Robinson’s road is paved in black & gold

By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com

Noblesville High School Jazz Band Director Bethany Robinson is moving on, but she’ll still wear black and gold.

Robinson has been appointed to lead the jazz program at Purdue University where she will hold the title of Clinical Assistant Professor of Bands, beginning her appointment on July 1, 2024.

Robinson told The Reporter she applied for the position at Purdue as a way to find out what the procedure would be like when she was ready to move on in another decade, not really believing she’d be selected.

“I absolutely love what I’m doing and where I’m doing it,” Robinson said. “Everything at Noblesville has been so wonderful. I knew that the director from Purdue was retiring. I had seen some advertisements about that and heard from some mutual friends. When Mo Trout did retire, there was a press release that went out to the jazz organization that I’m the past president of, the Indiana Jazz Educators Association.”

There was also an email from the vice president of communications that went out to every jazz director in Indiana, which Robinson said she thought was interesting because that organization is mostly made up of high school band directors.

“I know there’s a history also at Purdue of really great high school band directors going to work at Purdue,” Robinson said. “Jay Gephart, the department chair, used to be at North Central. I actually thought, ‘Well, I don’t know anything about higher ed. So I’m very curious to even just explore if this is something I would want to do maybe in 10 years or something.’ I was a little bit curious just about what life would look like at higher ed versus K through 12.”

Robinson told The Reporter she felt fulfilled at Noblesville but went on with the application as her fact-finding mission.

“I went ahead and threw a resume in and then the process just kept going,” Robinson said. “And then, before you knew it, I was a finalist, and I was actually pretty nervous about that because I didn’t even know if I wanted the position until I went and found out a lot more about it.”

As part of the interview process, Robinson rehearsed one of their top jazz bands. She said it was very similar to what she already does in her current position.

“It’s sort of what I do all the time where I go to schools or I don’t know any of the students and I’m hired to go in and do a master class or a clinic and just have this great experience with one rehearsal with students,” Robinson said. “This was a very fast and furious version of that. I just felt really at home. Once I did that, I thought, ‘Yeah, this is the job. This is what I do every day at Noblesville.’”

That is when she realized she was getting the opportunity to do the things she loves about working at Noblesville, just on a larger scale.

“This could be a really cool thing to continue to build off of what Mo Trout has left in his legacy,” Robinson said.

Robinson said her whole adult life has been in Noblesville since graduating from college.

“I’ve been in that K through 12 music, band, and even choir space: orchestra, guitar, percussion, marching bands, concert band, jazz band, history, theory,” Robinsons said. “Every class from 6 to 12 – I think I’ve had a hand in teaching that over the years. When I started, it was just Stacey White and I. We’re the only two band directors for the entire district of Noblesville. And now there are seven full time band directors at three schools. I’ve seen this district develop in such massive ways.”

Robinson said her growth as an educator took place as the district also grew in professionalism and systems.

“I’m just I’ve always been so proud of the work and the consistency of our district,” Robinson said. “Every time I hear of a friend at a different district who’s not quite as organized or not quite as on a professional level, I’ve just always been so thankful for the ways that Noblesville has grown and developed. This district has also been a huge part of my own development. I am who I am because of this district. I really am eternally grateful for all the things I have learned and the ways I have grown and been able to serve other boards and other music institutions that are on a state or national level. That’s been so wonderful.”

From as far away as Scotland, Robinson has had people come just to see what’s happening in her classroom. She’s been to Australia and will do a three-week residency there this summer because of the things that music teachers do in Noblesville.

“It’s opened up literally the entire world to me,” Robinson said.

Though she is leaving Noblesville Schools and moving on to take a position in higher education at Purdue beginning this summer, the Noblesville Miller and Purdue Pete look quite similar – and Robinson will still wear black and gold.

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About Bethany Robinson

Originally from Kokomo, Ind., Robinson graduated with degrees in music education and string bass from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. In 2011, she received her first Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant and traveled to New Orleans and New York City exploring the current trends of jazz.

In 2014, Robinson was named “Indiana Jazz Educator of the Year” by the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation. In 2015, she was named “Teacher of the Year” for Noblesville Schools. In 2016, she was a semi-finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year. She was named one of the 2022 Jazz Heroes by the Jazz Journalists Association. She was also named the 2023 “High School Music Educator of the Year” by the Indiana Music Educator Association.

Robinson serves as Chair of the National Association for Music Education Jazz Council, Jazz Education Network Liaison Board Member, and is Past President of the Indiana Jazz Educators Association. In 2018, she was a part of the inaugural Indiana Jazz Girls Day, traveling around the state playing bass at concerts and workshops with New York City Musicians Leni Stern, Jamie Baum, and Monika Herzig.

Upon receiving her second Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant, she spent the summer of 2019 exploring the Brazilian cities of Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, taking in the sounds of choro, Bossa nova, and samba while exploring her mother’s childhood home, creating music for her students, and collaborating with local Brazilian musicians.

Robinson has been a featured presenter for music education students at Ball State University, Butler University, Vanderbilt University, for community members at the Center for Performing Arts/Palladium, and has adjudicated several jazz events, including the Benny Golson Jazz Festival at Butler University, the Clark Terry Jazz Festival at Southeast Missouri State University, and the Western Australian Schools’ Jazz Festival.

This December, Robinson will be the Guest Conductor for the 2024 New York All State Jazz Ensemble.