Life and Work with Sandi Wilson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandi Wilson.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My journey began at age four when I first picked up a violin. I instantly fell in love with music and knew that this would be what my life centered around from that moment forward. Within the first year I picked up violin, I also began developing a passion for singing, acting, and dancing. I began singing in children’s choirs and performing in children’s theatre productions. By the third grade, I announced to my family that “I would be a music teacher when I grew up and that was final”. Fortunately, my parents were extremely supportive and told me that “as long as I was doing what I loved, they were happy”. From that moment forward, every choice I made, every job I took, was with the intention of being the best music teacher there was. I was very lucky to have one of the most impressive and supportive mentors I could have ever asked for in Dr. Lynda Pickney in high school and college who helped mold me into the educator and person I am today.

After a couple years of teaching at a small private school, I landed a position at my dream school in which I was not only able to build a music program from grades 4-12, but I was also able to incorporate my skills in dance, theatre, and athletics. In my four years at this school, I developed and supported a music program and curriculum accessible to grades 4-12, a cheerleading program for grades 6-12, a highly acclaimed high school A Cappella group who have performed at professional sports arenas, and NCAA division one schools around the state, helped develop and support a musical theatre program, and helped develop and support a multicultural heritage festival open to the community as well as the students. I was fortunate enough to have been nominated for the Music Educators Grammy Award by my amazing community and students. I felt so loved, honored, and humbled, but mostly I felt pride. Pride in knowing that I was living my dream and clearly doing something right. While working at this school, I loved what I was doing, the people I worked with, the students I taught and their families, but I felt like I was missing something. I had always wanted to explore more than North Carolina and my dream was to live in Colorado. I knew one day I would end up out here but I just didn’t know when.

After my fourth year, I began digging a little deeper into jobs out in Colorado, within the first week of my search I found a school in need of a music teacher. Not thinking I would hear anything right away, I applied for the position and within the week I was hired. At that point, I had 13 days to report to Colorado for my first day of work. I said goodbye to everyone and everything I had ever known, packed up 27 years of my life into a Penske truck, and headed west. When I arrived, I was terrified and excited all at the same time. I had never lived more than 30 mins from any member of my family nor had I lived anywhere other than my home town in North Carolina. I didn’t know a soul out here but I knew this is where I was meant to be. A few days into my new job, I met the love of my life, now my husband, Kyle. I was so happy to have someone here I could connect with and explore this amazing state with. After about a year and a half, I was offered a position at my current school teaching choir for grades 6-12. I was not going to pass up this opportunity and I took the job. When I came into this program it was already fairly strong but the numbers were pretty low. I wanted to have a monster choir that would blow people away.

When I first started in my current program my high school choir had 32 students and my middle school combined choir had about 57 students. In my first six months, our numbers in choir doubled and I was even honored enough to be nominated again for the Music Educator Grammy Award by my students. Since then, I have increased our numbers to a total 250 students in choir grades 6-12 and have been so grateful to have expanded the choral program by increasing the amount of ensembles we have in the choral department to give more opportunities to students perusing choral education. I am so grateful to my parents, all the mentors I have had, my colleagues, and my students for helping me become the educator I am today. I know that in my eleven years I have accomplished so much and have helped develop love and passion for music in so many students. I feel so blessed to be not only living my dream but to have to so many opportunities here in Colorado to grow and seek new horizons.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have had a pretty tough road getting to where I am now. I have unfortunately worked with many people who have tried to put me down based on the fact that I am a woman, for my beliefs, and/or for being “just a music teacher”. I have had to deal with sexual harassment from co-workers and superiors. I have seen justice served to those who do wrong and have also seen it swept under the rug. I have had to look the people who have have tried to put me down and tried to keep me down in the eye and tell them what they are doing is wrong, and it was terrifying. I have had to let people know that I am not someone they can treat poorly or push aside. I have faced many adversities in my life and career but I have NEVER let them stop me. The best advice I can give, especially to young women, is to not let ANYONE keep you down. There are always going to be haters and negative people out there; however, if you hold yourself in high esteem, let those people know they they will NOT make you feel inferior to them, and always hold true to your values and ethics, you will be respected, happy, and strong.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
In a world where arts education is undervalued and underappreciated, my specialty is to create a classroom filled with love, exploration, and passion for music and the arts. I am known to many as the “Music Mama” for my ability to connect with students and people in general. On a daily basis I respond more to “mama” than Mrs. Wilson because my students know that I have not only a passion for music but for them as people and what they are doing in their daily lives. I have done some pretty wonderful things in my career. I have taken my students and myself to new heights, and given them opportunities they may never would have dreamed possible. While I am very grateful for my awards, accolades, and recognition for my work over the years, none of that would have been possible if my students didn’t believe in what I was doing and what they were doing. None of them would have “bought in” had I not been myself and shared my true love and passion for music with them. In my classes, I offer students an opportunity to try new things on their own, to do more project based learning guided by me but driven by them. I have seen students who were in tears on stage with an ensemble their first years blossom into their own and perform solos on stage for hundreds. I have managed to stay in touch with almost every student I have taught over the last eleven years. I have watched them grow into adults, attended their weddings, held their newborn children, and continue to support them as they grow and continue through their own journeys. I think what sets me a part from others is my passion and love for not just education, but for my students and the people that they are, because they are my family and always will be.

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I was very fortunate growing up to have extremely open-minded and supportive parents. They never discouraged me from pursuing my dreams and my passions. They worked extra shifts, used every extra cent they had, just to put my sister and I in programs that would develop our skills and harness our love for the arts. They knew that these were the things that were important to us and that these opportunities would introduce us to new and important people, new skills, and encourage us to continue challenging ourselves. Because of them, I have been able to meet and perform with incredible musicians from around the world, been able to travel to places and perform with ensembles I never dreamed I would get to play with. These early experiences taught me how to learn from others and not be scared to try new things, even if you aren’t great at them in that moment. My perseverance and drive developed in my early years of music education because my parents wouldn’t let me quit. They wouldn’t let me back down from a challenge because they knew I could do it. I thank them every day for all the things that they gave me and for raising me to always push myself to be the best I can be at whatever it is I am doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.youtube.com/user/SandiRooWho
• Phone: 719-822-4612
• Email: violynne17@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Patrick Braxton-Andrews, Christy Dickinson-Davis, Chris Coutinho

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