NOTES ALONG THE
Corridor
by RICK REILEY
KEEPING OUR DISTANCE
with MR. GREEN (and others) Things are sure different today, aren’t they? What a difference a day, week or month makes! In a season when I like to visit and write about upcoming events, festivals, concerts and assorted musical outings, this virus business has left its mark. There’s little that has been left untouched in the way we live our lives, earn our livings and enjoy our days and nights. The live music business, like many businesses, has come to a screeching halt for the time being. Live performance has taken a sudden, jarring shift now since clubs, restaurants, bars and even churches have been closed altogether or moved online into the virtual world. It’s also affected school systems. In a big way. Mr. Tom Green is an educator. A music teacher in the Cushing school system. I’ve seen him in action. He’s energizing, fun, and the kids love the music he brings to life and passes along to them. I wanted to know more about him, how he came to be a music teacher and how he’s dealing with classes moving to a strictly, for now, online format. So I asked. It seems that Tom Green was born in Watertown, South Dakota in 1972. He’s the 2nd oldest of four – two boys, two girls. His father passed away some time ago. His mother still lives in South Dakota. He said his family was very influential in instilling a love of music. Both mother and father graduated from the University of South Dakota with music degrees. And he followed in their footsteps. 28 THE CORRIDOR MAGAZINE / MAY 2020
SInging in church and choirs were a big part of their family life. They all play instruments. RR: Was your family influential in the area of music? TG: Yes, very much. My parents both graduated with a music degree from the University of South Dakota as did I. We all love to sing in school and church choirs. We all can play certain instruments. He said, “I realized at a very young age that music was going to be a valuable part of my life because I was selected to be the main singer in a church Christmas program. A few solos at age eight makes you grow quickly in that area! “I have been in Band since 5th grade where I played the trumpet and started singing in contests and in choir since Kindergarten. I was always influenced and encouraged to do my best by my parents and siblings. I auditioned in high school and was selected to four years of All-State Chorus. I knew there was a calling into music at that time. My parents were teachers and I was determined, once again, to do my best. At the University of South Dakota, my focus and goal was always to be a music teacher.”
