Jason Shiuan, the music director at Saratoga High School, is this year’s recipient of the California Music Educators Association’s Byron Hoyt/Don Schmeer Band Educator of the Year award. Congratulations!
After several emails and calendar checks, I caught up with Shiuan on the SHS campus. I quickly learned of his dedication and enormous positive impact with students who have been fortunate enough to be in his classes. Shiuan is an alumnus of SHS, and his love of music began early.
At the beautiful SHS campus I met up with Takako Hasegawa, who unofficially is the “mother” of the department. Hasegawa started out as a music booster parent and Shiuan was a student.
Hasegawa now seems to be everywhere at once and knew just when I might get a few minutes with Shiuan. “Hard worker and skilled musically, motivating the students as his first priority,” she offered as an evaluation of his talent in working so successfully with so many students.
Between classes with Shiuan, I learned of his love of music and how easily he is able to transmit this to his students, from band to pit orchestra.
As his early education was within this school district, his love of music was imprinted and nurtured early; he is now able to give back.
The orchestra students are preparing to head to Atlanta soon, so this was a quick conversation.
“I started with saxophone, then tuba but then back to saxophone, playing piano when there were piano parts. This was here with Mr. Michael Boitz, graduating SHS in 2011,” Shiuan said. “I majored in music education with saxophone performance, also with some marketing, graduating from Northwestern in 2015.”
From Boitz, Shiuan learned “how to get ownership from the students, give them a say. I think that too often teenagers get underestimated. Boitz taught me you can do that, empowering the student, being part of it. And this is how I teach.”
Too soon my time was up with this remarkable music man. I thanked him, knowing that this will not be the last time that I interview him.
