[Noozhawk’s note: One in a series on the teachers who will be honored Nov. 6 at A Salute to Teachers, presented by Cox Communications and the Santa Barbara County Education Office.]
Ten educators will be recognized Nov. 6 at A Salute to Teachers, an event hosted by Cox Communications and the Santa Barbara County Education Office at the Music Academy of the West in Montecito.
Alisyn Blanton of Miguelito School in the Lompoc Unified School District has been named the 2022 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year.
Frank Koroshec of San Marcos High School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District will be honored as the 2021 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year.
Josie Coburn of Orcutt Academy High School in the Orcutt Union School District will be recognized as the 2022 Santa Barbara Bowl Performing Arts Teacher of the Year.
Elizabeth Caruso of Monroe School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District will be honored as the 2021 Santa Barbara Bowl Performing Arts Teacher of the Year.
The 2021-2022 distinguished mentors to be recognized are Lorena Armstrong of Mary Buren School in the Guadalupe Union School District, Riccardo Magni of Pioneer Valley High School in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, and Melissa Woods of Dos Pueblos High School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
The 2021-2022 distinguished new educators to be honored are Samantha Ayala of La Honda STEAM Academy in the Lompoc Unified School District, T.J. Berry of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District, and Christina Peña Eckert of Carpinteria Middle School in the Carpinteria Unified School District.
The eighth annual presentation will be livestreamed at 5 p.m. Nov. 6 at s.sbceo.org/salutestream.
In addition to Cox, Salute to Teachers is sponsored by Noozhawk, Fielding Graduate University, Montecito Bank & Trust, Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara City College and Southwest Airlines.
Noozhawk Q&A
Noozhawk: Why did you decide to become a teacher?
Josie Coburn: When I first graduated from college, I didn’t realize that I wanted to be a teacher. I’ve had many different jobs throughout my career, but with every job, I’ve been drawn to the parts where I worked with students.
I started out as a biologist, working in a wildlife rehabilitation center, and even though I loved working with the animals, training the teen volunteers was the most rewarding part of the job.
I worked at a science camp as a lab technician, but soon I moved into the teaching staff, and the job came alive. I was thrilled to be able to teach the students in an outdoor classroom and see them filled with wonder.
I suddenly realized how amazing it is to be able to teach — to guide students toward a new finding, broadening their experiences and inspiring lifelong learning.
When I moved to a new location for my family, I found there was a desperate need for music teachers. I filled in as a substitute for a school that had lost its band teacher, and I knew it was where I belonged. I went back to school to earn my teaching credential in music, and I’ve been in love with teaching music ever since.
Noozhawk: How long have you been teaching?
JC: I’ve been teaching on and off for about 20 years, raising my family in between.
Noozhawk: What is your favorite subject or lesson plan to teach your students?
JC: In elementary music, I love teaching through game play using movement, singing and playing instruments, like xylophones and drums. Music games help students learn quickly, and their creativity flows when they are fully engaged and having fun.
I love all of our band seasons, like concert band, jazz band, pep band and marching band. My favorite season is the marching/pep band season. The students learn to march drill on the field, they get to play exciting music, march in parades, and perform at football and basketball games.
It’s a thrill to perform for the crowds, and we love supporting our school athletic programs — playing pep tunes to help our teams get pumped up to play their best.
I also enjoy teaching leadership skills and watching the students grow into valuable role models, teachers and leaders. I have had exceptional drum majors, section leaders, and students who have led, taught and inspired their peers to keep striving for success. These students leave high school with confidence — ready to tackle any challenge — and they leave a legacy by passing on their leadership skills to the next generation, and the cycle continues.
When students are given leadership roles, I am always blown away by their enthusiasm, ingenuity, dedication and drive. Given the chance, young people can do incredible things.
Noozhawk: What is your favorite part of being a teacher?
JC: The relationships we build with the students. I love to get to know each of them individually, and find out what makes them tick. Every student has something valuable to contribute to the group, and it’s the individual personalities, skills, interests and values that give our classes character.
In music, the students have the opportunity to be in the program for many years. Throughout those years, they become a part of our big family. I feel so fortunate to be able to be a part of their lives, and watch them grow into independent young people, and help them get ready to move on into the world.
Sometimes former students come back to visit, or to help tutor my incoming students, and it’s a joy to see them all grown-up, successful and doing what they always dreamed of doing.
Noozhawk: What are the challenges of your job?
JC: My job’s an exciting adventure every day. The biggest challenge is juggling all of the different programs that I’m running at once. I travel between six different schools in our district, run six different band programs, a drumline program and elementary music classes, many of which require after-school rehearsals and performances.
I see an extremely large number of students — upward of 500 — each week. It’s complicated to keep everything straight, manage my time, communicate with families and keep all of my programs functioning at a high level, but I know that all of the students deserve the best that I can possibly give them.
It’s definitely not always perfect, but I do try to put everything I can into each program, so it’s quite a balancing act.
