Award sounds sweet to instrumental music teacher Jeff Meyers

News-Times reporter

Jeff Meyers has been teaching instrumental music to fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students in the Amherst school district for nine years.

When Meyers learned he was selected the Ohio Lottery's Teacher of the Month in Lorain County, he could not believe it.

"I had no idea whatsoever that my name had been submitted," he said. "When I got the forms and everything, it was a surprise to me."

Meyers was nominated by Nord Middle School paraprofessional Barry Kaufman for his ability to take beginning band students under his wing and turn them in to musical artists by the time they enter eighth grade.

"I teach the kids from fifth grade when they don't know which end of the horn to blow in to, until the time they get to eighth grade, they're usually pretty good musicians," he said. "So, it's nice to see from step one to where they can actually play pretty well."

Meyers has 113 students in fifth grade, 81 in sixth and about 75 in both the seventh and eighth grade bands.

Meyers blames the economy as the reason students are forced to drop out of this elective class. Parents are responsible for renting their child's instrument, along with purchasing other materials needed for class.

"I think we are holding our own pretty well," Meyers said. "If you look at other districts, and they've lost a lot more students."

Meyers is also involved with the marching, jazz, solo and ensemble performers. And he directs the junior and senior high school choir and swing choir.

"His years as a music professional have shaped the lives of each of his student's talent toward music appreciation," Kaufman wrote on the nomination form.

Meyers has received numerous letters and e-mails from former students who have either kept playing their musical instrument through high school and college or they have learned a valuable lesson in his classroom which stuck with them over the years.

"I just try to encourage them, keep them working at it and try to teach each kid as an individual," he said. "Some kids might find it pretty easy to do this and some kids find it pretty hard. So I try and keep that in to consideration that maybe this fifth grader right now is struggling at it, but by the time he gets to seventh or eighth grade he'll have it."

Meyers has a total of 30 years of experience as a band teacher. After graduating from Bowling Green State University in 1980, he spent a five years in the Continental Local Schools near Findlay and in Ayersville, which is southeast of Defiance.

From there, he worked for 10 years in the Elyria City Schools before coming to Amherst.

He and his wife Jan have two children. Their daughter Jamie is a senior marketing major at the University of Akron, while their son Tom is a senior at Marion L. Steele High School.

In his spare time, Meyers -- who has been playing the saxophone since he was a fifth grader -- likes to collect and repair the woodwind instrument. He can also play the flute and clarinet.

"Actually, I was a terrible band student for four years," he said. "When I got to high school, the band director asked if I wanted to be in the jazz band at Admiral King and that sort of changed my look at things," Meyers said. "I just enjoyed that so much, I decided that's what I wanted to do."

He also picked up woodworking from his grandfather.

"I make furniture and stuff like that now. I never learned how to make the banjos, the guitars and stuff which I really wish I would've," Meyers said.

He joins past Nord recipients Elizabeth Schwartz, Diana Bettler, Lisa Mission, Thomas Hermensky and Donna Palmer as teachers of the month.

The Teacher of the Month award recognizes educators based on their dedication, leadership and professionalism in the classroom.

For being chosen Meyers will receive Ohio Lottery merchandise in the form of mugs, duffle bags and a T-shirt. He will also get tickets to a lottery-sponsored sporting event. While there, he will be recognized in front of the crowd.