catholic High School in Grade 11. I have known him my whole life, yet I’ve never asked him about his musical journey so I was curious to see what his musical tastes and views were.
Brandon said that he plays the trombone and the baritone/euphonium, and a little bit of trumpet. He seems more confident in his trombone abilities having started in grade 6, which is when he first started taking formal music education. I asked him about his practice habits and he said he practices twice a week by himself, which is not including the three times he plays with a group during the week. So it seems to me as though he is fairly serious about improving his trombone skills. Yet, when I asked about him his thoughts on advanced repertoire he stated that it is more of a wish than a goal for him to play at that calibre. His tastes are, as he said, “all over the place” which includes brass band, classical music, pop music, K-pop, anime music, and more recently Indian pop, which I was completely unaware of.
Brandon said he would continue to play in music after he graduates high school, but does not think he will pursue music as a career choice. However, he said it is an option in mind. He also stated that his music teacher has been pushing him to teach other children in the class because of how advanced he is as a musician. He said he is fond of teaching the kids in a concise way that help them learn. He mentioned that he enjoys music but he thrives on being challenged and because his music course is not challenging him, he is losing interest in studying music. It seemed to me that music could definitely be a career choice for him but he might need to be guided that way and pushed to new limits so he can thrive in it.
Mackenzie Goulding - 19 yrs old
I interviewed my friend Mackenzie. She is currently enrolled in a business degree at the University of Calgary. I met her when I lived in Calgary while we attended the same church. She is a close friend of mine and we have kept in touch over the last 4 years since I've moved away.
I asked Mackenzie a multitude of things including when she started taking music formally and if she still participates in any musical groups and such. I asked her when she first started music formally and she responded that she started piano lessons in grade 3, but became serious about learning music and found it enjoyable once she was in grade 6. She also learned trumpet and violin starting all of them in grade 6. Now that she is in University, she has stopped taking music lessons and is less involved in music now then she was before.
When I asked Mackenzie why she didn’t go into music, she said she had always thought of it as a hobby but never as a career just because it is fun. Even though she doesn’t have as much music in her life currently, she still always listens to music whenever she is out and about. Mackenzie also stated that she plays piano and leads worship at her church now but has no other musical groups she is in. Therefore, she is beginning to get rusty on her other instruments besides piano. It seemed to me the reason she didn’t want to choose music as a career was she was afraid it would take the joy of music away from her because of how serious she would have to practice and learn.
Julie Curtis - 20 yrs old
Lastly I interviewed my friend Julie. Julie lives in Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland. She is studying Early Childhood Education and is also one of my long time friends whom I had met in Calgary. I know that she liked to sing very much while we lived in Calgary and even performed a few solos at the church. We have also managed to keep in touch over the last 4 years and I had hoped to learn why she did not continue with her love of music in her career path.
Julie said that she first started thinking about music in grade 5 because people told her that she had a good voice when she would sing along with the radio. She formally began music in grade 7 when she was cast into a play. She also mentioned playing the flute in grade 7 as well as piano lessons for 1 year but discontinued every instrument besides singing before the start of high school. Julie then went to a performing arts school in grade 10 which is when she started formally taking voice lessons. She said that she remembered being very passionate about transferring into the school. When I asked her about her favourite music, she responded that she likes the top 50 billboards but more recently has been listening to more christian contemporary music.
When I asked if she was still singing or in any musical groups, she said that she had regressed back to singing to the radio but that was the extent of her performing nowadays. I decided to see why she chose not to pursue music as a career. She told me she enjoyed performing in groups and by herself but the technical side of music, such as theory and performance practice, gave her anxiety and made music less enjoyable. So she decided to go into the only other field she loved, which was playing with and helping children. It seemed to me that the reason Julie decided to pursue another field of study other than music was because she didn’t enjoy the entire field of study that music has to offer and found it too difficult to understand which shyed her away from learning more.
Throughout all of these interviews, I noticed that all of my interviewees had different reasons for not pursuing music but they all were for the same main reason. Julie and Mackenzie both choose a different path for their life because they thought that by studying music it would become less enjoyable for them. For Brandon, who has not chosen his career path yet, it seems that he enjoys teaching as he had always had a passion for teaching, though not always about music. I think the main hurdle for Brandon is that he is not confident of his skills and he thinks that he may not be good enough to be accepted into Western for music. Overall, this exercise was enlightening for me to learn more about my friends and why they chose to pursue different career paths.
My goal for these interviews is to learn how music affects all of those surveyed. I also want to determine when they began to appreciate music and what made them choose to study consider another path over music since none of them are pursuing music courses as a career choice.