As our music and band programs continue to grow, it’s a struggle to supply the instruments, music, uniforms and equipment we need with limited funding. We’re fortunate to have had the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, the Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation, the Santa Maria Elks, and many businesses and families within our community supporting us when they can, so that we can get more of these items into our students’ hands.
I know that we could do even more with my programs with more funding, more time carved into the school day for the arts, and more performing arts teachers.
Noozhawk: What are you most looking forward to this school year?
JC: The part that I was most looking forward to has already happened this year, but it will continue to be something I look forward to every day. It was so difficult to be apart during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Playing music together is a magical thing, and we all missed that dearly. I couldn’t wait to hear the students play their first chord together again, and when they did, it was everything.
Now I look forward to hearing them play together every day, and we’ll cherish every rehearsal and every performance from now on.
Noozhawk: Who are your mentors?
JC: I’ve had many mentors throughout my career — so many people have helped guide me along the way and helped shape my teaching style.
Here in Orcutt, Dona Kintzi, former art and music teacher and choir director, has has a tremendous impact on my teaching and all of my programs. She worked with me throughout my training, and shared her experience and ideas as I worked to build new programs. She supported me with her knowledge in the subject matter, her creativity, enthusiasm and in her style of teaching with heart.
Julie Kozel, who is now an assistant superintendent for the Orcutt Union School District, has been a principal at my schools for many years, and she was one of my amazing band parents, too. She has also played a vital role in many ways, encouraging me to go back to school to obtain my music credential, helping me refine how I run my classrooms, and inspiring me to challenge the students to reach their highest potential.
I’ve also had the opportunity to work with many outstanding musicians and leaders in the performing arts community here and all over California. I’ve been able to learn from master Orff-Schulwerk teachers, concert band directors and composers, and the directors and staff at Gold Drum & Bugle Corps in Oceanside, and the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps in Concord.
Every time I have the chance to learn from someone in the performing arts, I am overwhelmed by their willingness and generosity in sharing ideas and knowledge, in order to help me grow and improve as a teacher, and in turn, have a positive impact on my students.
Noozhawk: Who are the people in your life and work environment who support you every day?
JC: At work, I have a great support system through the administration, principals, staff and colleagues at all six of my schools. I am lucky to work with a team of people who understand the challenges, schedules and crazy nature of the traveling teacher, and they roll with the changes and do what they can to help me out.
Lee Ann Luongo and the Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation have supported all of our arts programs and are committed to strengthening the arts in Orcutt. They have worked tirelessly over the years to fund classes, experiences and instruments for our students through memberships, writing grants and hosting fundraising events.
I’ve been so fortunate to work with three amazing student drum majors — Trenton Kozel, Noah Antonio and Logan Kerns. These students have gone above and beyond in their efforts to make our program great. They have devoted countless hours training, teaching their peers and developing ideas to create a better band, and they have motivated me to continue challenging myself and my students.
The students also support me every day. Their enthusiasm, hard work, heart and dedication motivates me every day to best that I can be.
My biggest support comes from my family and my friends. They pick me up when I am down, they listen to my worries and help me to find solutions. Both of my sons are involved in music, and they spend an enormous amount of time helping me test out and practice my lessons, recording and demonstrating skills with me, and helping me come up with fresh ideas for the students. We have had so much fun as a family with music in our lives, and it’s been great to be able to share that with others.
Noozhawk: How does it feel to be honored as part of the Salute to Teachers?
JC: As a small-town music teacher, I feel truly honored to be recognized among such an amazing performing arts community within Santa Barbara County.
This award means everything to me and to my students. It means that people recognize the hard work that we’ve put into the programs, and I hope that it means that it’s making a difference in people’s lives.
We started out small, and building the arts in our community has been a dream for many of us. It’s exciting to be a part of the effort toward growing art programs and helping them to thrive. I’m so proud that our programs are beginning to flourish, and that our students get to experience the joy in music.
Noozhawk: Final thoughts?
JC: Music enriches our lives in so many ways. Studying music helps students develop academically, socially and emotionally. It builds creativity, imagination and intellect. It encourages teamwork and self-confidence. Music can relieve stress and anxiety, and it can help people learn to regulate their emotions.
Music gives students a reason to come to school, keeping them engaged and connected. As a society, we need to continue to support music in our schools and do what we can to add more arts into the school day.
Also, if the performing arts programs were more integrated into our schools, it would make the profession more stable, and we could so encourage more people to enter into the career of music and arts education.
I’d like to highlight some of our individual student successes, because it illustrates what they can do when they have music in their lives.
Four OAHS students performed with the Western International Band Clinic Honor Band in 2021, and one student was recently accepted to perform with the WIBC Honor Band in Seattle this fall.
Four OAHS students auditioned and joined Gold Drum & Bugle Corps in 2021. Those students performed in a national tour, traveling across the country this past summer. Those students also brought their newfound knowledge back to our students at school.
Now, more students are planning to audition for these types of groups, where they get to experience music at a high level, training with world-class instructors and performing at venues across the country. I’d love to continue to bring new experiences and opportunities to our students as much as I can, because these are the moments that are life-changing.