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05/24/2017 12:00 AMIn many ways, John Gage’s musical journey has come full circle. The Daniel Hand High School band director was inspired to pursue music at about the same age as his youngest pupils.
Growing up in the metro Detroit area, John Gage discovered his passion for music, percussion, and performance after the Central Michigan University percussion ensemble performed at his school when he was in the 9th grade. He went on to earn a bachelor’s in music education and a master’s in music performance at Central Michigan University.
John eventually became the director of the high school percussion camp at the university. In 2001, a friend who was studying at Yale asked him to move to Connecticut to start a percussion group and John moved to the area.
“Being the director of the camp turned me on to teaching that level of musicianship,” says John, who credits his parents for supporting him over the years. “My dad plays the drums and my mom plays the piano and sings. They always encouraged me to follow my passion and become a professional percussionist.
John taught 6th graders at Brown and 4th- and 5th-graders at Jeffrey for a few years before taking time off to pursue starting a percussion group in Brooklyn. After a short time, he moved back to Connecticut and worked at The Country School.
“I realized I felt I belonged here on the Connecticut shoreline teaching,” says John. “Since the first week I came to Madison in August 2001, the people from the school, the students, and the parents have been accepting and supportive. They’ve been a pleasure to work with.
“I fell in love with Madison and the kids here,” adds John, who now lives in Old Saybrook with his family. “I also met my wife, Heather, who is very supportive, and we have two children, Julian and Evelyn, who both love to sing.”
For the past seven years, John has worked at Hand High School as the band director. He directs more than 200 kids who participate in the marching band, two concert bands, symphonic band, jazz band, and pit orchestra for the spring musical. He also teaches music theory and piano courses.
In addition to working with the bands and his classes throughout the day, John also plans several special events throughout the year, including marching in the Memorial Day parade, concerts, field trips, and a trip to Walt Disney World every four years. This year was John’s second trip, though the Hand band has been making the trip every four years since the late 1970s.
“I carried on the [Disney trip] tradition and will continue to do so because the kids get a lot out of it—it’s a great experience for them to put together a performance of that caliber,” says John. “The park was at capacity the day we marched, so it’s impressive to perform for that kind of crowd with 60,000 in the park that day.”
While the band may only be in Disney for a few days, John notes that it is a two-year planning process and handling the travel logistics of 200 high school students is definitely the “hardest part.” Over the years, the band and the Hand Music Boosters work to put on different fundraisers to offset the cost of the trip.
“I have a lot of help and it’s a real team effort,” says John. “We are well supported through the district for our programs, but because we do a lot of supplemental things like Disney and New Orleans that aren’t funded by district, the boosters help us with those. It’s been really successful and last year’s Music on the Farm event helped a lot of kids be able to go to Disney. It’s really great because they know it’s a tradition that’s been passed down and a lot of the kids have said it’s the best part of their time at Hand.”
John sees the benefit in the trip so much that he wants to add even more experiences in the future. The jazz band often performs at various community events and also plays in New York City. He is also working on details for a trip to New Orleans in 2019.
The community has seen the impact John and his programs have had on the school and the students in the program. Cynthia Dreier has seen the impact he has had on students firsthand as her daughter plays in the band and participated in the Disney trip.
“As a band parent, I’ve been incredibly impressed with the way he has created such a fun and rewarding program for the kids,” says Dreirer. “Aside from his musical talents and wonderful personality, I attribute much of that to the environment of teamwork and collegiality he has fostered with his counterpart at Polson School [John Leonard]. Together they have created a seamless transition for the band kids moving from junior high to high school.”
John is equally impressed with the students he works with. Each of his concert bands has about 90 students and John notes that for many of them, their remaining five periods are filled with “high-powered academic courses.”
“We work hard and rehearse daily, but it enriches and enhances that experience for them,” says John. “A lot of kids have told me they really look forward to band each day because it’s not from a textbook. Band is their refuge, a safe spot for them socially and artistically where they can feel free to be themselves.”
Outside of school, John just began to coach his son’s Little League team. He also enjoys playing tennis, reading, and spending time with his family, but playing music is still his favorite thing to do, whether at work or at home.
“I was just talking to my 9th- and 10th-grade band students about how I don’t tell them enough how much I enjoy working with them,” says John. “They’re attentive, they rise to the expectations I set for them, and they love playing for me and each other. It’s a labor of love and they are nice young people I get to work with every day. At the end of two weeks, when I get paid, that’s just a bonus.”
For information on the Daniel Hand High School bands or fundraisers, contact John Gage at gagej@madison.k12.ct.us.