Dad's take on education. (Brian Webb 1948-2014)

Sopping wet in the rain, my dad ducked into the nearest building to wait for the storm to subside. He opened the door and entered the American Embassy. While he was waiting, he spotted an advertisement on the bulletin board which told about the music program at Indiana University. My dad was 22 when he left his homeland of New Zealand in 1971 to continue his study in music in Indiana. He arrived in the United States on a student visa, and planned to return to New Zealand once he completed his studies in choral conducting. Forty-two years later, he has become an American citizen, built a successful career, and raised a family in the United States, all because he wanted to get out of the rain.

Brian Webb was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1948.  He was raised in a suburban neighborhood and lived with his parents, one sister and Toby, the family dog. His father was a teacher who later went on to become principal and superintendent. His mother, also a teacher, was a Greek and Latin scholar. Though they were both born in New Zealand, his father was of Irish descent and his mother of British.

The most important thing Brian learned from his parents was the value of hard work, and the importance of getting along with others no matter the situation or environment one is in. A significant cultural and religious influence was his family’s involvement in the Anglican Church. His greatest take-away from this experience was the rich music heritage. This is where his life-long passion for music began.

Brian attended urban schools which averaged about 400 students. On his first day of school, “Standard 1”, he remembers asking children to play with him on the playground. The boys said no, but Brian stayed and played with them anyway. To this day he still remembers the student’s names. He described his classmates as Caucasian, coming from middle-class Protestant families. He recalls very few disabilities or cultural differences among students. He remembered the curriculum and the text books to be very similar to what one would find in the United States. Students were assessed by administered tests and quizzes and would receive a letter grade or a comment ranging from poor to excellent. He described his teachers as “generally very good”. There was a “mixture” of teachers who were genuinely interested in their students and those who were not. He experienced a wide range of teachers in his schooling. He also commented that “Today, in this country many of them would not have been able to keep their jobs for as long as they did then because of their [lack of] devotion to their students.” His favorite teachers were ones who “pushed him to look at learning in different ways”. He spoke of one teacher in particular who motivated his interest in history by having him learn about recent history in New Zealand. After the project with that teacher, history became one of his favorite subjects.  A proud moment for Brian in his schooling was winning the “class prize”.

Brian was a well-rounded student. He began piano and violin at a very young age. His music activities in school included choir and playing in the orchestra. He also played on the rugby and cricket teams. One of his biggest accomplishments in high school was making the “first eleven” (similar to varsity) cricket team. Brian later went on to coach women’s rugby at the college level as part of his teaching in the United States.

Brian’s formal education included a PhD in choral conducting from Indiana University. He did his undergraduate work in at the University of Auckland.  The most important lesson he learned outside the classroom is the importance of positive interactions with other people in any situation. He attributes this lesson to his experience in conducting.  Brian thinks that the role of education is to assist individuals in becoming better and more productive citizens.

Brian’s dream of a career in music started at a very young age. He knew he wanted to be a conductor at 6 years old. By the time he was 15, he also wanted to be a high school music teacher. He studied the violin and piano then eventually took on the organ.  After completing his undergraduate work at The University of Auckland, and his PhD at Indiana University, Brian was given the opportunity to take a job in Vermont, teaching at Norwich University. The man stepping down from the position also conducted the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra as well as being Organist and Choir Master in an Episcopal church in Montpelier. After he figured out that Vermont was indeed a state, and not a city, Brian gladly accepted all three positions. He also conducted a local community chorus, where he would meet his future wife Nancy.

After years of being a professor of music, Brian’s institution cut the Philosophy, Religion and Fine Arts Departments and laid off a number of faculty members connected with these programs. At this point, Brian had to decide whether he wanted to continue his career in music education by seeking another music faculty position elsewhere, or if he was going to join with fellow employees and seek legal action to remain with the same institution. Though a career in music education is what Brian had worked for, and music was his true passion, he now had a young family to support and a good environment for his children to continue in school. Brian ultimately decided to continue with his fellow faculty, and the university was forced to offer them new positions. Brian’s position was in administration in the Bachelor of Arts program.

Brian was most recently Associate Dean of MA/BA at Union Institute and University, in addition to organist and choir master at Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier, Vermont. Doing the best that he can for students, and the University, was the most important aspect of his job.  Being a musician has taught him a lot about adult responsibilities.   He stated, “You have no choice but to conduct activities, no matter what the circumstances”.  Schooling gave him the basis for his work in music, and conducting activities gave him an excellent basis for his administration work in higher education.

This was an interview piece I did with my dad a couple of years ago. Since he passed away this fall, I have been reflecting on his values in education as I finish up my own college career and look forward to teaching in the near future. I am heartbroken that dad will not be her to see me accomplish my goals, but I am grateful for this piece of writing, and refer to it often. I thought it would be nice to include some of dad here.