Brandon Bond - 17 yrs old
I first interviewed my brother Brandon, who lives with me in St Thomas and is currently enrolled in St Joseph Catholic High School in Grade 11. I have known him my whole life, yet I’ve never asked him about his musical journey so I was curious to see what his musical tastes and views were.
Brandon said that he plays the trombone and the baritone/euphonium, and a little bit of trumpet. He seems more confident in his trombone abilities having started in grade 6, which is when he first started taking formal music education. I asked him about his practice habits and he said he practices twice a week by himself, which is not including the three times he plays with a group during the week. So it seems to me as though he is fairly serious about improving his trombone skills. Yet, when I asked about him his thoughts on advanced repertoire he stated that it is more of a wish than a goal for him to play at that calibre. His tastes are, as he said, “all over the place” which includes brass band, classical music, pop music, K-pop, anime music, and more recently Indian pop, which I was completely unaware of.
Brandon said he would continue to play in music after he graduates high school, but does not think he will pursue music as a career choice. However, he said it is an option in mind. He also stated that his music teacher has been pushing him to teach other children in the class because of how advanced he is as a musician. He said he is fond of teaching the kids in a concise way that help them learn. He mentioned that he enjoys music but he thrives on being challenged and because his music course is not challenging him, he is losing interest in studying music. It seemed to me that music could definitely be a career choice for him but he might need to be guided that way and pushed to new limits so he can thrive in it.
Mackenzie Goulding - 19 yrs old
I interviewed my friend Mackenzie. She is currently enrolled in a business degree at the University of Calgary. I met her when I lived in Calgary while we attended the same church. She is a close friend of mine and we have kept in touch over the last 4 years since I've moved away.
I asked Mackenzie a multitude of things including when she started taking music formally and if she still participates in any musical groups and such. I asked her when she first started music formally and she responded that she started piano lessons in grade 3, but became serious about learning music and found it enjoyable once she was in grade 6. She also learned trumpet and violin starting all of them in grade 6. Now that she is in University, she has stopped taking music lessons and is less involved in music now then she was before.
When I asked Mackenzie why she didn’t go into music, she said she had always thought of it as a hobby but never as a career just because it is fun. Even though she doesn’t have as much music in her life currently, she still always listens to music whenever she is out and about. Mackenzie also stated that she plays piano and leads worship at her church now but has no other musical groups she is in. Therefore, she is beginning to get rusty on her other instruments besides piano. It seemed to me the reason she didn’t want to choose music as a career was she was afraid it would take the joy of music away from her because of how serious she would have to practice and learn.
Julie Curtis - 20 yrs old
Lastly I interviewed my friend Julie. Julie lives in Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland. She is studying Early Childhood Education and is also one of my long time friends whom I had met in Calgary. I know that she liked to sing very much while we lived in Calgary and even performed a few solos at the church. We have also managed to keep in touch over the last 4 years and I had hoped to learn why she did not continue with her love of music in her career path.
Julie said that she first started thinking about music in grade 5 because people told her that she had a good voice when she would sing along with the radio. She formally began music in grade 7 when she was cast into a play. She also mentioned playing the flute in grade 7 as well as piano lessons for 1 year but discontinued every instrument besides singing before the start of high school. Julie then went to a performing arts school in grade 10 which is when she started formally taking voice lessons. She said that she remembered being very passionate about transferring into the school. When I asked her about her favourite music, she responded that she likes the top 50 billboards but more recently has been listening to more christian contemporary music.
When I asked if she was still singing or in any musical groups, she said that she had regressed back to singing to the radio but that was the extent of her performing nowadays. I decided to see why she chose not to pursue music as a career. She told me she enjoyed performing in groups and by herself but the technical side of music, such as theory and performance practice, gave her anxiety and made music less enjoyable. So she decided to go into the only other field she loved, which was playing with and helping children. It seemed to me that the reason Julie decided to pursue another field of study other than music was because she didn’t enjoy the entire field of study that music has to offer and found it too difficult to understand which shyed her away from learning more.
Throughout all of these interviews, I noticed that all of my interviewees had different reasons for not pursuing music but they all were for the same main reason. Julie and Mackenzie both choose a different path for their life because they thought that by studying music it would become less enjoyable for them. For Brandon, who has not chosen his career path yet, it seems that he enjoys teaching as he had always had a passion for teaching, though not always about music. I think the main hurdle for Brandon is that he is not confident of his skills and he thinks that he may not be good enough to be accepted into Western for music. Overall, this exercise was enlightening for me to learn more about my friends and why they chose to pursue different career paths.