Faculty Spotlight - Matt Pisarcik

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: MATTHEW PISARCIK

FOR BL’S BAND CONDUCTOR, THE BEAT GOES ON

By Alex Barron

Music may be his academic discipline, but the music doesn’t stop when Matt Pisarcik leaves school for the day. It’s no exaggeration to say that his life is devoted to teaching, playing and performing music. Between classes, he tirelessly practices his trumpet, going over the same scales, riffs, and tricky passages again and again. When the school day ends, he’s usually off to rehearsal or a gig with one of four big bands. Summertime is for more of the same, along with an occasional special program, like “Jazz in the Mountains,” a week-long camp he attended in Killington, Vermont this past August.

While proficient in several instruments, including drums, Matt’s first love is trumpet: “It owns my life,” he says with a laugh. During the school year, he regularly plays lead trumpet in four different bands including the Shades of Blue Orchestra and the Bayside Big Band. Last February he performed with another group, the Hank Entwisle Band, at Baltimore’s Hippodrome. After having sat in the audience there for a good number of shows, it was his first time on stage. Looking back on it now, he easily ranks it among his most memorable gigs.

As he enters his eighth year at the helm of BL’s thriving instrumental music program, Mr. Pisarcik is proud of what he has accomplished. He directs several middle and upper school groups, including Jazz Workshop and Jazz Ensemble and also teaches lower school band. At the heart of his educational philosophy is a deep belief that music can be a powerful form of self-expression. For that reason, he encourages his students to improvise, rather than simply playing the notes on the page.

“I think improvisation is such an important skill to have as a musician,” he says, “I want them to really express themselves. I want them to play from their hearts.” For some students, such musical freedom can be initially frightening. It’s not always easy to take a solo, knowing that all ears are listening to you. But to Mr. Pisarcik, persevering through the challenges of improvisation is an important piece of character education. Messing up, he says, is inevitable - but the reaction to such mistakes is crucial. “Do we hang up the instrument because of mistakes or do we persevere and work through the tough passages?” he asks.

Students like Cooper Grabowski ‘25, who plays alto saxophone in the upper school Jazz band, are fiercely committed to developing their craft, thanks in no small part to the positive tone set by Mr. Pisarcik. “He really just spreads infectious positivity through his entire classroom,” Cooper says, “And that makes him the best band director I have ever had.

For his part, Matt looks forward to a full school year free from the challenges of the pandemic. “Personally, I just want to get as many kids playing as I can,” he says, “I’m looking forward to getting back to normal and getting more ears and more brains involved in music.”

Undoubtedly, the tunes will continue to flow through Mr. Pisarcik’s own ears and brain both during the school day, and after.