Interview of Eric Anderson

Interview with Eric Anderson

What exactly is your title? Teaching professor ,of music

Do you enjoy your job?
Yes

Do you enjoy working at ARCC? yes

Did you always want to be in music?
I did the usual thinking about jobs as I grew up, but music held an intense interest for me since I was about 14 years old. I decided to pursue music as a career when I was about 15.

Did you always want to teach? If not what did you want to do?
I really love performing, but my first love has always been music education, so yes, I pretty much always wanted to teach

Do or did you play and instruments?
I play several instruments. My primary instrument is the euphonium (baritone horn) it is a valved low brass instrument, like a small tuba. It plays the same note range as a trombone. I also play trombone, I recently have been playing more and more guitar and bass guitar.

How long have you been teaching? I have been teaching for 33 years now. 2 years in a small town called Echo, where I taught grades K through 9 vocal music band and general music. 6 years in Isanti at the middle school where I taught band. 23 years at the Cambridge-Isanti High School where I taught band, music theory/composition and guitar. 2 years at ARCC, where I teach Rock History, Music Appreciation, Music Fundamentals, Guitar class, Guitar Ensemble, and hopefully some day band.

Have you taught at other places?
see above

Has it changed your life at all?( how you treat other young adults that are not your students, your home life...)How?
It is hard to say, I have grown up teaching music, since I was about 21 years old. I am sure I have developed behavioral patterns and attitudes which reflect my involvement with young people, being a teacher, but since that is what I have done all of my adult life I can’t really say how it changed me because I have no point of reference to base a life without this experience off of. As with all of us, we are shaped by our experiences. It is hard to say how we would be changed or shaped differently if those experiences were not there. Does this make sense?

Tell me about yourself, kids, hobbies, family, things you enjoy doing.
I am 54 years old (until Friday), I a married (32 years). I have one daughter who is studying clarinet performance and is in her second year at Concordia College. I like golf, biking, reading, playing music, skiing. Someday I would like to learn how to build guitars

Anything about your life you would change?
not really, except I wish my mom was still alive, it is tough to lose people you love, even though that is inevitable

What is the most rewarding part or your job?
working with students and seeing that “light “ of understanding go on when they suddenly get something new.

What kind of music do you listen too?
I listen to a rather broad range of music, I like rock and blues mostly from the 60s and 70s, like Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Stevie Winwood, Stevie Wonder etc. I like jazz. I listen to a lot of “classical”

Were you ever in a band or orchestra?
I played in school bands through school, including the University of Minnesota Marching band and Wind Ensemble. I currently play in the local community band, and play in a British Style Brass Band called The Lake Wobegon Brass Band

When did you know you wanted to teach music?
There were times when I looked at other things like all young people do, but I really decided to become a music educator when I was about 14 or 15 or so.