Kent City — As fourth-graders approach the music classroom at Kent City Elementary, teacher Rhonda Vanderwest greets them all with a gentle instruction: “Voices off and your beat is on.”
With the Dolly Parton song, “I Will Always Love You,” serenading students from a speaker, they tap the beat of the song on their thighs as they quietly make their way to their seats. Vanderwest joins them in tapping the beat, mouthing the words along with Parton, the class artist of the month.
“When she sings, ‘I wish you joy and happiness’ — I hope that’s how you feel when you come in this room,” Vanderwest tells the fourth-graders as the song wraps up. “We are a family; we leave our worries and cares at the door.”
Vanderwest this fall began her 30th year as a teacher; she and her two brothers were all inspired to become teachers thanks to their mother, an English and music teacher, and father, a teacher and school administrator.
“In our house we just always saw the value of education and all the good parts of teaching,” she said. “Certainly we saw some of the harder parts, too, but the good was what stood out. … Now, every August, I go ‘back to school’ — that’s been the case since I was 5 years old, which is fun and I look forward to it.”
Over the course of her career, Vanderwest has taught middle and high school English, as well as high school choir and band. About 15 years ago, KCCS asked if she would move to the elementary music room, teaching classes from developmental kindergarten through fifth grade, and she’s been there ever since.
“At first, honestly, I was not excited about it. I was kind of thinking, ‘We’ll see how it goes,’” she said. “But little did I know that I would just love it. It was a very short time before I realized, ‘This is amazing.’ … Music is something that I’d like kids to keep with them for a lifetime, and hopefully I can encourage that.”
We spoke with Vanderwest about what keeps her motivated after 30 years in the classroom, why teaching as a profession is so special and how music can make a difference at any age; read on to discover more:
Why do you teach? “When it all comes down to it, when we leave this life, we’ll have the legacy of what we left behind, which is how we have impacted people and how we have touched others’ lives. My parents, first and foremost, impacted me, but I also had my own teachers who encouraged me, supported me, challenged me and really helped develop who I am as a person. They each gave me the confidence to live a life with whatever gifts you have and do the best you can do with that.
“I want to help these kids, every student I teach, to, number one, feel safe and comfortable. A lot of them don’t come from the easiest places. If I can make my classroom one where they feel noticed, they feel valued, they feel safe and they can leave their worries outside, then we can have a great experience together. I want to help them feel better about themselves and feel better about the world around them. If they can become better people because of having spent time under my teaching, then I’ve done something valuable.”
Why music? What is the best thing about it? “I think music touches the heart and the soul in a way that nothing else can. I think it makes any situation better. … Kids all have different emotions, and some of these kids are going through a lot. For them, I think hearing music can be very soothing, very calming, and it can just make a regular day better.
“My dad used to say, ‘Music is different than a sport, because no one sits on the bench.’ And I love that and I always tell my students that. In music, everyone’s important — there’s that power in what music can do when we all work together. There’s the concept of (being a) team and the discipline (music) takes to do it well. … But also, I don’t see a lot of 70-year-olds running up and down the football field. I do see people at every age singing, listening, appreciating concerts, participating in a musical group … just enjoying music.
“I want to instill the joy of music in (kids) at a young age and help them believe in themselves, that they can do it too. … I tell the students, ‘For some of you, math is very easy. Some of you can hit a baseball really easily. Others of us, music comes easily, and if that’s the case for you, please be a leader in this class.’ We become better as a team together, and I love when they can help the kids around them.”
‘If they can become better people because of having spent time under my teaching, then I’ve done something valuable.’
— Rhonda Vanderwest, music teacher
What motivates you to keep going in your 30th year? “Kids have energy — a lot of it. They know we’re always going to sing and we’re always going to move in this class, and they like that, because they need to move. … And while I continue to get older, they keep coming in at the same ages, and I see their joy and energy and love. You know, I like working quietly in my room because there’s no distractions, but then summer comes around and I think, ‘Boy, this is a lot better when the kids are here.’ So really, at the base, the motivation is the students.
“In my job, I get to see developmental kindergarten all the way through fifth grade, and that’s an honor and also quite a responsibility. I get to see them year after year, develop relationships with them and build trust and joy year after year. I’ve gotten to know a lot of their families in our small community, too, and have felt appreciated by everyone here, administration, families, community, and that adds to the purpose of why I’m here.
“I don’t just do this because it’s my job. I do it because I want kids to learn and grow and be engaged. … It feels so wonderful to me when I hear my upper elementary students doing something that we worked on for years and then it just clicks. We celebrate that — we make a big deal out of it as a class!”
In what ways has the KCCS community supported music education? Vanderwest highlighted the many field trips and partner organizations that Kent City leadership makes possible, such as trips to the Grand Rapids Symphony, attending holiday musicals at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre and partnering with art classes to visit the Muskegon Museum of Art. She also brings in professional musicians from around West Michigan to play and talk about various instruments with students.
“These broader experiences are awfully special for kids. They don’t all have those opportunities otherwise. It broadens their musical and arts horizons to see what’s out there in the greater community and all the things they can enjoy. We talk about appreciating the variety that’s out there, and that just because something’s different doesn’t mean it’s bad. … To connect with the broader arts community is so good for kids. I want them to learn how to make music but also to appreciate music for a lifetime.”
What is the most interesting or amazing thing about your students? “Their personalities really come out in here. It can be a little double-edged sword, but those students who express themselves verbally or who have a lot of energy and have difficulty in regular classrooms, they can come in here and use that happy, joyful personality with whatever we’re doing musically. I encourage them: ‘Express yourself.’ But I also teach them that you’ve got to take that energy and focus it toward a goal: ‘I’m your coach; focus, use that energy and work together.’ And it’s so cool to see them shine when they’re given that chance.”
What’s something you’ve learned from your students? “Number one, that a smile can go a long way. I see 560 kids, and what I’ve learned from them is that they have a lot of love and joy inside of them, and I feel my job is to help that grow and not squelch them. I’ve learned that they have so much love to share. If they feel safe and comfortable, that love is going to be spread to others. So that feeling of comfort and peace, I want to bring that to them.
“I’ve also learned I need to laugh. I take myself pretty seriously. I’ve learned from them that we’re all in this together, and sometimes I just need to relax, because life’s fun like that. And in the music room, you can have fun. We’ve all got our lists and things to do, but when I look at the kids I see them glad to be learning, glad to be here. … I’ve learned to just laugh more with them, and that makes a happier environment for everybody. It’s been good for me.”
What would you say to someone who is considering teaching as a profession? “It’s challenging and it’s very rewarding. I think it takes a full three years to know if something is a good fit for you. My mom always told me that, and it’s very true in teaching. The first year you survive, the second year you change most of what you did the first year, and then by the third year you find your groove and you can really know and feel if it’s the place for you or not.
“And while you’re feeling that out, get around people that are supportive and good mentors. Every day, ask what’s one thing that went well and one thing that didn’t go quite as well. Think about that, and what you can do for tomorrow, but don’t beat yourself up. Your kids take a lot more away than you realize. It’s a very rewarding profession, and I’m very thankful to be doing it and to have former students come up to me and share happy memories from my classroom.
“Any occupation in the world started with someone being their teacher. It started in a classroom. And that’s a really great thing. So don’t get down on yourself. Give yourself grace. You can’t make any big decisions until year three. And then it only gets better from there.”
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