Gallup Middle School band teacher tackles her second year
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
Each month, the Sun recognizes a local teacher for his or her determination to help students go above and beyond. Anyone can nominate a teacher by emailing the Sun at gallupsunreporters@gmail.com and providing the teacher’s name, where they teach, and why they should be selected as that month’s winner.
This month’s award went to Reganne Dunlop, the Gallup Middle School band teacher.
FINDING HER PASSION FOR MUSIC
Growing up, Dunlop always wanted to work for NASA. But when she graduated high school, she realized that her favorite part about middle and high school had been band. So she switched her major to music education.
“I had an epiphany my senior year of high school where I was like ‘I don’t want to give this up,’ because it was my favorite part about school,” she said. “I looked forward to it every single day. “I wanted to give kids the same opportunity I got, so I changed my major and applied to different colleges for music education.”
She grew up in Columbus, Ohio and played trombone and baritone in her high school band. Her small private college didn’t have a marching band, so she joined one of the most prestigious drum corps groups in the nation, The Phantom Regiment. She performed with the Regiment during her college summers and eventually aged out at 22.
After college, Dunlop stumbled upon Gallup when the Gallup Middle School principal at the time, Lindsey Mingus, reached out to her college. She’d emailed the college saying that Gallup Middle School was looking for band and choir teachers. Dunlop jumped at the chance.
“I had wanted to kind of get away for a little bit and move away to experience different things,” she explained. “I thought it was a cool opportunity, so I went for it.”
In an interview with the Sun, Mingus explained why she hired Dunlop.
“Her very bubbly personality was something that we were looking for,” she said. “Having an arts program is very important to me, and I think music education is so important. Gallup Mid has traditionally had a thriving band and choir program, and so after COVID we really had to build that back up. She’s done a fantastic job building up the program again.”
Mingus also took time to explain why she believes music education is important.
“As a former band student, I see and know the value of having those experiences, and I think all students should have to take band or music class,” she said. “A lot of the time once they’re in they stay because they love it. It’s another creative outlet for kids, and it keeps them involved.”
Dunlop is now in the middle of her second year of teaching at Gallup Middle School. She said her favorite part about teaching is interacting with the kids.
“I think my favorite part is the relationships I’ve built with the students,” she said. “It makes the job a lot more fun when I can connect with them. Kids come up to me after class and talk about their lives or joke around with me. … It makes me feel like I’m doing more than just teaching them.”
THE DOWNSIDE OF MUSIC EDUCATION
While teaching music is definitely Dunlop’s passion, she says it’s not always easy.
As more and more schools defund their arts programs, teachers often have to fight to keep their programs running.
When the largest source of funding for public schools comes from property taxes, budget cuts often have to be made, and art programs are the first to go.
But music programs have a multitude of benefits for students.
Music enriches children’s lives, promotes cultural awareness, creates social bonds, and teaches kids about responsibility and self-discipline.
Dunlop said her school’s administration has been very supportive of the band program.
When she took over the band program last year, she was left with multiple broken instruments. She took responsibility for trying to get them fixed for the students.
“I took a lot of time personally to try and fix the instruments that I could, but there are some things that I just can’t do by myself,” Dunlop said.
She asked her administration if she could send the broken instruments to a music store in Albuquerque, and they approved her request. It cost the school over $3,000 to fix the instruments.
This year, when Dunlop realized she was going to have more students in her classroom than available instruments, she went to her principal and asked for help.
“I said ‘I have kids just sitting in class not doing anything because I don’t have instruments for them,’” Dunlop said.
That convinced the administration, and they reached out to Tohatchi Middle School, which no longer has a band program. Tohatchi happily gave Dunlop some extra instruments, and the problem was solved.
But there are other problems besides getting funding and having enough equipment. Dunlop said one of the hardest parts about her job is getting the kids engaged in music.
In middle school, kids list their top picks for electives such as P.E., choir, band, woodworking, or metalworking. With limited class options and a large population of students, not every student gets their first choice for electives.
Some students who didn’t want to be in band get put in Dunlop’s class, and her job is to get them engaged in the class. She said this can prove to be a challenge.
“[Band is] such a group effort, and you really have to rely on everyone participating and being engaged,” she said. “If there are kids who aren’t engaged it’s going to bring the entire ensemble down.”
GETTING THROUGH HER FIRST YEAR
Dunlop said getting through her first year of teaching was challenging.
“Last year I really thought I wasn’t going to make it, and I was always thinking to myself ‘I don’t think I’m doing anything right, I’m doing a terrible job’ which is definitely not true, and it’s just a huge learning curve your first year,” she said. “First year teaching is always gonna be the worst, because I came back this year and I was like ‘OK, I kind of know what I’m doing.’”
But when a band director can’t simply turn to their other band directors in the school they’re teaching at, where can they turn?
Dunlop said she relied on other teachers, including her high school and college band teachers, helped her.
She also became a part of the New Mexico Music Educators Association.
Cody Jackson is the northeast region’s district president of the NMMEA. He said he immediately wanted to help Dunlop when her name came across his email.
“I wanted to make sure I put my foot out there and said ‘Hey, if you need anything, ask questions, there’s no wrong questions to be asked when you’re a new teacher because you just need to know,’” he said. “I wanted to be that person for her if she wanted to take me up on it.”
Jackson gave Dunlop some method books, which are like a band’s version of textbooks. He also provided her with some snare drums when Gallup Middle School needed more instruments.
He said the biggest piece of advice he’s given Dunlop is to live each day one day at a time.
“The biggest thing I think I’ve told her is ‘You’ve just got to take it one day at a time,’” he said. “Every day is a new day, and every day is a new slate with kids. What didn’t work one day will work better the next day. You’ve got to experiment and try new things all the time.”
