Perkins Interview Transcript

How old are you?
63

How long have you been working for ARCC?
I have been teaching music for 42 years, the last 37 at ARCC.

What exactly do you teach at ARCC?
I have taught all music classes offered at ARCC sometime in my career at ARCC. Music
Appreciation, Class Piano, Music History, Rock and Roll History, Fundamentals of Music and
many other courses. Presently I am teaching Music Theory, Advanced Music Theory, Aural
Comprehension and Advanced Aural Comprehension.

How would you describe your teaching style?
My teaching style is to engage students and help them understand music and learn to love music
and learning as much as I do. I attempt to offer many types of teaching styles to cater to the many
learning styles that students use. Visual, aural, tactile learning styles are a few of the
teaching styles that I try to use.

Where did you teach before ARCC?
I first started teaching in Amery, Wisconsin. I taught everything from Music for Special
Education programs, elementary music, middle school choir, high school band and jazz
ensemble along with swing choir. It was a wonderful way to start my music career. I experienced
so many different levels of music education right away. I also learned many ways to teach music.
It has been extremely helpful throughout my career. Afert four years of teaching in Amery I
decided to return to college and work on my Masters of Music. I entered the University of Iowa and
completed my Masters in Trumpet Performance. While at Iowa I taught at Cornell College in Mt.
Vernon, Iowa. I also played with the Cedar Rapids Symphony.

What first got you interested in music?
I got interested in music as a child. My aunt was a piano teacher, I started piano lessons from her
when I was four years old. I grew up in Spooner, Wisconsin. You could learn a band instrument
beginning in the fourth grade. When my brother Mike was playing in the band in fifth grade I
followed him to band. I was not old enough to start an instrument, but the band director gave me a
cornet and told me to sit down and play. I was eight years old at the time. I've been playing
trumpet ever since. Trumpet is my main instrument.

They also had an orchestra program and I started on the violin. For some reason I went through
several violin books and progressed faster than the rest of the class. Maybe I thought it was too
easy, so I stopped playing the violin and stayed with the trumpet.

Are there any specific people or events that have influenced the way you
teach, or your decision to become a music teacher? If so how or why?
I am asked often why I became a music teacher. One of the main reasons was the Vietnam War. At that
time if you were a teacher you were deferred from being drafted into the service. I decided to
teach rather than go to war. After a year or two teaching deferments were eliminated, but I was
never drafted. Teaching allowed me to teach and perform. I always wanted to be a trumpet
performer and teaching allowed me to do both. I was not thrilled, initially, to be a teacher but
grew to love it.

There are many people, courses, books and events that influence how I teach. Mainly it is the
students and my interest in helping them learn about music. If a student does not understand a
topic or concept that influences me into finding a way to help the student. If one way doesn't
work than I try another way. My goal is to help students understand the material and love music as
much as I do.

Was the piano the first instrument you played?
Yes^

What is your "main" instrument?
Trumpet^

Are you married? If so is she musical, or does she help with your teaching in
any way?
I am married but my wife is not in the music business. She loves music and has helped me quite a bit.
I borrowed many CD's from her collection of CD's for my Rock and Roll History Class. I have to
thank her for that.

What was your aunt's name?
My aunt's name was Viora Perkins.