Retired Reflections

Jay Wucher with Dr. Diane Woodard

It is a true pleasure to share the story of one of GMEA’s most respected and revered members, Diane Woodard. For over fifty years, Diane has been contributing to the growth of music education in our state with her expertise in the classroom and her leadership in GMEA. I hope you enjoy reading about Diane in her own words.

-Jay Wucher, Retired Members Chair

Where did you grow up and go to school?

I grew up in Milledgeville, Georgia. We moved there when I was seven. I attended Peabody Elementary School, the Lab School of GSCW/Women’s College of GA/GA College from third through seventh grade. I had fantastic teachers. This being a lab school, we had student teachers from the college. We had music at least three days a week, high-quality academics, music events, and special programs. In third grade, I was selected to be a private piano student for one of the college students who planned to go into private lesson teaching. This was one factor that led me to a life-long passion for music. I attended Baldwin High School from eighth through twelfth grade. My chorus teacher in eighth grade was Dorothy Noah, Dr. Max Noah’s wife. Dr. Noah was instrumental in the creation of GMEA. Mrs. Noah was also one of the eighth-grade math teachers. She was an absolute whiz at teaching and a great personality that appealed to a bunch of fidgeting eighth graders. We loved her.

Tell us anything you would like for us to know about your interests beyond music (friends, family, hobbies…)

Many of my close friends are still in the music field or the arts. A lot of colleagues are from GMEA and the Galloway School. I retired just before the pandemic and was doing some substitute teaching at Galloway. When Covid hit and the world locked down, that all changed. My focus turned to needlework. I love counted cross stitch and, at the time, had a very dear friend who was pregnant with twins. I made two identical Beatrix Potter baby samplers for her identical twins. The samplers now hang over the girls’ beds. My other love is the Atlanta Symphony Chorus, of which I have been a member for 40 years. The chorus is all volunteer. It is such an honor and privilege to be a part of this group. I volunteer 140 hours a year with rehearsals and concerts. It is my second family.

I also read a lot and I go to the gym, or try to, three days a week. I love to cook, and Bruce and I travel several times a year to the beach and to visit family. We are hoping to travel to Europe to visit friends next fall.

Why did you choose teaching music as a profession?

With the instruction I received at Peabody, I knew that I wanted to be a life-long learner in the field of music. I studied piano from third through twelfth grade and then all four years of college during my music education major. I wanted to be a choral conductor and was one of the first students to be allowed to student teach outside of the GC music department. I was assigned to Babb Jr. High School in Forest Park in the Clayton County School System. My supervising teacher decided not to return the next year, so I was given the job as choral director for the following year on the second day of my student teaching experience- my first teaching position. I was thrilled. It was a great school with a wonderful principal. The program was small and included general music. I had a great opportunity to build the program and make it my own, so I did just that. The school was unique in that we had only two grades with a total of 800 students in the school community. In two years, I had over 250 students in the choral program. The band also had many students. To accommodate all the students who wanted music, our principal would schedule the band and chorus classes first and then schedule the rest of the school around the music classes, a unique method that showed a respect for the importance for arts in education. We worked hard to show appreciation for this dividend.

Where did you work up until you retired from full time teaching?

I taught junior high and high school choral music in Clayton County for 31 years and retired. Then, I failed retirement and spent a year as a long-term substitute in the music department at Woodward Academy. It was during this year that I discovered that I really wanted to continue teaching but in a private school environment. There was a job opening at The Galloway School. I applied and was hired.

I taught at the Galloway School, a small private school in Chastain Park in Atlanta, the last 16 years of my career. It was so much fun! I had a beautiful new fine arts building in which to teach with a gorgeous theatre with a full stage and black box theatre. I also had one of the faculty members to accompany my concerts. I had all new equipment and a large budget. The parents and students were fantastic, and the administration was very supportive. The arts faculty was a group of amazing, talented folks in their respective fields. We all worked closely with each other.

One of the perks at Galloway was the ability to travel with my choral groups. We performed in Carnegie Hall on four separate occasions and performed at the Vienna Advent Sing on three occasions. I had the privilege to conduct in Carnegie Hall for two of those concerts.

Since retiring from teaching full time what have you been doing?

I guess I will have to be honest about this. Whatever I want to do. It is such a luxury to be able to get up in the morning and choose to get dressed or not. I taught for 48 years, most of which, I thoroughly enjoyed. I got up every morning and went to school and did my job. Being able to now get up when I want and do what I want is fabulous. I am on my own clock.

What advice do you have for those who are considering becoming music teachers?

Make sure this is what you really want to do. It can be tough. The first two years of teaching were the hardest I have ever spent doing anything. If you find someone who will be a mentor to you, jump at the chance. I had two great ones.

When you are given a job in the music field, it is up to you to make that program your own. It may need to be rebuilt. It may just need to be maintained. Whatever the case, it is up to you to take the program to the next level. Imprint yourself. Carry it forward. Rebuilding can be fun. It will be your own program. I did this at the junior high school in which I started. Then I moved to a high school where there was a tradition of a strong program, but it had dwindled, so rebuilding was my next move. When I went to Galloway, there was no choral program, so I had full control of what I wanted to do. Such fun!

I always tried to find something each year for my students to work towards-a special concert, a trip, anything to give them a reason to stay in chorus. It worked. We had trips with concerts included to wonderful places-New York, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe. I feel very fortunate to have been able to provide my students with these opportunities.

What advice do you have for those who are retired or are about to retire from teaching music?

Have a plan. Make a bucket list of the things you did not have time to do and see how many of them you can realize. Don’t spend time thinking “what if?”. Make sure your finances are in order. If you aren’t ready to completely retire, find something fun to do. Make sure it is something you want to do and enjoy it. You deserve it!

Please feel free to add anything else you would like us to know.

My involvement in GMEA has meant the world to me and my professional growth as a music educator and a choral director. Being a member inspired me to push myself to perform at conferences and become involved with activities and events within the organization. I performed on 5 different occasions at GMEA conferences and one MENC Southern Division convention, and many events in and around the Atlanta area. I had large numbers of students in the all-state choruses. GMEA has given me many opportunities for leadership positions. I served as president of the organization, state choral chair, region all-state chair and head judge for LGPE. I was also an organizer for the all-state choruses and hosted all-state auditions and LGPE events. In addition to GMEA, I am also a member of ACDA. My choruses have performed at two southern division conventions and as an interest session choir at a national convention.

I never stopped pushing my choral groups to excel. I have traveled extensively with my choral groups in Europe. My last year of teaching we performed in Carnegie Hall which was an adjudicated invitation. Throughout my career, I was always looking for meaningful musical experiences in which my students could be involved. This is what kept me going because that is what makes teaching fun.