“I love playing music… when it’s your job, it can be easy to disconnect from the things you love about it. So I always make sure I set aside time for me to just enjoy the instruments for what they are and not always treat them like they’re a part of my job.” – John O’Shaughnessy
Although new to Muscatine High School, Mr. O’Shaughnessy is not new to the environment of fine arts programs. O’Shaughnessy has carried his love for music throughout his years in school and eventually into his career. Though able to teach and play all percussion instruments, he said,
“I’m probably the most accomplished on the snare drum. I played on the snare line at the University of Iowa, and that is one of my biggest achievements that I’ve accomplished as a musician.”
His path to becoming a band director wasn’t very direct. In school, O’Shaughnessy was also fond of math, taking every class he could. This led to him focusing on accounting throughout college until the end of his fourth year when he began reconsidering.
“I just decided that I didn’t see a means to an end with being an accountant in which I would be happy.”
This was a pivotal point in his career. Close to finishing school, he chose to follow a different path. O’Shaughnessy continued his learning for 4 more years but focused on a different passion. Following his love for music, he intended to become a high school band director. He shares about why he shied away from the idea at first, he said,
“I don’t think that I originally had the patience to teach kids when I was a high schooler, and that turned me away from wanting to study music in college. But after I had walked away from it and become a little older and more mature, I had a new love and appreciation for what it would be like to teach students.
After Mr. O’Shaughnessy switched his degree to music education, he worked consistently and played for both the School of Music and the snare line at the University of Iowa.
Since following a path more suited to his personality, he has worked in different positions involving band. He has worked as a percussion instructor, student teacher, and has been both a junior high and high school band director at once. Finding the middle ground between doing something he had a passion for and progressing in his career brought him a lot of joy. O’Shaughnessy says,
“If you show up and you love what you’re doing every day, then you don’t always feel like you’re at work all day”
Now, at Muscatine High School Mr.Oshaugnessy has a more manageable workload. Both he and Mr. Heid work with students on the marching band’s Corpse Bride show, which they perform at halftime. Learning all of the music and memorizing each of the steps on the field is a major commitment. Each member of the marching band began learning all of this during the week-long band camp in the summer. He says,
“We had a really successful band camp, and I think that we came into the school year in a really good spot, knowing both our music and our drill.”
As the school year kicks off, they continue practicing what they began to learn over the summer. This constant repetition of their music and movement on the field prepares each of the marching band members for performing before varsity football games, during halftime, and against other schools in competition. Mr. O’Shaughnessy shares,
“I would say I’m very satisfied with the rate at which the students have progressed and learned their parts, and I’m also extremely satisfied in the culture that we have in the marching band.”
Along with the iconic band slogan, “attitude is everything,” Mr. O’Shaughnessy prefers a positive environment within the students who participate in the band. His biggest “ick” is putting others down, or “poking fun” at people, even if it’s originally meant to be a joke.
He shares, “I think that even when students or teachers, or just people in general, even when they’re willing to laugh along with those jokes when there’s an ongoing narrative of somebody kind of being picked on for a humorous reason, it will it can very often lead to just negative internal feelings”.
It’s essential for him to uphold a very positive and encouraging character, his goal is to see the same energy within the band members as well. With new music, a new drill, and new members, a key part is uplifting students and urging them to uplift each other.
A common theme that Mr. O’Shaughnessy shows throughout his personality is positivity. Music brings him happiness, which is why he chose to pursue this career. After long days at school, music continues to bring Mr. O’Shaughnessy joy. His passion for music isn’t limited to school grounds, it persists into his personal life and even provides a sense of peace. After school, when he needs a moment to relax, music continues to intertwine with his life
“I play piano for like an hour and a half just to wind down. I don’t practice some type of solo that’s really hard. I just play music that I enjoy listening to because I love music. I love playing music.”
Now that you have a bit more insight on Mr. O’Shaughnessy, take a minute to learn about other new teachers and check out the feature section for more stories.
