This year Gwendolyn Brooks welcomed in a few new Eagle teachers. In the Music Department, two teachers were hired to replace Ms. Seavoy who left to pursue a career in musical theatre in New York: Mr. Harding (band) and Mr. Youngblood (choir).

I caught up with Mr. Harding to discuss some of his interests and reasons for becoming a teacher.

Jasmine Taylor (JT): What about music made you want to teach it?

Mr. Harding (H): I got into teaching to make a positive difference in every student's life through music and hopefully inspire my students to become musicians for a lifetime.

JT: When it comes to playing instruments, which is your favorite and why?

H: My favorite instrument is the saxophone. I was inspired to play the saxophone when I watched Lisa Simpson and Bleeding Gums Murphy play on the Simpsons.

JT: Did you ever have any other aspirations that didn't include teaching or music? If so, what were they?

H: Besides teaching or music, I always wanted to play baseball at a professional level or coach a baseball team.

JT: How do you like Gwendolyn Brooks so far?

H: Gwendolyn Brooks has been very welcoming to me as a new teacher. Every day I'm grateful that I get to work at such an amazing school and help students reach their full potential through music.

Jasmine Taylor