A Passion for Music

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VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

Alan Posner

A Passion for Music

Meet Bloomfield Hills High School band director Alan Posner.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Since fourth grade, Alan Posner has played the saxophone. The band director at Bloomfield Hills High School, who has been teaching for 13 years, was inspired by his own band director growing up, who encouraged him to pick up the art of teaching music.

Posner, 35, of Berkley, says music was a no-brainer when it came to his career. “I really just love playing,” he explains. “Both playing and teaching was something that came really naturally to me, and sharing my love and passion for music was important to me.”

As a lifelong member of Temple Beth El, Posner shares a passion for Jewish music that was instilled in him at an early age through Jewish culture and traditions. In addition to his day job at Bloomfield Hills High School, Posner was a founding member of the Kidz Klez Band of Michigan, directed by the late Cantor Stephen Dubov.

He’s also music director of Michigan-based klezmer band Klezundheit (Bless You!), which will be playing at the local Klezmer Folk-Fest on May 22 at the Society for Humanistic Judaism in Farmington. Klezmer bands play traditional instrumental music of Ashkenazi Jews, a sound Posner enjoys.

A LIFE OF MUSIC

Raised in West Bloomfield, Posner is no stranger to music education at Bloomfield Hills schools. He attended its band program and later received an undergraduate degree in instrumental music education from the University of Michigan, followed by a master’s degree in instrumental conducting from Oakland University.

Before his role at Bloomfield Hills High School, Posner spent three years at Suttons Bay, Mich., just north of Traverse City, where he participated in the small congregation at Temple Beth El playing music. After moving back to Metro Detroit, Posner taught at Berkley schools for four years before accepting the band director job in Bloomfield Hills.

Now in his seventh year of teaching at Bloomfield Hills High School, Posner has become a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to music education. Although his primary instrument is saxophone, Posner can play all wind instruments to what he calls “varying levels of success.”

Throughout the school year, he teaches some 170 students at Bloomfield Hills High School who are enrolled in the band program, who range from freshman to senior.

“I teach three different concert bands here,” Posner says. “I also teach jazz band outside of the school day.” In addition, he teaches an introductory guitar and ukulele class, plus a music technology class that works with music on computers.

DETAILS

The Klezmer Folk-Fest takes place at 3 p.m. May 22 at the Society for Humanistic Judaism in Farmington. A donation of $20-$30 is suggested. For more information, contact Melanie at mdg0906@gmail.com or (248) 417-6573.

OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES

With teaching such a wide variety of classes, Posner says the biggest challenge is simply managing time. “There’s only so much time in a day,” he says, “and I’m trying to make sure I’m doing the best for all of my students.”

Navigating the pandemic has