Why, you ask?
He began his teaching career in 1971 when there was a shortage of teachers and a growing student enrollment. After doing his first practicum at Handsworth Secondary with a good friend and fellow French Horn player, Brian G'Froerer, he was offered a choice of four jobs to teach music in North Vancouver. Rob had been approached by Garth Williams, the music teacher at Carson Graham, about becoming his partner; and he signed the papers in November before completing his final two practicums.
Rob's introduction to music teaching was interesting, being given a concert band that had not been in rehearsal since the previous January (semester system) and being told that he was performing for the Lieutenant Governor and the B. C. Trustees Association in the Hotel Vancouver on the 29th of October. All went well, and Rob was off to a quick start of a very rewarding career.
Garth Williams left Carson Graham to become the Music Supervisor for the Courtenay School Board, and Rob was fortunate to have his student teacher, Peter Taylor, get hired and become his partner--an alliance that lasted for the next 17 years. Rob and Peter developed an interest in Jazz Education and established the B. C. Vocal Jazz Festival at Carson Graham. Over the next decades some of the most respected jazz performers, such as The Four Freshmen, Mark Murphy, Ernestine Anderson, Bobby McFerrin, and Fifth Avenue performed at Carson Graham, along with thousands of students from Canadian and American schools. The Vocal Jazz movement was to spread from Carson Graham to the rest of Canada, and became a major part of Canada's music education system. In addition, Rob created the Carson Graham Collegiate Jazz Band Festival, where Carson Graham's Jazz Band performed in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with soloists such as Gary Guthman, Ed Shaughnessy, and Bill Watrous.
In 1991, Rob became the instrumental director at Windsor Secondary where he taught with his partner, Doug Irwin, for the past 14 years of his career. During this time, Rob had the good fortune of having his wife, Gerri, and good friend Mary Backun develop a strong feeder system in the Windsor feeder zone. Rob had the opportunity of conducting musicals such as Oklahoma, Anything Goes, The Music Man, and Hello Dolly that were directed by Doug Irwin, whom Rob feels is the most talented Musical Director in the province. Windsor's Instrumental Ensembles have recently won Gold ratings and invitations to perform in Boston, at the Gold Standard Heritage Festival.
Rob was hired as a visiting professor in the UBC Education Department in September, 2008. He taught a course in Secondary Band instruction to fourth year students in the Music Faculty. It was fun for Rob to have an office and walk the grounds of UBC some 40 years after being a student there in the late 1960's.
Rob married the love of his life, Gerri, and they have three wonderfully talented children: David, Sarah and Jesse. He looks forward to the next chapter in a rewarding life, and treasures the multitude of wonderful memories created and earned as a teacher in this province of British Columbia.
. . . is a lucky man.