Teaching can be a tough job, but then something happens that makes all the effort worth it.
Ken Kazin, the longtime band director at Evergreen Park Community High School calls them “aha moments,” when his students “finally get something really well. You just see it.”
“That’s something I can never get too much of,” he said.
After a nearly 40-year career at the school, Kazin retired at the end of this school year. The school’s new band director is Colin Curatolo.
Kazin said he’ll miss his students, and is proud of how far the band program has come since he started in 1987. Back then, the marching band didn’t participate in competitions and the band director position wasn’t even full-time until he started. Among his more recent accomplishments was introducing a rock band element to the music program about five years ago.
Now the school also has strong jazz and concert bands.
It’s a full time job indeed. In fact, as of his retirement Kazin had banked 406 hours of paid sick time, the equivalent of about 50 days. In addition to overseeing the school’s bands, he’s taught classes in AP Music Theory, Technology in the Performing Arts, World Music and other related topics.
He is also principal percussionist for the Southwest Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians. He was a drummer for Oak Lawn Theatre musicals and plays percussion with his son Keaton, a junior at Stagg High School, in the DuPage Youth Symphony.
Kazin grew up in Oak Lawn, attended St. Laurence High School in Burbank and obtained a degree from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. He lives in Hickory Hills with his wife, Amy, who is activities director at EPCHS. His son Jason teaches music at Scarlet Oak School in Oak Forest and his daughter, MacKenzie, teaches English in Columbus, Ohio.
A song called “Evergreen” performed during Evergreen Park Community High School’s recent spring concert, which Kazin directed, was commissioned for him and the school by William Owens, his former VanderCook classmate.
Kazin credits working with his wife as a big part of the school’s musical/artistic success. She was formerly choir director there and directed and choreographed musicals, sharing his enthusiasm for ensuring students grew in their musical abilities. Their combined talents helped students work together in the school’s band, choir and theatre programs.
“I think that made a big difference in the school environment and especially the kids,” said Kazin. “What I’m most proud of is we built a music department. It was about all the music students and making sure they participated in the arts.”
A big part of his overall success goes back to his parents, Kazin said. His mother was a professional pianist and organist, and he performed with her for a local VFW, playing drums. His father, a roll tender and inkman for RR Donnelley Printing, taught him his strong work ethic and the importance of showing up ready to give the job his all.
He also gets a kick out of student shenanigans, chuckling when he noticed a mustache drawn on his picture in the hallway.
“You put the kids first, our job is to make them better by the end of the year,” he said.
Students appreciate Kazin, too.
“Mr. Kazin has explained the importance of trying new and different things time and time again,” said Ryan Brennan, a rising junior, who plays in the concert band. “He suggests that you don’t need to understand everything to try … try something different and ask questions when you need to.
“That’s how you can be most successful,” said Ryan.
He also had a way of boosting self confidence, according to Zion McCadd, a rising senior and drum major in the marching band.
“I have learned so much from Mr. Kazin,” said Zion. “Just from being in his band for three years, I’ve learned to be confident in everything I do from leading the band to playing my instrument.
“He also taught me it’s okay to have a little fun!”
Kazin also made an impact on Louise Brady, a band student who also just finished junior year.
“I am beyond grateful to have had him as a teacher, mentor, and dad-joke provider,” said Louise. “I truly couldn’t ask for a better experience and hope he has enough adolescents to tease in his retirement!”
Principal Matt Dugan said Kazin had made a significant impact with his “dedication toward the community and school as a whole.”
But coming to work was no chore for Kazin, both because of his students and the many colleagues who “had my back.” He said he might teach college students in the future and he plans to continue performing.
“I had the best job in the teaching world,” he said. “I was a band director, so I got to grow with my students over four years.
“I loved growing with them.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
