Justin Kennedy shares his passion for music

as an instructor in LP-GE school system

A city boy, who has found a home in rural Minnesota, Justin Kennedy has also found a way to share his passion for music.

Kennedy is in his first year as the director of the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle High School instrumental music department. He also teaches general music at the middle school and is the instructor for the elementary school's fifth grade band.

As a student, Kennedy's focus was on becoming a consummate performer on the saxophone and he still enjoys playing the saxophone for an audience. As a teacher, he has honed his skills as a director and his passion for music is evident whether he is leading the high school concert band, high school jazz band or his enthusiastic band of beginners, the fifth graders.

Kennedy was born in St. Paul and grew up in Eagan and Lakeville. He went to grade school and junior high at Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Burnsville. He is a graduate of St. Croix Lutheran High School of West St. Paul.

Kennedy was introduced to music on the first day of his life. His mother is a piano teacher and the Kennedy home was always filled with music.

His father worked as an aircraft mechanic for Northwest Airlines. Kennedy has two brothers and a sister.

His mother began giving him piano lessons when Kennedy was five years old. Kennedy said the mother-son sessions were short lived (three lessons) because both of them are "strong willed". It was mutually decided he could better benefit from having another instructor.

He studied piano with a private instructor on and off through grade school, high school and college.

A bit of serendipity brought him face-to-face with the saxophone and band lessons.

One of the students at his grade school was the grandson of a professional saxophone player, a grandpa who was also a saxophone and jazz instructor at St. Olaf College. A grandpa who had studied music at the Paris Conservator, played with big bands and played with the "Tonight Show" orchestra.

Ruben Haugen was Kennedy's first band teacher and an influential person in his life.

Haugen started the band program at Good Shepherd so his grandson could be in a band and he also gave Kennedy his chance on the saxophone.

Said Kennedy, "Ruben was in his late sixties when he started the band. He gave us a break on fees for private lessons and he really pushed us. He had an old style of teaching. He was very strict. A lot of my teaching style comes from him."

Over the years, Kennedy continued to take private saxophone lessons from Haugen.

Kennedy loves performing, stating, "I looked for as many performing opportunities as I could in high school and college."

In high school he was also introduced to music theory and music history, two subjects that continue to spark his interest.

As a freshman in high school, Kennedy was very interested in becoming a professional jazz musician.

The idea of playing music for a living captured his imagination until he took biology as a high school sophomore. He fell in love with the sciences and turned his thoughts toward becoming a medical doctor specializing in highly infectious diseases. Kennedy saw himself in a white lab coat, solving infectious disease mysteries for the Centers for Disease Control.

Even though medicine had taken center stage, Kennedy never relinquished his love of music and he began college as a music major. At the same time, he took classes to fulfill all the pre med requirements.

He said, "I was intent on getting a music major, but I also wanted to take care of all the science requirements so I could get into medical school.

Kennedy attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, a private college renown for its music program.

As he was sitting in biology and chemistry classes, Kennedy found his mind wandering back to music. When he discovered that his research scholarship would apply to researching music, Kennedy abandoned his potential career as a medical researcher and focused on his music major.

"I did my research project on music history instead of blood borne pathogens. I plan to stick with music. The only way I'll be Dr. Kennedy is if I get a Ph.D in music," he revealed.

Kennedy loved his time at Gust-avus and played with the school's top band for three years. He sat in with the college orchestra when it needed a saxophone player and he also played piano and saxophone for the college's jazz band. He was a member of a saxophone quartet at Gustavus and sang in the mens choir.

As college graduation day neared, Kennedy has his mind set on going to graduate school to study music performance. While he was looking at various graduate schools, he taught at a music studio in Eden Prairie and was the music librarian for the Minnesota Youth Symph-onies.

After a few months as a one-on-one music instructor, Kennedy realized he missed working with large musical groups and he began a teacher licensure program at Bethel College. Another person who is very important in his life encouraged him to become a teacher.

As a senior in college Kennedy was selected to play saxophone in the National Association of College Band Director's Honor Band. That was an honor in and of itself, but it had an importance in Kennedy's life that he never imagined.

He explained, "Sitting next to me in that honor band was a lovely saxophone player from Bethel College. We talked, e-mailed, dated, went to each other's recitals and after graduation we got engaged."

Justin and Crystal were married in December 2002.

Crystal was hired as the band director at Wadena-Deer Creek High School and the couple moved to Wadena.

Kennedy student taught in the Staples-Motley School district last spring. He met Long Prairie-Grey Eagle High School choral music director Marilyn Bengtson at a solo and ensemble contest in Staples. She mentioned that there might be a music opening in the LP-GE school district and Kennedy made a phone call to check it out.

Kennedy came to Long Prairie for an interview, was hired and took on the challenge of leading the storied high school band. Minnesota's Marching M'Bassadors have a nationwide reputation for excellence and Kennedy appreciates the challenge of building on that great tradition.

He noted that long-time Long Prairie-Grey Eagle band director Ray Gove has been very helpful to him as has the band's most recent director Ruthann Anderson, who is now directing the district's junior high band.

He is also grateful that his student teaching experience brought him into contact with Marilyn Bengtson.

He said, "That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Marilyn has been very supportive of me and I appreciate the encouragement."

He grew up in a city/suburban environment, but Kennedy said he enjoys small town life and got a taste of it while spending his boyhood summers at his grandparent's cabin near Garrison.

In addition to experiencing small town life in Garrison, Kennedy was introduced to another of his passions, fishing. It would not be an exaggeration to say he grew up with a saxophone in one hand and a fishing pole in the other.

He finds that fishing and music have much in common in that adventures in either realm require patience, can be thought provoking, calming and relaxing and are capable of exceeding your wildest expectations.

Kennedy is enjoying the challenges of his first year as a public school teacher.

He said, "I feel comfortable in my position and confident that the students are improving. Teaching here is great. There are a lot of talented musicians in the school and I have enjoyed watching the students grow musically. I have especially liked watching the students who have taken positive leadership roles."

He continued, "I want to have a very high level performing band. I won't settle for anything less. I want the students to play expressively and to have a great sound."

His bands will be showcased in two upcoming concerts and in the high school league's large group competition in the next few weeks.

The high school jazz band and middle school jazz band will present a concert at the high school auditorium Sunday, Feb. 22.

The high school concert band will present a concert at the high school auditorium Sunday, Feb. 29. Dr. Leigh Wakefield, an associate professor at Concordia College, will be a guest conductor and clarinet soloist.

The concerts are free and open to the public.

The high school concert band will compete in the large group competition at Minnewaska Area High School Wednesday, March 3.

Kennedy still enjoys performing and periodically plays saxophone with a swing band in Staples. He and his wife played with the Heartland Symphony last fall. Along with other area band directors, the Kennedys are putting together a saxophone quartet.

Performing is important to Ken-nedy, but just now he is focused on the upcoming concerts, the competition and putting together a summer band program and schedule.