Questions and answers with Marty Sirvatka

Though officially single, Marty Sirvatka didn’t lack companionship in three decades at Glenbrook South as choir director and Fine Arts instructional supervisor.”As I tell my friends, I kind of married my job, and I had a lot of time for my work and my kids,” said Sirvatka, who retired from teaching full-time in 2016.His impact as an instructor was multifold, and continues in high school clinics and as a supervisor of student teachers within Northwestern University’s music education department.One of Sirvatka’s former students, Rob Shellard, directs Glenbrook South’s choir; other former students perform in Imprints, a performance group Sirvatka started in 2017 that raises funds for charity.He was voted Glenbrook South Distinguished Teacher of the Year in 2007. The next year, Glenbrook South was named the 2008 National Grammy Signature School for its music department. In 2016, Sirvatka was among three Illinois educators to earn the Mary Hoffman Award of Excellence.Born in Glen Ellyn and a 1975 graduate of Glenbard South High School, Sirvatka majored in music education with an emphasis in clarinet at the University of Illinois. Starting in education in 1979 as a student teacher at Glenbard North in Carol Stream, from 1985-94 Sirvatka was Leyden’s choir and orchestra director. In the summer of 1994 he arrived at Glenbrook South as full-time choir director. An Arlington Heights resident, Sirvatka fields a steady stream of invitations to serve as guest conductor at music festivals.”I like to do that. I get to go in, do my thing, and go home,” he said.After speaking with Sirvatka, the Herald sent him several questions via email. His responses, edited for length, follow. Herald: What are you up to nowadays?Sirvatka: I am embracing retirement, which for me, does not mean playing more golf and binging on a Netflix show, although I am partial to the new “Lost in Space” sci-fi series.What I am doing is enjoying making choices about what to do each week. And some of the choices are so rewarding — I like refinishing furniture, writing vocal arrangements, gardening, guest conducting at various clinics and festivals in the Chicago area, and spending time with my still-healthy parents and family. I am never bored, and I make sure I have an occasional do-nothing day.Herald: What was more satisfying, being named Glenbrook South Teacher of the Year in 2007, or the music program winning a Grammy Award in 2008?Sirvatka: I was incredibly honored to have won the Teacher of the Year Award, especially knowing I was nominated by students, with a large amount of input from them helping to decide the winner.But I was a part of a phenomenal team at GBS, and the Grammy Award recognized and celebrated the accomplishments of all of the music teachers. I truly am more happy when others receive accolades and honor. That award was a “look at what we all did” and “look at what we all have” moment, and the students were equally involved in the successes of the department. It doesn’t get much better than that!Herald: How has music education changed since you were a student?Sirvatka: I think that question deserves a 3-part answer.In some ways, it hasn’t changed: Great teachers teach great students and give them experience performing and learning about great music. Great music lasts and will never change, and young students will unfailingly respond physically, emotionally and spiritually to its beauty and ability to endure.